A link between climate change and tornadoes?

This comment gave me an excuse to revisit this page.  

Anonymous writes: "perhaps you have not seen these graphs of tornado activity: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornado-climatology/trends i see no obvious tend in overall activity, but a clear drop in extreme tornado activity."

~ ~ ~

How is someone supposed to respond to that?  A, you can't find any clear understanding by looking at one graph.  You need to make the effort to understand how the entire global heat distribution engine is evolving.

Anonymous thinks there's a clear drop in extreme tornado activity, but experts who track weather full time, have a different story to share.  Instead of just reaching for one handy-dandy looking graph to make your point, spend some time looking around that site and learn.  This link will take you to the report for January 2012, quite the extreme month.
 http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/tornadoes/2012/1

I'm sure you'd tell me that 2012 turned out to be a very quite year tornado wise... but that's only true if you stay south of the border, Canada had a very extreme year - Saskatchewan experienced three times the normal number of tornadoes.  And then there was that wild June 2012 Derecho to remind us that there's more than tornadoes coming our way.

Here's an informative article by Seth Borenstein if you want an overview of what the scientists do and don't understand at this point:

Could global warming change tornado season, too?
http://phys.org/news/2013-03-global-tornado-season.html

Speaking of more than tornadoes to worry about:

Global warming is likely to increase severe thunderstorm conditions in U.S., research finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130923155542.htm 

Nils-Axel Mörner is Wrong About Sea Level Rise

Considering my last thread I think it makes sense to "Repost" the entire SkepticalScience.com article that turned into such an interesting comments, discussion section.

Thanks again to those hard working volunteers at SkepticalScience.com that make this possible!
{http://www.skepticalscience.com/Nils-Axel-Morner-wrong-about-sea-level-rise.html}

Nils-Axel Mörner is Wrong About Sea Level Rise (via Skeptical Science)

Posted on 6 December 2011 by dana1981 The Spectator has published an article written by Nils-Axel Mörner with his usual denial about sea level rise (which has been re-published by many of the usual suspects).  Figure 1 shows the mean global sea level…

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Dr. Nils-Axel Morner's Maldives Tree - what's up with that?

Here's an update:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41TCWEl-x_g

potholer54  |  

Published on May 18, 2019

________________________________________________________

{Another post with too many typos, my apologies, I'm not a pro, just an observer doing the best I can with what I got… hopefully I caught most all of the holdouts this time.   ~ ~ ~  edited 2/20/2014}

Dr. Nils-Axel Morner is at it again, claiming that the world's oceanographers don't know what they are doing and according to his "authoritative" study he concludes that sea levels are not rising.  In fact, the man goes further: "The practical implication of our conclusions is that there, in fact, is no reason either to fear or to prepare for any disastrous sea level flooding in the near future."

Anthony Watts is proud to lend his support:

Australian sea level data highly exaggerated, only 5 inches by 2100 

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Anthony Watts 

In a new analysis published in Volume 8 Issue 2 of Environmental Science Dr. Nils-Axel Morner suggests global sea levels will rise only about 5 inches by the year 2100. 

Pascal Bruckner's "Fanaticism of the Apocalypse" - A Citizen's Response

This turns out to be one of my most visited pages.  Makes me wonder how someone who's so wrapped up within his own mind while remaining oblivious to the physical planet around himself has found such a large audience.  But, guess I shouldn't be surprised at all - mind games and disconnect from the realities of our life giving biosphere is that name of the game in this brave new world - isn't it.

I tried contacting Pascal Bruckner, but it's a black hole on the other side of this computer, Though considering the popularity of this post, if anyone that reads this has a real email address for the man please do share it.

cheers, CC  8/20/14
(did some touch up edits while rereading this.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I've made a fresh attempt to evaluate Bruckner's machinations, this time using an article he wrote for The Chronicle of Higher Education: "Against Environmental Panic" and ironically printed the day before I posted this original look at Bruckner.  Considering my efforts are as much about my own personal learning process as it is about sharing information, I'm hoping it's a bit more concise and cleaner than this effort.

