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'Half' of 2012's Extreme Weather Impacted By Climate Change

sciencehabit writes "2012 was a year of extreme weather: Superstorm Sandy, drought and heat waves in the United States; record rainfall in the United Kingdom; unusually heavy rains in Kenya, Somalia, Japan, and Australia; drought in Spain; floods in China. One of the first questions asked in the wake of such extreme weather is: 'Could this due to climate change?' In a report (huge PDF) published online today, NOAA scientists tackled this question head-on. The overall message of the report: It varies. 'About half of the events reveal compelling evidence that human-caused change was a [contributing] factor,' said NOAA National Climatic Data Center Director Thomas Karl. In addition, climate scientist Peter Stott of the U.K. Met Office noted that these studies show that in many cases, human influence on climate has increased the risks associated with extreme events."

417 comments

  1. Only for Atheists. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Godfearing Christians are smitten by God and not by Climate Change.

    1. Re:Only for Atheists. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Climate change stories have comments that are "hate and ridicule" by default. Why is this still a surprise? It's like trying to eat Chocolate Therapy ice cream without going "Mmmmmmm!!!!!"

    2. Re:Only for Atheists. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Religious leaders with millions of followers, like Pat Robertson, have publicly claimed that phenomena like Katrina were punishment from god. That is worth satirizing. Moreover, the most vocal politicians against Global Warming have been aligned with the Religious Right in the US. That is another thing worth satirizing.

      You have no grounds whatsoever to claim that the lunatics are not "real Christian." A religion is a social fact. A religion is what it's followers do and what beliefs they communicate. A religion is not whatever some particular reading of the theology says it "really" is.

    3. Re:Only for Atheists. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Way to start this thread off with hate..

      I swear, the thin skinned among us are truly possessing an epidermis that is absolutely translucent to satire.

      One wonders what you'd do, confronted with real, actual hate.

    4. Re:Only for Atheists. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are people of all walks of life, including Christians, who believe in climate change. Likewise, there are people of all walks of life who do not.

      True. But invisible sky daddy non-believers who also do not believe in climate change aren't nearly as dangerous as invisible sky daddy believers who do not believe in climate change. The invisible sky daddy non-believers could possibly be swayed by facts. The invisible sky daddy believers, when their reason for disbelieving in climate change is "the invisible sky daddy won't let us fuck up the planet like that", well, they doom us all.

    5. Re:Only for Atheists. by Randy+Jian · · Score: 0

      Way to reply to a comment with hate and ridicule. There are all kinds of people who enjoyed the joke, and all kinds of people who assumes negative intentions by default and get butt-hurt over a statement. Don't confuse jokes with intentional flame-baits.

    6. Re:Only for Atheists. by Stumbles · · Score: 1

      They would shit their pants and blame Bush..

      --
      My karma is not a Chameleon.
    7. Re:Only for Atheists. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "There are people of all walks of life, including Christians, who believe in climate change."

      They already believe in all sorts of crap, so it's a short leap.

    8. Re:Only for Atheists. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "followed by thousands of dumbfounded dip shits"

    9. Re:Only for Atheists. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If anyone deserves hate and ridicule, it's the religious. Honestly, it's 2013 and we are starting to understand the universe around us. For anyone to believe in what amounts to magic is absurd.

    10. Re: Only for Atheists. by gzuckier · · Score: 1

      Even if the leaders of the radical right were only pretending to Christianity to get obedient followers, more shame on the Christian followers for letting themselves be led. Hard to believe Christ's message was to follow anybody claiming to represent Him, particularly when the message is in opposition to everything Jesus preached; nationalism, materialism, xenophobia, preemptive violence, punishment of the poor, etc. These guys are always repeating how the Devil is a liar and seduces you with sweet talk and so on, and yet they fall for the first line of bull that matches what they wish Jesus' message would be.

      --
      Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  2. Same happens with politics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Human-caused changes often cause extreme events...

    1. Re:Same happens with politics by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      Human-caused changes often cause extreme events...

      That's because we're such Extreme creatures. F'rinstance:

      • We follow (or participate in) Extreme Sports
      • We drink Extreme energy drinks
      • Watch Extreme news coverage
      • Drive Extreme vehicles
      • Participate in Extreme activities to avoid Extreme boredom.

      Extreme weather is what we crave.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    2. Re:Same happens with politics by Kahlandad · · Score: 1

      My Xtremes begin with an X, you lightweight...

    3. Re:Same happens with politics by dantotheman · · Score: 1

      Extreme weather is what we crave.

      Brawndo, its got electrolytes. Its what plants crave...

  3. cause and effect by OffTheLip · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Of course humans affect the environment, how is that disputable? It's the degree and duration of the affect that is not clear. Whether, or is it weather, these human changes are a significant factor is the debate..

    1. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      The studies detailed how much climate change may have impacted specific events.

      There are plenty of *other* studies that examine human impact on climate change.

    2. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whoops! I need to remember to preview first... It looks like I forgot chem trails... oh yeah, and the truth about 9/11... and I didn't actually reference the conspiracy against the 2nd amendment... and though I brought up race, I didn't actually directly blame illegal immigrants for anything... and I need to add some stuff about vaccines being evil... that's us too, right? Or is that the hippy conspiracy theorists? It really is a lot of work to keep the political alignment of my conspiracies straight.

