Peter Hadfield takes on the MWP

Mann, Bradley, and Hughes (MBH) 1999 seems to be getting a lot of attention these recent weeks in various places on the Internet, so it's quite timely that Peter has decided to produce what is his longest single video yet, on the topic of the "putative Medieval Warm Period" (MWP).  

Peter aptly points out the fact that gets missed by so many denialists: science always moves forward.  While they are caught up arguing over the MWP as it appears in schematic (non-proxy) drawings from the IPCC's First Assessment Report, and over McIntyre and McKitrick's criticisms of of the statistical techniques used in MBH1999, there have been numerous other subsequent reconstructions that improve on that early research.  All the more recent research has continued to support MBH's conclusions that globally averaged temperature is likely warmer today than at any time in the past 1000 years.

As I recently stated to someone, getting all wrapped up on critiquing MBH98/99 is a little like castigating Newton for not coming up with Relativity.

Also interesting is how Peter diligently ferrets out various examples of other "skeptics" doctoring research paper charts to remove the instrumental record or even shift the time scale to make it look like the MWP was warmer than today.

Keep up the great work, Peter!  The world today needs more journalists like you. 

Posted by Rob Honeycutt on Monday, 30 July, 2012


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