Watching Flames, Pascal Bruckner Fiddles (August 24, 2014)

wuptw.blogspot.com/2014/08/watching-flames-bruckner-fiddles

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pascal Bruckner a professional thinker who's been described as the "Gallic Gadfly" and "a goad, a self-declared man of the left who considers the influence of leftist ideology on contemporary France to have been, by and large, disastrous..." {see The Gallic Gadfly }.  

Thus it was odd to see Anthony WUWT embracing him, but who knows what's going on at WUWT these days.  In any event, I'm tired of stuff like this going unopposed so here's another critical review together with a few selected educational videos and links to sources that help describe some of the scientific aspects of climatology that Bruckner seems unaware of.

====================

"http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/06/17/essay-carbon-footprint-as-original-sin/ 

Essay: carbon footprint as ‘original sin’
Posted on June 17, 2013 by Anthony Watts 

"Anthony Watts' writes: 
"This essay appears today in The Chronicle Review and it makes an interesting claim:
What is the carbon footprint, after all, if not the gaseous equivalent of Original Sin, the stain we inflict on Mother Gaia?

~ ~ ~ 
Here Anthony inserted a <250 word quote from Bruckner's 4000 word long essay, then he tippytoes away from the scene, leaving it to his fans to have at it.

As for me, by the time I was finished looking through the full essay I was irritated enough that I felt compelled to give it another look and offer Pascal Bruckner a reply to his "Fanaticism and the Apocalypse" which is anything but a rational evaluation of our real world situation.

I will reproduce Bruckner's entire text, though vast tracks of wasteland will be reduced to small font.  I haven't changed any words but have introduced some highlights and paragraph breaks where appropriate.  

Bruckner's words are in courier font

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

4000+ words

The essay can be found at:

http://chronicle.com/article/Against-Environmental-Panic/139733/

In Jesuit schools we were urged to strengthen our faith by spending time in monasteries. We were assigned spiritual exercises to be dutifully written in little notebooks that were supposed to renew the promises made at baptism and to celebrate the virtues of Christian love and succor for the weak.

The Forbes conversation continues - 13 points examined

As the world warms the "manmade global warming" debate gets ever more surreal.  

Seems that no matter how much evidence accumulates, the Republican power-politic devotees come up with ever more disconnected claims and rationalizations.  

Couple days ago I was confronted with the following 13 points, (15 including the intro and closing), by someone named "scottar" over at the Forbes' comments pages.  After his jabbing introduction he begins his list with "You-all have failed to account for:"

It turned out, his items are very well accounted for and the list of 13 was little more than a list highlighting scottar's profound misunderstanding of climatology.  

Rather than swapping claims and opinions I thought I would simply share a variety of educational videos that directly speak to his various claims.  And then I invited some calm fact-based defense of his various claims and commentary on the lessons offered in the videos I shared.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

From the Forbes comments section to "Global Warming Alarmist Caught Doctoring 97% Consensus Claim"

Heartland Institute caught in a lie - Chinese Academy of Science objects

It's official, Heartland Institute and Anthony Wattsupwiththat have once again been caught out in a lie.

You can find the following statement at the official Chinese Academy of Sciences webpage:

http://www.llas.cas.cn/tzgg/201306/t20130614_3866222.html

I have added the highlights

The Statements on the Chinese Translation of the“Climate Change Reconsidered—NIPCC Report”

时间: | 2013-06-14 | | 【大 中 小】【打印】【关闭】

The Chinese translation of the “Climate Change Reconsidered—NIPCC report” was organized by the Information Center for Global Change Studies, published in May 2013 through Science Press, with an accompanying workshop on climate change issues in Beijing on June 15, 2013. However, the Heartland Institute published the news titled “Chinese Academy of Sciences publishes Heartland Institute research skeptical of Global Warming” in a strongly misleading way on its website, implying that the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) supports their views, in contrary to what is clearly stated in the Translators’ Note in the Chinese translation.  The claim of the Heartland Institute about CAS’ endorsement of its report is completely false. To clarify the fact, we formally issue the following statements:

Chinese Academy of Sciences comments on Heartland / Watts claims

Since I've found that Anthony Watts and Heartland Institute can't be taken at face value, {considering their respect for the truth is non-existent}, I decided to email the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the hope of getting to the bottom of the mystery of the missing substance behind claims of a collaboration and June 15th Gala unveiling of the NIPCC attack on climate science.