      I know they might seem bizarre to you sheeple, but I don't need real, testable science when I can use the formidable power of my reason to get to the 'real' truth, which I know for a fact(ish) that we are extremely close to blowing the lids off of, because I purchased and read the books of the people that originally uncovered the conspiracies, showing the profit motive of the big corporations, or government figures, or religious organizations, or race groups that control the conspiracies. They're committed to the *truth*, and not stringing us along, squeezing everything out of us that they can, like the conspirators. When will you sheeple learn.

    3. Re:cause and effect by phantomfive · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's important also, if you want to properly understand the study, to realize that it only looks at the negative effects. To get a good understanding of AGW, you need to look at both the positive AND the negative effects.

      For an example, this recent study published in PNAS suggests that Hurricane Sandy type storms would become less likely as a result of global warming.

      Anyone who only shows you the negative of something is trying to manipulate you. That's a heuristic.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    4. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's the degree and duration of the affect that is not clear. Whether, or is it weather, these human changes are a significant factor is the debate..

      You of course say this in an article saying that 50% of 2010s extreme weather had a human contribution. First it was there is no climate change, now it's "but we don't know how much". We're going to keep moving those goalposts all the way in to an artic methane emission at this rate.

    5. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know whats a bigger lie, Obama about Syria or the Global warming scam?

      Obama about Syria is a single item which is either a bald-faced lie or the truth -- pretty small.
      The global warming scam (as opposed to scientific evidence for global warming) is HUGE -- you've got people scamming left right and center. This is definitely bigger; of global proportions in fact.

      Or who is dumber people who believe in global warming or a liberal democrat?

      Is this collectively, or as a sum of intelligence of the individuals? I'd say liberal democrat, as this is a "herd mentality" group that has to believe a lot of contradictory stuff, whereas to believe in global warming is kind of like believing in gravity.

      Who is a bigger hypocrite, John Mcshame or John Kerry?

      Never heard of McShame, so it's likely Kerry. No idea how big a hypocrite he is, though; possibly less than you or I. That was easy.

      Who is more likely to die in BO's war, brown skin men or white skin?

      That's Barrack Obama, not Body Odor, right? Which war has he laid claim to? Are we talking War on Leaking, War on Syria, War on Americans, War on Obesity/malnutrition or War on Terror (which he inherited)?
      In any case, the answer's probably the same: men with brown skin. After all; most men with white skin tan pretty quickly when exposed to the sun for any period. Probably more brown skinned women and children will die than white skinned women and children too. This is unless you're talking about the War on Obesity/malnutrition, which tends to result in more skin, much of it pale from not being exposed to the sun much.

      Does BO obey his white side or black side?

      I think he obeys his handlers, his wife and his conscience, in that order... doesn't he? From all I've seen, his conscience definitely doesn't see things as black or white.

      Such turmoil within.

      Thank you for letting some of it out; hopefully that eases the pressure.

    6. Re:cause and effect by Bigby · · Score: 1

      This summary is like saying "half of all people who watch Honey Boo Boo are stupider for it". While it may be true, how much stupider are they? How much did "climate change" affect the weather? Did it make the 200 mph win 201 mph?

    7. Re:cause and effect by QilessQi · · Score: 1

      Anyone who only shows you the negative of something is trying to manipulate you. That's a heuristic.

      And the fact that you're only pointing out the negative side of this report would mean...? :-)

    8. Re:cause and effect by phantomfive · · Score: 2, Funny

      And the fact that you're only pointing out the negative side of this report would mean...? :-)

      That I'm a genius. Anytime things get too confusing, that's the conclusion I draw. Works wonders for my self-esteem.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    9. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The studies are to examine what, if any, effect (positive or negative) climate change may have had on a set of extreme climate events, THAT IS ALL.

      On top of that the VERY STUDY LINKED IN THE ARTICLE points out in its conclusion that only one of the events studied was a cold event, and that global warming "might theoretically be expected to decrease in frequency or intensity".

      In other words, you either didn't actually read much, or any, of the studies, or you're a liar.

    10. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do realize this was the argument all along don't you? It got spun out into all the opponents being idiots who don't believe we are doing anything harmful, when all the time they've been asking for conclusive evidence of severity and duration. This is why we can't have a constructive political discussion on anything.

    11. Re:cause and effect by Lithdren · · Score: 1

      No, its not indisputable, or proven beyond reasonable doubt. Its just been documented and argued about by people who specialize in the field for 30-40 years, and they keep saying the same thing. We're the problem.

      Shoving your head in the sand might keep you from seeing the tsunami coming, but it wont keep you from drowning. You'll be on the first ones to go. To date, i've never seen any kind of scientific evidence that is any kind of strong indication that we're not causing significant change to weather paterns on the earth. Temps continue to rise, extreme weather continues to increase, carbon dioxide levels continue to soar, and extreem rainfall patterns in both directions continue their trending in the wrong way. So maybe they're assuming, but they're making the assumptions based on a huge volume of scientific evidence that backs their view.

      What is backing yours?

    12. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn right! I live in an apartment in the city, I need to eat, wear clothes, and pay rent. The landlord only takes money for rent, and I can't possibly grow my own food or make my own clothes in the apartment, so I need more money to buy food and clothes. Only way to make money is to have a job, only way to have a job is to convince others that whatever useless product or service my employer offers is actually essential to their lifestyle. So the others will have to work harder at selling their own useless goods and services to me to make more money to buy our essential yet useless goods and services.

      Of course we all know that making all these useless goods and services has a significant impact on the environment. But we needs the money, so we stick our fingers in our ears and say "lalala I don't believe you!" Cause we gots to eat, now, who cares if the grand-kids won't have enough to eat.

