Diary - Musing on a half Century of Climate Science Awareness, 2020-02-22

Given that I’ve reached my half century anniversary of engaged climate science awareness and outreach, a little reflection comes naturally.  I used to be told it’s easy enough to complain, but could I actually define my complaints?  Even better, could I suggest solutions?  

It was a fair challenge and I dare say I’ve spent the past decades striving to meet it.  Now some tell me my blogs are a bit redundant.  Oh well.  I’m not an academic, nor a journalist, I’m an enthusiast and this is my self-assigned research project and homework notebook.  Some pages are better than others and redos happen as I continue improving.  

In truth, I had hoped CSC would develop into a study group, as a few like minded citizens joined in, but that never happened.  Thus this blog could never develop beyond a busy, often distracted, individual citizen’s perspective.  It is what it is.

About that half century.  I started high school in 1969, my already well developed love of nature and deep curiosity had me taking all the science courses I could.  As it happened Earth’s climate system turned out to be an especially important and dramatic topic that captured my unwavering interest.

After graduation I went on to a working life, but curiosity about Earth sciences and history remained central to my existence, the hobby I never tired of.  Of course, courting, raising a family and working multiple jobs put all that on the back-burner for a while.  Still I kept up on scientific discovers and news.  

Kids kept growing and with time my work load diminished.  Then a local snow-bird, Roger Cohen, started peddling the EXXON oil company’s line of “Relax, No Worries, ignore the science!” in an OpEd and letters to local papers, even giving a couple talks up at the local college.  That pissed me off and I funneled that energy into researching Cohen’s claims and writing about what I found.  I helped raise hell about the travesty of FLC hosting a talk filled with known scientific lies and deliberate deception.  After that Roger moved his dog’n pony show to a local hotel conference room.
       

Index for Confronting Science Contrarians, citizenschallenge, wuwtw

Lets close out 2019 with an index of previous posts.  

Happy New Year (what a shame it rings more hollow than in times past.)  

A healthy democracy requires and informed and engaged citizenry.

My Mission Statement:

We The People have a moral ethical right - along with a pragmatic need - to learn what scientists have learned about this planet's biosphere and climate engine without constant dishonest crossfire.     

We should not tolerate serious scientists always being drown out by amoral, dishonest and frankly ignorant arguments - that an astoundingly ruthless PR factory repeats over and over again, without ever learning a damned thing from the evidence in front of us.       ( email @ citizenschallenge gmail com )

Confronting Science Contrarians BLOG ARCHIVE:

• ▼  2019 (83)
• ▼  December (7)
• Diary, 12/25/2019 - Rhetorical Jujutsu, case in point
• Questioning the Geologic Column. Mind over Matter.
• Examining an Intellectual Juvenile Delinquent, "Anonymous", Dec 12, 2019
• Bringing it back to Earth Centrism
• Pageant of Earth's Evolution (in 24hr) part two
• Introduction to Cc's Pageant of Evolution project.
• Pageant of Earth's Evolution (in 24hr) part one

Mike Hulme's Tenacious Grip on Physical Reality. An examination.

After reading Hulme's "Am I a denier, a human extinction denier?" he invites us to read: "‘We Always Get the Weather We Deserve’: The Tenacious Grip of Moral Accountability."   So I did.  It was an even deeper exploration into his Mindscape rather than climate science.  Needless to say, this essay also deserves a serious examination.

I'm looking for a job, researcher and writer, 
dedicated to confronting the deliberate calculated lies 
of the climate science contrarian community!
PO Box 56
Durango, Colorado 81326
citizenschallenge - at - gmail com

@ mikehulme.org  |  25/01/2018

TEXT REPRINTED UNDER PROTECTION OF FAIR USE COPYRIGHT LAWS. 

My intention is a review of ‘libertarian' deception in action. 

________________________________________________________________

Abstract: 

Different cosmologies, religious thought, political ideologies, social practices and scientific paradigms of knowledge all contribute to the rich cultural matrix in which theories of climatic change and causation have emerged, flourished and declined. 

____________

Sure, but lets be clear, this is about our inner perceptions and not about understanding our climate system.

Prof. Mike Hulme gets lost in his Mindscape. An examination.

Yesterday I read an ATTP post about Mike Hulme’s controversial May 27th article, "Am I a denier, a human extinction denier?" I did a double take.  

Weren't they just saying, “No Manmade Global Warming” - then it was “No Catastrophic Warming” - now we’re up to, “No Human Extinction” - anyone else notice a disturbing pattern here?  It made me curious so I read it and found myself recalling the Missing Key, the magisteria of Physical Reality vs the magisteria of our Human Mindscape.  