Dear CAS Representative,

Anthony Watts at
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/06/12/h ... -ceremony/

claims
Heartland’s NIPCC report to be accepted by Chinese Academy of Sciences in special ceremony:

"All three men will be in Beijing for the Chinese Academy of Sciences event on June 15, 2013 to speak about the translation of Climate Change Reconsidered. Scores of additional scientists, economists, and policy experts reviewed and contributed to the volumes."

But I can't find any such event being announce at your website?
http://english.cas.cn/Ne/
=========================

Is this event happening?

Any information you can offer will be appreciated.
Thank you for your time and hopefully interest.

Sincerely,
PM

This morning I received a reply to my question.

Donors Trust, Barre Seid, Heartland Institution, NIPCC, follow the money

In doing research for my NIPCC related posts today I came across this aside.  Though after reading it again and considering money is at the heart of Heartland Institution motivations, it may not be such an aside after all.  In particular that first PDF "Fake2" is quite the interesting document.

You decide:

Fakery 2: More Funny Finances, Free Of Tax (via Desmogblog)

Follow the money.  October 23, PBS Frontline's Climate of Doubt gave viewers an hour's coverage of the tactics of climate anti-science, its advocates and a quick look into the funding behind it. Read on to follow the money deeper into the funny finances, all free of tax. Last February, Fake Science…

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Climate Change Reconsidered - NIPCC Translation - Authors: Idso, Singer, Carter examined

Climate Change Reconsidered - Translation by the Chinese Academy of Sciences

 Craig Idso, S. Fred Singer, Robert M. Carter – June 11, 2013

From the Heartland Institute's news release:
The first 856-page volume of Climate Change Reconsidered, published in 2009, and its follow-up, the 430-page Climate Change Reconsidered: 2011 Interim Report,were produced by a team of scientists originally convened by Dr. S. Fred Singer under the name of the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC). The volumes were coauthored and edited by three climate science researchers:

• Craig D. Idso, Ph.D.
, chairman of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, editor of the online magazine CO2 Science, and author of several books and scholarly articles on the effects of carbon dioxide on plant and animal life;

• Robert M. Carter, Ph.D.
, a marine geologist and research professor at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia and author of Climate: the Counter Consensus; and

• S. Fred Singer, Ph.D.
, founder and president of the Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) and a distinguished atmospheric physicist and first director of the U.S. Weather Satellite Service.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It's amazing what a few ideologically committed folks with lots of financial support can do.  

Basically, we have a claim that three outlier scientists with a handful of helpers have proven thousands of professional scientists over decades, nay over a century, of research and observation can't do basic science.  Think about it.  

Keep in mind the NIPCC report was done within an Heartland Institution which is openly committed to pushing a "Libertarian" political agenda - ones that clearly places economic interests above and beyond real geophysical realities.  Look at Heartland's "Mission Statement" there is nothing in their about striving to learn about our planet's climate.  

I'm talking about our 'global life support system' and it's treated with thoughtless contempt by Republicans of every stripe... it simply does not make sense to me!

Heartland’s NIPCC report to be accepted by CAS in special ceremony... WUWT?

This morning when I visited SkepticForum.com I found one of the regulars gleefully reporting on the reports of the Chinese Academy of Sciences translating the NIPCC's contrarian review of climate science.  He was so happy you'd almost believe the CAS endorsed the study. 

When in fact, it sounds like it could have been a for-pay translation - without any investigation or review beyond that needed to translate a technical paper.