    13. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah, we're in the next stage of denial.

      1) "Global warming isn't happening!"
      2) "Okay, it's happening, but people aren't causing it!"
      3) "Okay, its happening and people caused it, but it won't be so bad, really!"
      4) "Okay, we're fucked, but it's not my fault!"

    14. Re:cause and effect by QilessQi · · Score: 1

      :-) I'm reminded of this quote from "House, M.D.":

      Cuddy: "How is it that you always assume you're right?
      House: "I don't. I just find it hard to operate on the opposite assumption."

    15. Re:cause and effect by BasilBrush · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As a matter of interest, at what stage did you accept that smoking was carcinogenic, as an indisputable fact, proven beyond all reasonable doubt?

    16. Re:cause and effect by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Of course humans affect the environment, how is that disputable? It's the degree and duration of the affect that is not clear.

      This is like saying "of course cell phones cause pancreatic cancer. How is that disputable? It's the degree and duration of the affect that is not clear." Most people would say that "zero" or "minimal" degree counts as "don't affect". And most people would, while admitting that humans affect the local environment (cities that are warmer than the surrounding countryside because of absorbed solar radiation, e.g.), maybe hesitate to claim global affect of a cataclysmic scale. In other words, you're creating a semantic straw man by claiming "of course X" and then admitting that the degree is unknown and may be zero. But you've got the meme "of course X" created and that's enough to start the stampede.

      It's how salesmen coerce people into buying stuff they really don't want. Get them saying "yes" to simple things ("Isn't that a beautiful display on the 128" HDTV?" "Wouldn't that look great in your living room?") and then slip in the big stuff ("Would you like to charge that on your credit card or fill out our credit application...?").

    17. Re:cause and effect by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 0

      "No, its not indisputable, or proven beyond reasonable doubt. Its just been documented and argued about by people who specialize in the field for 30-40 years, and they keep saying the same thing. We're the problem."

      I do not dispute any of this. Not that it has much to do with what I wrote.

      "Shoving your head in the sand might keep you from seeing the tsunami coming, but it wont keep you from drowning."

      I'm not "shoving my head in the sand." Quite the contrary: UNLIKE you, I've been looking at BOTH sides of the argument. And your "side" (i.e., that "climate change" is human-caused) is not winning.

      It is people who only listen to, and believe, ONE side of the argument who have their heads shoved in the sand.

      "To date, i've never seen any kind of scientific evidence that is any kind of strong indication that we're not causing significant change to weather paterns on the earth."

      Admit it: you haven't been looking. If you want to ask me, I can show you lots.

    18. Re:cause and effect by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1, Troll

      "As a matter of interest, at what stage did you accept that smoking was carcinogenic, as an indisputable fact, proven beyond all reasonable doubt?"

      When the EVIDENCE, not the media or organizations with an agenda, said so.

    19. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Climate change? Is that anything like Global Warming? Or are you so embarrassed by that term now that it can no longer be used? If they are impacting climate its making the globe colder. This at a time when they told us 20 years ago that children had probably seen their last snowfall.

    20. Re:cause and effect by gottabeme · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      Here's some food for thought.

      One of the biggest problems with the AGW proponents is that much of their basic data is inconclusive because of flawed measuring methodology. Do a bit of googling about the sea level measurements used to claim that sea level is rising.

      Another problem is that the amount of CO2 produced by humanity is less than the margin of error of the measurement of how much CO2 the oceans produce. The amount we produce is laughably small compared to what the oceans produce. We're probably not as impactful on the global climate as we seem to think.

      Another problem is that CO2 levels and temperature do not always rise in unison. Sometimes it is opposite than what one would expect for the greenhouse effect. And this is one of the fundamental arguments for AGW.

      Another issue is that simple logic shows that we cannot scientifically know for certain what the climate was like thousands or millions of years ago, regardless of what kinds of ice core measurements you take, because it's not reproducible. The timescale is simply enormous, practically beyond human comprehension, even if we can run the numbers. Educated guesses are still guesses. What if they are wrong? What if we were to cripple ourselves economically by imposing unnecessary restrictions on ourselves? Think of all the suffering that would cause. How would history judge us then?

      Another issue is the enormous complexity of the planetary systems. For example, we don't even know half of what's in the ocean. New species are discovered every day. In my opinion it's ludicrous to think that we puny humans can comprehend the complexity of this planet, its ecosystems and its climates, and that we could understand them well enough to know what the wisest course of action truly is. How arrogant are we? Historically, very.

      Another issue is simple history. We've only been running machines for a few hundred years. The earth has been both much hotter and much colder than it is now, long, long before we were making a noticable amount of CO2 (which we may still not be doing). Simple logic applied to this fact indicates to me that we can't possibly know whether we are impacting the climates as much as we think, or whether the earth is simply going through natural cycles which we can hardly affect. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I'm saying it's very unwise to make drastic, forced changes upon humanity, because we don't truly know what we are talking about.

      Finally, while this is political, it's also true: it's a simple fact that at least as far back as the 1970s, "global warming" and "climate change" were being actively promoted as "vehicles" to effect political policies, to manipulate entire populations. This doesn't affect whether AGW is actually happening, but any reasonable person must seriously consider the possibility that what we are seeing is less AGW and more political manipulation on a massive scale. A few minutes of googling will show that the "panels" that have put out "studies" about climate change have been strongly influenced by politics, have fudged numbers, ripped out facts before going public, used flawed methodologies--yet these are the same studies that so many AGW proponents point to as "consensus" and "settled fact" and "evidence."