I don’t know Hulme.  I do know his article did nothing to recommend him.  It was a contrived piece of…, of…, I don’t know, manipulative nothing.  A waste of time if constructive learning was one’s goal. 

However, it offers a great case study in getting lost within one’s own Mindscape and forgetting all about the Physical Reality ‘out there’.  That’s why I decided to dissect Hulme's article and add it to my collection.

In truth, I don’t know if Hulme considers himself a libertarian or not, I do know his words parrot libertarian arguments and logic so I’m comfortable assuming he is until told otherwise.

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Am I a denier, a human extinction denier?

@ mikehulme.org  |  27/05/2019

REPRINTED UNDER PROTECTION OF FAIR USE COPYRIGHT LAWS. 

My intention is a review of ‘libertarian' deception in action. 

¶1  There has been a lot of talk recently about climate change and extinction.

¶2  It is undoubtedly the case that species go extinct.  And sometimes large numbers of species disappear together in mass events caused by the same physical stresses.  It is also true that at some point in the future the human species will go extinct, or at the least evolve into a new species partly of our own making.  

What's Natural about Jim Steele's Safe Space? Pacifica Tribune

https://nationalpost.com/news/so-many-bears-draft-plan-says-nunavut-polar-bear-numbers-unsafe

REPRINTED UNDER PROTECTION OF FAIR USE COPYRIGHT LAWS.  

My intention is a review of 'libertarian' deception in action.

Click on image for better viewing and comparing.

Steele never explains that "safe space", instead he used his soapbox to praise Nunavut’s Inuit hunters for their superior wildlife observation skills that, according to Steele, put scientists to shame.

This column was so lacking in anything to do with climate science, that I have to change my approach again, this time simply dissect and comment.

The column’s title proclaims: “Can We Kappiananngittuq?” - subtitled, “We need a safe place to discuss global climate topics.” - and the center-piece quote reads: “I suggest we all could benefit by debating kappiananngittuq style.” 

         

Begs the question, what would a public “safe space to discuss” climate science look like Jim? 

What guidelines would you expect us to follow?  

Would honesty be important?

When I’m discussing facts I’ve gathered, would there be an expectation that I be truthful?  That I honesty and accurately represent the information I’ve collected?

When I’m describing the data and work of an ‘opponent’ would there be an expectation that I honesty represent my adversary’s data?

Would it be a general betrayal to substitute a dishonest argument that prop up false assertions, while hiding my opponent’s facts?

In a kappiananngittuq, is there an expectation to respect the experience, knowledge and merits of each individual, even your opponents?

In a kappiananngittuq, if it’s explained to you, how you are mistaken about something, do you sit there striving to listen, understand and absorb the lesson?

In a kappiananngittuq, is learning and a better communal understanding of our collective real world situation the goal?  

These are important questions.  I believe the answers are self evident: YES on all counts.  I wonder how Jim Steele would answer?  

Climate-Change Denial by Proxy, Polar Bears, Blogs and Steele

The two most recent "What's Natural?" columns worth of crazy making by Jim Steele revolves around Polar Bear studies, which Steele first misrepresents, then he offers his tortured conclusion, it's proof that manmade global warming is a hoax.  In reaching out to scientists he named, one shared the following with me when I asked about any papers that looked into contrarian deception on this topic:

“The paper by Harvey et al. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/68/4/281/4644513 is the best rebuttal against the deniers when it comes to polar bears.”  

I was so impressed with the read and since it has a Creative Commons Attribution, I'm going to take advantage of their invitation and share the entire paper here and hope that a few make the time to read this informative collection of facts.

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial by Proxy

Jeffrey A Harvey, Daphne van den Berg, Jacintha Ellers, Remko Kampen, Thomas W Crowther, Peter Roessingh, Bart Verheggen, Rascha J M Nuijten, Eric Post, Stephan Lewandowsky ... 

BioScience, Volume 68, Issue 4, April 2018, Pages 281–287, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix133

Published: 29 November 2017

Abstract

Increasing surface temperatures, Arctic sea-ice loss, and other evidence of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) are acknowledged by every major scientific organization in the world. 

However, there is a wide gap between this broad scientific consensus and public opinion. 

Internet blogs have strongly contributed to this consensus gap by fomenting misunderstandings of AGW causes and consequences. 

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) have become a “poster species” for AGW, making them a target of those denying AGW evidence. 