In reporting this story Heartland and it's surrogates such as Anthony WattsUpWithThat have been doing their best to lather this into way more than it is.  Anthony's cover note before handing it over to Heartland Institute: 

"Note: I’ve been aware of this effort being underway for sometime, and I’m happy to be able to report it today. The fact that the Chinese undertook the effort speaks volumes. – Anthony Here is the Heartland press release from their website:"

From the Heartland PR release:

"The Chinese Academy of Sciences in June 2013 translated and published a Chinese edition of Climate Change Reconsidered and Climate Change Reconsidered: 2011 Interim Report, two hefty volumes containing more than 1,200 pages of peer-reviewed data on climate change originally published by The Heartland Institute in 2009 and 2011. "

Concluding thoughts on: Lindzen, Deconstructs Global Warming Hysteria

Lindzen, Deconstructs Global Warming Hysteria - Anatomy of a Con Job 

That was quite the project, I wasn't sure I'd finish it... and I'm sure that it's going to need some doctoring, but right now I need to catch up on neglected chores, so I'm going to have to live with them the way they stand. {that's finally taken care of}

Thinking back on this adventure that started with the following challenge.

Lindzen, Deconstructs Global Warming Hysteria - 3/3 Anatomy of a Con Job

{edited June 13th afternoon - for typos } 

"Citizenschallenge, you are the one who chose to make personal attacks and dishonest ad hominems about James Taylor*, The Heartland Institute and the scientists in his article.  

You want videos from climate scientists? No problem,Richard S. Lindzen Ph.D. Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sHg3ZztDAw 

How many more do you want? I know you have been brainwashed to not believe there are highly credentialed scientists who do not support your position on climate change but please don’t make it so obvious."

*He's referring to 

"James Taylor Caught Doctoring the '97-Percent Consensus' Claims"  http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2013/05/james-taylor-caught-doctoring-97.html

With that invitation I took up the video, it turned into a big project that I split between three posts.  Here is the last installment. Lindzen's 2009 Competitive Enterprise Institute talk can be found at my  first installment.  Lindzens words are in courier font.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

Lindzen, Deconstructs Global Warming Hysteria 2of3 - Anatomy of a Con Job

{edited June 10th AM - for typos } 

"Citizenschallenge, you are the one who chose to make personal attacks and dishonest ad hominems about James Taylor*, The Heartland Institute and the scientists in his article.  

You want videos from climate scientists? No problem,Richard S. Lindzen Ph.D. Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sHg3ZztDAw 

How many more do you want? I know you have been brainwashed to not believe there are highly credentialed scientists who do not support your position on climate change but please don’t make it so obvious."

*He's referring to "James Taylor Caught Doctoring the '97-Percent Consensus' Claims"  http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2013/05/james-taylor-caught-doctoring-97.html

With that invitation I took up the video, it turned into a huge project that needs to get split between three posts.  Here is the second installment. Lindzen's 2009 Competitive Enterprise Institute is at my first installment. Lindzens words are in courier font.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

Lindzen, Deconstructs Global Warming Hysteria 1of3 - Anatomy of a Con Job

{edited June 10th AM - for typos } 

"Citizenschallenge, you are the one who chose to make personal attacks and dishonest ad hominems about James Taylor*, The Heartland Institute and the scientists in his article.  

You want videos from climate scientists? No problem,Richard S. Lindzen Ph.D. Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sHg3ZztDAw 

How many more do you want? I know you have been brainwashed to not believe there are highly credentialed scientists who do not support your position on climate change but please don’t make it so obvious."

*He's referring to "James Taylor Caught Doctoring the '97-Percent Consensus' Claims"  http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2013/05/james-taylor-caught-doctoring-97.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

With that invitation I took up the video:

Forbes, James Taylor and Critical Thinking - 97 percent part two

This is a continuation of my previous post since it's based on the discussion thread over at James Taylor's "Global Warming Alarmists Caught Doctoring '97-Percent Consensus' Claims" article has become quite the circus.

There's one comment I want to touch on here.