      The only fact that I'm absolutely sure of is that AGW and climate change are hugely political issues with massive corporations and organizations spending billions on both the pro and con sides trying to get their way by manipulating governments and gullible masses into foaming at the mouth and demanding action. No one is truly unbiased. You want the truth? Follow the money.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    21. Re:cause and effect by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      I've been looking at BOTH sides of the argument. And your "side" (i.e., that "climate change" is human-caused) is not winning.

      Your whole problem is that you thing this is an "argument" with "sides" that can "win".

      No, there is an external reality. It is not all in your head.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    22. Re:cause and effect by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      "As a matter of interest, at what stage did you accept that smoking was carcinogenic, as an indisputable fact, proven beyond all reasonable doubt?"

      When the EVIDENCE, not the media or organizations with an agenda, said so.

      And when was that?

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    23. Re:cause and effect by BlindRobin · · Score: 1

      That's a quite impressive hall of mirrors you've constructed / adopted to avoid reality.

    24. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...at what stage did you accept that smoking was carcinogenic, as an indisputable fact, proven beyond all reasonable doubt?...

      I haven't yet.

      Lung cancer shows good correlation with smoking statistics (at least in earlier times) but no one as yet has shown an unequivocal mechanism for it. And they've looked very hard.

      In the absence of a mechanism, with just correlation to go on, you cannot hold something as proven beyond all reasonable doubt. Science says this. Feynman says this. Sorry, but there it is.

    25. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your food for thought had all the qualities of fast food. It took less than 10 minutes of googling to disprove everything you stated. I'm sorry I bothered to read it, but probably not as sorry as you for spending so much time writing out something so easily proven wrong.

    26. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a matter of interest, at what stage did you accept that smoking was carcinogenic, as an indisputable fact, proven beyond all reasonable doubt?

      Ask the Japanese this question. They're #1 for longevity, (by birth years ) and yet are only #17 on the list for tobacco use per capita.
      When they figure that one out, check back for your answer.

    27. Re:cause and effect by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Your well-reasoned argument has convinced me to change my mind. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

      As is so typical of the alarmists, the rebuttal is nothing but ad hominems--literally not a single rational argument in reply. And they say we're the ones in denial.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    28. Re:cause and effect by BasilBrush · · Score: 0

      And when was it that you accepted that was the case?

      Did you even notice that it was the tobacco companies that were the "organizations with an agenda" spreading misinformation in the media, in conflict with the science?

    29. Re:cause and effect by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Please share the links you found. If anything I said is untrue, I would genuinely like to be corrected. I'm only interested in the truth, wherever it may lead.

      Otherwise your AC response is nothing but unsubstantiated assertions and appeal to ridicule. Sadly, that's enough to convince a large swath of the population.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    30. Re:cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And I insist... (they keep me AC, eh?), extreme weather is an exogenous push button reaction to Human massacres under specific conditions. Stop pushing the button and weather returns back to some normality after a while. But accepting this would not give way to so many comments and activity, would it?

    31. Re:cause and effect by volmtech · · Score: 1

      Early in the 20th century cigarettes were called "coffin nails". Yet my grandfather (born in 1902) smoked from the time he was 10 until he died at the age of 89 from brown lung caused by breathing too much dust while plowing cotton with a mule.

    32. Re:cause and effect by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      "Did you even notice that it was the tobacco companies that were the "organizations with an agenda" spreading misinformation in the media, in conflict with the science?"

      I'm not going to be baited into this bullshit by you again. You have persistently implied baseless personal insults whenever you have "argued" with me, and it just isn't worth my time to bother with you.

    33. Re:cause and effect by BasilBrush · · Score: 0, Troll

      There have been no insults in this thread. You're just avoiding.

      So you do know the tobacco industry used the media to deny the scientific reality of the fact that smoking is carcinogenic. And they did if for decades.

      And yet you implied in your earlier message that it was the other way around. Why is that?

    34. Re:cause and effect by BasilBrush · · Score: 0

      Jane Q Public won't answer that. She knows that the parallels between the denial that smoking causing cancer and the denial of AGW are very clear. So she avoids it.

    35. Re:cause and effect by BasilBrush · · Score: 0

      Cancer is probablistic. Some people are lucky and the cigarette smoke never triggers a cancer. Presumably there must be some other people that get cancer from their first pack.

    36. Re:cause and effect by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Hahahahahahaha! Somebody modded THAT "troll"!!???

      Now I know, without a doubt, I really do have enemies on Slashdot who mark me down.

      When saying you rely on evidence-based science gets you marked "troll", somebody is being malicious.

    37. Re:cause and effect by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      "There have been no insults in this thread. You're just avoiding."

      Do you even know what an "implied" insult is?

      When someone states something blatantly obvious, and asks if you "even noticed", there is an implied insult.

      When did you stop beating your wife?

    38. Re:cause and effect by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      And by the way. No insult "implied" here, just a statement of pure (but evidence-based) opinion: I suspect you of sock-puppet modding. If that is true you should know that it is not socially acceptable, even here on Slashdot.

    39. Re:cause and effect by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      You have no evidence for such a thing. Both because I don't do it, and because there is no way of you being able to know if I had.

      Rather, you simply don't understand why I'm getting modded up for posting the question that linked tobacco cancer denialism with AGW denialism.
      While you're getting modded down for your blatant avoiding that question, and implication that it wasn't the tobacco companies that were doing the misleading.