Here, focusing on Arctic sea ice and polar bears, we show that blogs that deny or downplay AGW disregard the overwhelming scientific evidence of Arctic sea-ice loss and polar bear vulnerability. 

By denying the impacts of AGW on polar bears, bloggers aim to cast doubt on other established ecological consequences of AGW, aggravating the consensus gap. 

To counter misinformation and reduce this gap, scientists should directly engage the public in the media and blogosphere.  

(CC:  May I suggest students and lay-people have a responsibility to defend the science - scientists are busy with their work!  Besides most contrarian arguments have nothing to do with the actual science and everything to do with rhetorical deception.)

Diary 4/24/19_Democrats Stop Talking Past GOPs Trumpsters

We’re* going to lose this struggle to save American democracy if we continue talking past each other!  Trump supporters, or rather their arguments and PR strategies, must be better recognized and exposed and understood and vocally countered by an energized, engaged grassroots movement!

Stop following the GOP script - get better educated and eloquent and create a new one.  Then directly address Trumpism and the vandalism its inflicting upon our society - something that has not been happening. 

Intellectually Confronting the Faith-blinded and the Faith-shackled would provide a much needed second benefit, to better educate OUR OWN people, who for the most part don't understand today's issues and rather withdraw within the comforts of consumerism than get engaged. 

Many get a little offended at what I write, but this is about getting real and trying to win hearts and minds and stir Democratic passions for a change.  New approaches are required - where we at least learn to clearly enunciate what we believe and why.  To better explain ourselves* and at least demand recognition of physical reality and down to Earth facts.   

          (* That would be rationalists, liberals, progressives, children of the intellectual enlightenment you could say.  )

If any of that makes sense to you, please take a moment to scan through these thoughts and arguments from someone who's been paying attention to this show since about the 60s.

Best wishes,

Peter Miesler

aka citizenschallenge

citizenschallenge _  gmail _ com

It would be nice to network with like minded.  As my virtual debate with Jim Steele shows I'm ready for constructive debate and can produce.  I'm also ready to demonstrate that there is no contrarian dodge that can't be turned into a learning moment.   

Thank you.

We The People of the United States have a moral, ethical right - along with a pragmatic need - to learn what scientists have learned about this planet's biosphere and climate engine without constant dishonest crossfire. 

   

We should not tolerate serious scientists always being drown out by amoral, ruthless, and frankly ignorant arguments - that an astoundingly totalitarian GOP PR factory repeats over and over again, without ever learning a damned thing from the evidence in front of us. 

Intellectually Confronting Faith-Based thinking and Dogma Driven Deceptions

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/confronting-faith-based-delusions.html

Considering our dysfunctional public dialogue in 14 verses.

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/our-dysfunctional-public-dialogue.html

Map v Territory Problem, Statistical Certainty vs Geophysical Realities

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/statistical-certainty-vs-geophysical.html

Who says understanding Earth’s Evolution is irrelevant? 2018

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/earths-evolution-is-irrelevant-2018.html

Saying No To Reality. Questioning the Geologic Column.

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/saying-no-to-reality-questioning.html

Considering the Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s “Nonoverlapping Magisteria”

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-missing-key-gould.html

Steele’s ‘What’s Natural?’ Dissecting libertarian deception, a fishy tale.

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2019/02/steeles-fishy-tale-gop-selfdelusions.html

STOP CALLING SURFACE "COOLING" GLOBAL COOLING ! ! !

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/12/stop-calling-surface-cooling-global.html

Breen LandUseCode Community Meeting - This Is What Democracy Looks Like !

https://americansforkochsprosperity.blogspot.com/2018/02/breen-landusecode-community-meeting.html

CC's Climate Science Deception - Hall of Shame

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/p/hall-of-shame.html

Appreciating Earth's Evolution

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/p/who-says-understanding-earths-evolution.html

12) “Faith-based Thinking: God or EGO?" - GOP's hate-on for Pluralism

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2018/01/god-or-ego-gop-hates-pluralism.html

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https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com

This is a learning (and sharing) project dedicated to dissecting, examining, and confronting the deception dependent Republican assault on climate science and rational constructive debate  ~ I invite good-faith discussion.

