Arguments
2014 SkS Weekly Digest #45
Posted on 9 November 2014 by John Hartz
SkS Highlights
The 2014 SkS Weekly News Roundup #45B attracted the highest number of comments of the items posted on SkS during the past week. Dana's article, Weather Channel co-founder John Coleman prefers conspiracies to climate science garnered the second highest number.
Toon of the Week
See: Voters put climate change policy in the hands of climate change denier by David Horsey, Los Angeles Times, Nov 7, 2014
Quote of the Week
Global ground water supplies, crucial for sustaining agriculture, are being depleted at an alarming rate with dangerous security implications, a leading scientist said.
"It's a major cause for concern because most of the places where it (ground water depletion) is happening are major food producing regions," James Famiglietti, a University of California professor who conducts research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"India is the worst off, followed by the Middle East, and the U.S. is probably number three ... the Chinese, particularly on the north China plain, are more water limited than people believe."
Famiglietti's conclusions are based on his latest research paper "The global ground water crisis" published in the journal Nature Climate Change last month.
Ground water depletion driving global conflicts - NASA scientist by Chris Arsenault, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Nov 7, 2014
SkS in the News
The Consensus Project website is referenced and linked to in Are you a poor logician? Logically, you might never know by Stephan Lewandowsky and Richard Pancost posted on The Convesation UK.
In Confessions of a Former Climate Change Denialist, originally posted on the website of the Canadian Science Writers' Association, Kasra Hassani references and links to the SkS webpage Global Warming &Climate Change Myths. Hassani's article was subsequently reprinted in Salon with the title, I was once a climate change denier.
In his Washington Post article, Why does anyone pay attention to John Coleman, Weather Channel co-founder, on climate change?, Jason Samenow of the Capital Weather Gang quotes from and links to the SkS rebuttal article, Over 31,000 scientists signed the OISM Petition Project.
SkS Spotlights
Coming Soon on SkS
- We must manage global warming risks by cutting carbon pollution, top scientists conclude (Dana)
- More research confirming large methane leakage from shale boom (gws)
- 2014 SkS Weekly News Roundup #46A (John Hartz)
- Climate Models Anticipated Human-Caused Warming in the North Pacific (Rob Painting)
- Guest Post (John Abraham)
- Forget ‘saving the Earth’ – it’s an angry beast that we’ve awoken (Clive Hamilton)
- 2014 SkS Weekly News Roundup #46B (John Hartz)
Poster of the Week
El Niño Watch
The climate phenomenon known as El Niño, which can alter weather patterns around the globe, still isn’t here. Nine months and counting . . .
And there’s the possibility that it might not form at all, which should not come as a surprise given the tease it’s been. Consider:
- March: The first watch was issued, with a 50 percent chance it would arrive by fall
- April: Chances held steady at 50 percent
- May: The odds increased to 65 percent
- June: The forecast said 80 percent, or a 4-out-of-5 chance El Nino would form
- July: Still strong at 80 percent
- August: Down to 65 percent
- September: Still in the 60-65 percent range
- October: No change
- November: The odds lowered slightly to 58 percent
If you think it’s been aggravating to follow this roller coaster ride, just be thankful you’re not one of the forecasters.
Waiting for El Niño. Still. Again. by Andrea Thompson, Climate Central, Nov 6, 2014
SkS Week in Review
- 2014 SkS Weekly News Roundup #45C by John Hartz
- New study questions the accuracy of satellite atmospheric temperature estimates by John Abraham (Guest Post)
- 2014 SkS Weekly News Roundup #45B by John Hartz
- Looking after the right forests benefits the climate by MarkR
- 2014 SkS Weekly News Roundup #45A by John Hartz
- Concluding instalment of the Fifth IPCC Assessment Report: by John Hartz (IPCC Press Release)
- Weather Channel co-founder John Coleman prefers conspiracies to climate science by Dana
Regarding the cartoon, neither the major oil companies nor most religions deny human caused climate change. We will be much more likely to win over still skeptical Americans if we point this out, rather then promoting stereotypes. Even the World Coal Association supports action to reduce GHG emissions. I am not saying these statements can always be taken at face value, but that they undermine and discredit the deniers.
http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/dark-winter-cold-global-cooling/2014/11/16/id/607672/ Has anyone reviewed this book or tied it specifically to the skeptic arguments page. I suspect I will be hearing about it from my more skeptical friends or from Fox News.
Steve,
The deniers are trying to get in the news before the final yearly data comes out. 2014 will be the warmest year ever. Perhaps the cooling will start immediately after the January data showing warming is released!
It is amazing that these guys can make these claims with a straight face.
SteveFunk @2, as best I understand it, John L Casey's theory is that:
1) Solar forcing is much larger than the actual observed solar forcing because.
2) His theory can be trusted because "He is one of America’s most successful climate change researchers and climate prediction experts", the later based on his Master of Arts in administration and his complete lack of peer reviewed publications on climate.
3) There is very strong evidence in support of his theory, and he just needs you to send him some money to explain it.
Is a review of the book of every two bit con artist realy needed?