      You think your posts are worth more than mine, but people with the modding points disagree. That isn't evidence of sock-puppeteering. It's just hubris.

    40. Re:cause and effect by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      "You have no evidence for such a thing."

      I do have evidence. But I didn't say it was strong evidence, much less proof. That's why I said I "suspected". I'm not accusing.

      Having said that, I know of someone else who HAS been doing it, and the evidence there is very strong, indeed.

      So apologies if it isn't you. But I make such statements based on evidence. I don't just pull them out of my ass.

  4. A Hurricane In Hurricane Season, Heat in Summer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, is that really a shock to anybody? That is your evidence of extreme weather???
    This is ridiculous.

  5. Superstorm Sandy? by dirtaddshp · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I have noticed only people in NY call it a superstorm, anyone else would call it a cat 1 hurricane or TS. I feel this planet goes through cycles of extremes, pointing at humans without proof is just another way to tax people.

    1. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by mcgrew · · Score: 4, Informative

      Categories only measure wind speed. What made it a "superstorm" was an improbable set of coincidences, such as being at high tide when the moon was in perigee, and another storm intersecting Sandy. What made it a superstorm was the amount of damage it caused, not its wind.

      And it isn't just New Yorkers, it's the entire news media that always calls it a superstorm.

    2. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Salgak1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Indeed. In fact, the one really critical lesson of the last 2 or so years, from both Fukushima and NYC/SuperStorm Sandy, is do ***NOT*** build critical or fragile structures near, at, or below sea-level in a near-ocean-shore environment.

    3. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THAT'S your rebuke? A single event? Overextend much?

    4. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I can agree with your other points but "the amount of damage it caused" is really more a function of unwise building techniques. The fact that a hurricane was going to hit New York and cause damage and at least 10' of flooding was certain- it was just a question of when.

      It's sort of like the Tsunami in Japan. There were stones saying "Tsunami water gets this high". And they were ignored.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    5. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by sexconker · · Score: 0

      I have noticed only people in NY call it a superstorm, anyone else would call it a cat 1 hurricane or TS. I feel this planet goes through cycles of extremes, pointing at humans without proof is just another way to tax people.

      How is this modded flamebait?
      It's entirely accurate. Sandy was not a hurricane, it was just a tropical storm. There was nothing "super" about it was the reaction by New Yorkers and the media.

      Our planet has gone through intense weather and drastic climate change long before we were here and will do so long after were gone. The most significant effect humans have is blaming it on shit (carbon, pagans, magnets, aliens, too much violence, not enough violence, foreskin, etc.) and then hocking horseshit to morons to fix it (carbon credits, regulations that don't affect the gross emitters of the world, divining rods, sacrifices, crusades, circumcision, rain dances, etc.) without any actual evidence that the problem is due to their claimed cause, that the problem is fixable by us, or that their proposed solution will fix the problem.

      Science doesn't work that way. Politicans and snakeoil do, though.

    6. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A tiny hurricane???? I guess a 1150 mile wide storm with 130kph winds throughout most of the storm(including 109kpoh winds in Cleveland Ohio), 3 feet of snow in West Virginia and 7 inches of rain in day in Delaware is a tiny storm,

    7. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by alen · · Score: 1

      yep, and we know the high tide and full moon is caused by global warming

    8. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      130kph winds

      That's tiny for a hurricane. A Cat5 has wind speeds greater than 252kph or 157mph in real units.

    9. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I feel this planet goes through cycles of extremes

      Yes, but that's not what this is about.

      pointing at humans without proof

      TFA is a 26mb, 84-page report with the proof. So I'm not sure why you're saying "without proof." It's right here. Read the PDF.

      is just another way to tax people.

      Who said anything about taxes?

    10. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      Indeed. In fact, the one really critical lesson of the last 2 or so years, from both Fukushima and NYC/SuperStorm Sandy, is do ***NOT*** build critical or fragile structures near, at, or below sea-level in a near-ocean-shore environment.

      ...and yet New Orleans is rebuilding and NYC seems to have recovered just fine. Fukushima provides a few other lessons we're still learning.

    11. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Bigby · · Score: 2

      I agree. Although I wouldn't classify it as "unwise building techniques". The damage done directly by wind was probably a very very small fraction of what wind damage does in Florida and NC. A lot of buildings are brick, steel, and concrete. I was in one of them...it was like nothing was happening. There were a couple things at were vastly different than most storms:

      1. The significant damage, and it wasn't even close, was flooding. The storm surge coinciding with a super high tide basically dump the ocean into several low lying areas.

      2. The wind tunnel effect of tall buildings in proximity turned a category 1 hurricane into category 3/4 winds between buildings.

      3. The hurricane collided with a nor'easter. Batshit crazy stuff. How many hurricanes are followed by 6 in of snow within a week?

      But to the point, it is OK to build in a 100 yr or 500 yr flood zone. Just don't ask for help from anyone but the flood insurance company. You don't even need to look at stones. For instance, the Delaware River has a park on either side where General Washington crossed the river. Either side also has an old ferry house. It is beneficial to have a ferry house as close to the water as possible. These ferry houses are a solid 100 ft from the river. There is a reason why they built them that far away. These people weren't stupid. So then when the Delaware continuously floods, despite the help of a dam upstream, people act shocked. If people 300 years ago were smart enough, why aren't we today?

      However: build there. Just don't ask anyone else for help.

    12. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many hurricanes are followed by 6 in of snow within a week?

      6 inches of snow that's so adorable.