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com

This is both my personal learning project and my contribution in the struggle to confront the ongoing Republican/ libertarian assault on rational science and constructive learning, as manifested in their malicious strategic Attacks on Science ~ A collection of articles, scientific resources, plus my own essays and indepth critique of various presentations from unidirectional-skeptics ~ Hopefully a resource for the busy, yet discerning, student who's concerned about the health of our Earth

https://no-villageatwolfcreek.blogspot.com

An information source for conservationists wanting to become proactive in the struggle to protect Alberta Park from development. ~ ~ ~ This is a collection of essays and information sources arguing for Mr. B.J. “Red” McCombs to retract his ill considered development plans and return his Alberta Park parcel back to its rightful fold within the Rio Grande National Forest.

https://americansforkochsprosperity.blogspot.com

        Americans for Koch's Prosperity, et cetera.

We (that is children of the intellectual enlightenment) need to stop playing by the GOP's totalitarian script.  

Create our own narrative also directly lovingly, intellectually but with inner conviction confront the insanity of believing you know God on a direct personal level.

After all, that is the fantasy mindscape feeding this Alt-Right hostile take-over attempt upon our United State of America government. 

What's Natural about Steele's Sea Level conundrum? Pacifica Tribune 3/20/2019

In his March 20th What’s Natural? column, Jim Steele winds up in a conundrum because he’s obsessing on Greenland while trying to figure out California’s sea level rise.  It got me to thinking about those six blind men grappling to make sense of an elephant while focusing on individual parts.  

Steele’s conundrum will never get resolved until he pulls back and starts taking in the whole of our Global Heat and Moisture Distribution Engine.

The biggest problem is that Steele’s confusion is deliberate.  See, Jim’s no teacher, he’s a performance artist who has become skilled at taking bits and pieces of true facts, ignoring great swaths of important information, then concocting just so stories to entertain and sooth, rather than inform and prepare.  

He gets away with it because his audience wants to be deceived - and because rationalists fear to confront such belligerent self-certain willful ignorance. 

Why do I care?  Because I love this planet and truth matters! 

Because someone needs to be a Witness for honesty and defender of We The People’s right to learn about this wonderful fantastical planet Earth that created us >>> without the constant cross screaming of malicious dedicated liars!

I’ve dissected March 20th’s Pacifica Tribune’s What’s Natural? because it offers me another opportunity to examine ‘libertarian’ fraud in action, while giving me an excuse to share a treasure trove of related links to solid educational resources for the curious.  

REPRINTED UNDER PROTECTION OF FAIR USE COPYRIGHT LAWS.  

My intention is a point by point review of 'libertarian' deception in action.

Click on image for better viewing and comparing.

Peter Hadfield made an easy to follow overview of the meme Jim’s parroting.

potholer54  |  Published on May 15, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEieWJghRNY

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ClimateFeedback.org FactCheck Fail

This morning I came across another example of dancing to the contrarian script -  this time it was ClimateFeedback.org Fact Checkers.

Rather than dog-chasing-tail words, we need to strive to clarify what’s unfolding upon our planet on a realistic gut level.

Moral of the story stop focusing on tiny uncertainties - redirect the dialogue back to the known certainties - because they certainly tell us enough.

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This is what appeared (click image for better view):

Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, Mar 8, 2019     {hat tip to skepticalscience.com} 

CLAIM
"The science is clear, climate change is making extreme weather events, including tornadoes, worse.”        SOURCE: Bernie Sanders, Facebook, 4 March 2019   

ClimateFeedback.org's fact checking verdict was misleading.  

Overstates scientific confidence: Research clearly shows that certain types of weather extremes are increasing as a result of climate change, but it is not clear how tornadoes are responding to a warming climate.

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ClimateFeedback misses the point. 

It’s not about tornadoes and score keeping, it’s about learning to appreciate how our climate engine operates.

Take back the narrative !

Research clearly shows us that our global heat and moisture distribution engine has accumulated a degree Centigrade worth of extra heat since the advent of the steam engine.

Weather's job is to circulate this heat (and moisture) from the broiling equator to the poles.

This warming also increases the moisture holding capacity of air.

Physics tells us this added energy gets circulated throughout the global weather system. 

This extra heat is now available to be released through various destructive forms, not limited to tornadoes, consider destructive macrobursts, microbursts, downbursts, derechos, bomb cyclones, hurricanes and others.  

It doesn’t much matter which particular meteorological conditions come together, the point is when they do, they now have increasingly more energy, heat and moisture available, meaning more intense events must to be expected.  

It’s elementary.  It's physics.  It's certain as people can be about anything.

It’s about establishing an appreciation for what’s happening within our global heat and moisture distribution engine.  Well that and learning to appreciate the fragility of the biosphere upon who's health we all depend on for everything.