    13. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I feel this planet goes through cycles of extremes, pointing at humans without proof is just another way to tax people.

      I feel you are retarded and lack ability for rational thought. Because I feel that, I must be right.

    14. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by DerekLyons · · Score: 0

      It must be nice to live in your world where there the option to place such structures in a 'safe' location is always available. (Either that, or you're just an asshat who mistakenly thinks that making such statements as you did makes you like intelligent.*)

      Here in the real world - that option is rarely if ever available. We have to make do with the situation that faces us. We have to make trade-offs between building infrastructure where it's at some degree of risk, or not building it at all.

      * It doesn't, at least not among those who are actually intelligent.

    15. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "If people 300 years ago were smart enough, why aren't we today? However: build there. Just don't ask anyone else for help." I really don't think you understand how communities worked 300 years ago. People actually volunteered to help you when you lost your home.

    16. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yep, and we know the high tide and full moon is caused by global warming

      Aha! This Global Warming thing has been happening for even longer than we thought! After all, we've had tides and the moon since before recorded history!

    17. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by molesdad · · Score: 1

      Really we have fucking building regulations that determine where you can build. Its not a trade off its a flood plane or not a flood plane; some fucker is making out like a bandit.

      --
      If the shoe fits, it's ugly.
    18. Re: Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, half of them are.

      I'm not sure which half though.

    19. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by operagost · · Score: 1

      First of all, it was a hurricane with winds exceeding 80 MPH at landfall. Number two, it was unusual because its wind diameter was over 1,000 miles-- an unusually large area. It caused real damage and severe weather over a huge amount of land.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    20. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by TheSync · · Score: 1

      Sandy was pretty weak compared to The New England Hurricane of 1938 (also Called "The Long Island Express") that made landfall on Long Island as a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Wind gusts of 125 mph (200 km/h) and storm surge of 18 feet (5 m) washed across part of the island. In New York 60 deaths and hundreds of injuries were attributed to the storm. In addition, 2,600 boats and 8,900 houses are destroyed.

    21. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by gsgriffin · · Score: 1

      You want proof that you are right? Head to California and visit any one of the Redwood forests. They usually have a huge cross-section of a giant tree that was cut down or fell down. Look a the rings over the past 2,000 years (which some of these trees can show). It will show a hundred year of large thick rings and then 100 year of tight small rings (more or less). Sometimes, several rings very tight and then several rings very big. I'm not a "scientist" or biologist, but even I can tell that the climate was different for years, decades and centuries. Sometimes the change is very fast... At least this article is somewhat accurate by using words like "influence" and "contributing factor"...yes, please, tell us what the other contributing factors and influences are.

      --
      jsut athnoer menagiensls ltitle psrhae for you to dcoede. Why do we wtsae our tmie dnoig tihs?
    22. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by gsgriffin · · Score: 1

      At least San Francisco is mostly well above sea level...oh wait, who cares, they're on major earthquake faults....they'll be causing the next tsunami heading west from them. Scratch that.

      --
      jsut athnoer menagiensls ltitle psrhae for you to dcoede. Why do we wtsae our tmie dnoig tihs?
    23. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by sexconker · · Score: 1

      First of all, it was a hurricane with winds exceeding 80 MPH at landfall. Number two, it was unusual because its wind diameter was over 1,000 miles-- an unusually large area. It caused real damage and severe weather over a huge amount of land.

      It was not a hurricane when it hit New York. Check your facts. It was classified as a tropical storm. The fact that it wasn't a hurricane is what led to the media throwing around the "super storm" bullshit. If it was a hurricane they would have run with "hurricane".

      Unusual doesn't qualify it as super - it was not particularly large compared to other storms or hurricanes. It caused damage not because the storm was great, but because New York was ill-prepared for a moderately sized storm.

    24. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Moridineas · · Score: 1

      Wow, what a hostile response to a good point. You weren't one of those people yelling about rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina (stupid location, stupid city!), were you? If you're going to live in a 30-year, 100-year, or 500-year flood plain, eventually you're going to get hit by a flood! If you live in a coastal region that has been hit by many hurricanes in the past, eventually you're going to get hit by a hurricane! That's that.

      The trade-off is of course how much money do you spend on precautions.

    25. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Moridineas · · Score: 1

      I find the tree ring cores fascinating, and am sympathetic to the inherent difficulties that paleoclimatologists have to deal with (natural variation being the least of them).

      The one thing I've never seen answered about tree ring growth though is how do you separate the temperature signal from:

      1) amount of CO2 in atmosphere
      2) amount of rainfall
      3) amount of sunshine
      4) changing nutrient levels in the soil (the soil must change for trees that lives hundreds of years, right?)

      I agree with you that it's totally obvious to see "good times" vs "bad times" in tree ring growth, but what exactly makes up good times versus bad times? I would really love to read more, if anybody knows of any good resources.

    26. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1

      Yep. That's called "dendroclimatic modelling." It is, indeed, one of the best means we have to trying to understand the climate of the past in temperate latitudes (at arctic latitudes, ice cores are a good tool).

      At least this article is somewhat accurate by using words like "influence" and "contributing factor"...yes, please, tell us what the other contributing factors and influences are.

      Depends on time scale. Over short time scales, volcanic eruptions injecting aerosols into the atmosphere are a big factor. (Aerosols injected by humans have an effect too, of course.) Over longer time scales, Milankovitch cycles.

      --
      http://www.geoffreylandis.com
    27. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

      I think my friend's Yugo could do 130 kph.

      At least with the air conditioning off.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    28. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      4) changing nutrient levels in the soil (the soil must change for trees that lives hundreds of years, right?)

      Those trees have been there for MILLIONS OF YEARS. Seems they do just fine without people fertilizing them and all that. Those trees can also live over 2,000 years, not just "hundreds".. Hundreds of years is many, many different trees.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_sempervirens

      I agree with you that it's totally obvious to see "good times" vs "bad times" in tree ring growth, but what exactly makes up good times versus bad times?

      Ignorance! Ignorance and damn ignorance.

      What is sad is your assumption that researchers are just as ignorant about plant growth as yourself.

      In related questions, I know math is hard, but how do people calculate the mass of the Earth or the Sun? I'd like some references on that!! /sarcasm

    29. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Moridineas · · Score: 1

      I generally don't respond to rude ACs, so if you want another response, you can either be less rude or post as non-AC (yes, you can be a rude non-AC :)

      Those trees have been there for MILLIONS OF YEARS. Seems they do just fine without people fertilizing them and all that. Those trees can also live over 2,000 years, not just "hundreds".. Hundreds of years is many, many different trees.

      Obviously. There are a lot more trees that lives for "hundreds" of years than trees that live for "thousands" of years, however.

      What is sad is your assumption that researchers are just as ignorant about plant growth as yourself.

      I have very few assumptions, because I know very little! From the little that I know, tree ring growth is NOT a simple issue.

      See, e.g., http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2012/07/tree-rings-and-climate-some-recent-developments/

    30. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      So, the moon being at perigee and the tide being high (significant factors) were due to "climate change" ?

      This is the problem with "complex" things. Super Storm Sandy was a simple hurricane, The NorEaster that it intersected was an average version. The Moon, Tide were unfortunate timing. How much of the Super Storm was actually due to Climate Change rather than unfortunate random intersections of several "average regular occurring" events?

      I'm not saying man caused global climate change was not a factor, I'm Saying that it is a complex set of intersections that any one would have been "meh" otherwise. Saying the whole thing was due to "climate change" is fallacious. Saying the it was amplified by "Climate Change" is not proven (nor likely proven). Saying it was an unfortunate confluence is the best we can say with certainty.

      This is the real problem with the Chicken Littles of the climate change proponents. Reality is not following their best case scenarios while they keep promoting worst case ones. Climate change happens, what doesn't happen is the "it is bad everywhere" they like to cry. Here is my prediction. Climate changes, people adjust, we move on.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    31. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      That's what I was talking about when I said 10' of flooding. Yet I read stories of multiple businesses with lots of expensive equipment on the waterfront.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    32. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      I can agree with your other points but "the amount of damage it caused" is really more a function of unwise building techniques. The fact that a hurricane was going to hit New York and cause damage and at least 10' of flooding was certain- it was just a question of when

      Right, just a question of "is it going to get hit with a hurricane next year or next millennium?", "Are we going to have to have to rebuild the entire infrastructure every 5 years or is the mean time to storm of that scale 3 times the expected lifetime of all this equipment. It all comes down to a question of when. And when the answer to that questions shifts from 500 years to 5 years, you start to do things differently. The building techniques would be "unwise" if they expected that sort of storm with a reasonable frequency.

      Take the sea-level projections. If it rises a meter that'll have some serious effects. On a geological timescale it's almost guaranteed. If it happens in the next 100 years... eh... If it happens next year, holy fuckin shit!

    33. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by DerekLyons · · Score: 0

      Wow, what a hostile response to a good point.

      Had it been a good point, yours would have been a valid reply. But it wasn't a good point, it was vapid, clueless bullshit that only sounds good to the equally clueless. Like you ad your spew for example.

    34. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Uberbah · · Score: 1

      It was not a hurricane when it hit New York. Check your facts. It was classified as a tropical storm. The fact that it wasn't a hurricane is what led to the media throwing around the "super storm" bullshit. If it was a hurricane they would have run with "hurricane".

      Pedant fail. If 100% of a hurricane has to be over 80 mph - and you skated past the part where Sandy was 1000 miles wide - then we never would have had any hurricanes over the course of human history.

    35. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Moridineas · · Score: 1

      You don't have to be rude to have a discussion. If you're going to avoid any discussion of facts and substance and stick with personal attacks though, I suppose it helps. No reason to perpetuate mere mean-spiritedness.

    36. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      I mentioned coincidences. I don't think there's anywhere near enough evidence as to whether or not climate change played a role in it. They get few hurricanes that far north and the few they get are seldom (never?) severe. I was in one when I was stationed in Delaware in the Air Force. It was an F1, they condemned my barracks afterwards.

      And the latest climate models are showing the likelihood of Sandys in New York decreasing because of climate change.

    37. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Xyrus · · Score: 1

      Indeed. In fact, the one really critical lesson of the last 2 or so years, from both Fukushima and NYC/SuperStorm Sandy, is do ***NOT*** build critical or fragile structures near, at, or below sea-level in a near-ocean-shore environment.

      And which sea-level are you going to use for this measure? The sea level from 1900? The sea level now? The projected sea level of 2050? 2100? The projected sea level along with projected storm surge? How much inconvenience will that cause? Is increasing the risk for lower inconvenience a good trade off?

      Few things in this world are black and white.

      --
      ~X~
    38. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The media live in the northeastern corridor. So its much more important than where you live. They are higher than you, don't you understand? They had 2 "superstorms" in the 1950s and no one claimed it was the climate doing it. So far it looks like "climate change" has almost eliminated hurricanes in the gulf.

    39. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The taxpayers were sent the bill, $60,000,000,000 worth, and it will go to rebuild the unwisely placed buildings right where they were. Next time it will be worse and they will holler for more money again. The government is an insane asylum and the inmates hollering the loudest for money get the most, at the expense of the other inmates.

    40. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      I'm fine with them asking for help. I'm not fine with the government forcing us to help through higher taxes and programs which promote unwise, unsafe practices.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    41. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      flood plain, not plane.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    42. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by BlindRobin · · Score: 1

      It was no longer a hurricane nor a tropical storm, as it had become an extra-tropical cyclone long before it came ashore. It's size and destructive capacity is what got it labelled a 'superstorm', and admittedly facile if descriptive media shorthand.

    43. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      I noticed that too, and wasn't sure he wasn't correct.

      plain - not unusual, boring, no distinctive feature

      plane - large flat area

      Between the two choices, plane does seem to fit better.

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    44. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by gsgriffin · · Score: 1

      I love reading your rant. It is great on a site such as /. where we all try to be superior to one another and assume more than we know that you provide no real information other than hatred toward anyone that asks the simple question of why or how...which is the starting point of why we have science. When hard questions are asked, rather than going off with your frustration and belittling speech, try to answer all of the questions in a scientific and proof basis as opposed to just calling everyone idiots. Might get more people to agree with you...if you show proof and reasoning.

      --
      jsut athnoer menagiensls ltitle psrhae for you to dcoede. Why do we wtsae our tmie dnoig tihs?
    45. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

      High plains drifter.

      plain (noun):
      a large area of flat land with few trees.

      plane (noun)
      a flat surface on which a straight line joining any two points on it would wholly lie.

      You get plains in geography, planes in geometry.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    46. Re:Superstorm Sandy? by Bigby · · Score: 1

      I know it is nothing. I am from the lack-effect region just south of Buffalo. But how many times was a hurricane followed by snow?

  6. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by ohnocitizen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Didn't take long for the Anonymous "don't believe the scientists" comments to start filtering in, did it? How about, given the scientific consensus (http://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus), I'm pretty skeptical of the motivations and accuracy of a denier.

  7. The earth is big by wbr1 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The earth is large and has a dynamic, varied climate, subject to large changes and 'anomalies'. That said, to show that half the more extreme events seen show evidence of human induced change puts into perspective just how much (uncontrolled, and lacking knowledge) input we have on this planet and its climate. Humankind is a force to be reckoned with.

    The question should not be is warming/climate change aided by manmade endeavors. It should be, now that we realize we have the power to alter the climate, what do we want to do? Let it go as is? Change it for the better? Try to change it back?

    Now I will go get my popcorn.. I need to have snacks for the ensuing battle.

    --
    Silence is a state of mime.
    1. Re:The earth is big by internerdj · · Score: 2

      I'm not on the denier side, but risk is likelihood and severity. They showed likelihood but neither the summary nor the article spoke to severity. What is this statistical significance or practical significance?

    2. Re:The earth is big by gsgriffin · · Score: 2

      Finally, someone who can read and speak fear-mongering. You get it.

      I see a difference from 10 years ago....I mean, I don't see any difference from 10 years ago. I also travel a lot all around the world. The one thing that usually strikes me as I look out the window is how much air is out there and how most of the time we are flying over vast areas of no-mans-land with no pollution....one exception. India. Fly all over India in regional jets and you usually don't get higher than the brown haze of smoke from 1 billion cooking fires burning each day.

      I don't know whether to believe or not, but I HATE the speculative, slanted, tentative wording of these reports that basically says, "we believe that something is a little different and may have indicators showing we influenced some of the change by an unknown amount."

      --
      jsut athnoer menagiensls ltitle psrhae for you to dcoede. Why do we wtsae our tmie dnoig tihs?
    3. Re:The earth is big by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

      Statistically, about 1 degree C per century. But that was from previous pollution levels. We've increased since then.

      http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Instrumental_Temperature_Record_(NASA).svg

      Call it 2 more degrees C by 2100 as a first approximation.

      That's enough to change the ice caps, ocean levels, comfortable regions, etc. That alone will cost humanity trillions to mitigate/move/deal with those changes.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    4. Re:The earth is big by internerdj · · Score: 1

      No, you miss my point. I get those models. But what about this study, what does we influenced the weather mean? Is it more frequent, larger, more powerful and more importantly by how much? How does this study fit with the climate models we are using?

    5. Re:The earth is big by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

      Well, given the time frame of previous global changes (1000s of years for 10s of C), just about all of the 2C is from human induced change.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    6. Re:The earth is big by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Wow, great job at sounding reasonable and then subtly begging the question. I almost missed it.

      The point I would take away is that we really don't know how much impact we have on the climate. As you yourself said, we have a severe lack of knowledge.

      Humankind is a force to be reckoned with.

      A meaningless cliche aimed at emotional manipulation. When it comes to killing other humans, yeah, some of us can be scary. When it comes to affecting the entire planet's weather and climate systems, that's a whole 'nother ballgame, and we don't even know the rules yet.

      The question should not be is warming/climate change aided by manmade endeavors. It should be, now that we realize we have the power to alter the climate, what do we want to do? Let it go as is? Change it for the better? Try to change it back?

      No, you've simply presumed that we are. The question is still whether we are having any significant impact on the climate on a global scale and on a significant timescale.

      And even if we were to find out that we are truly having a significant impact on the climate, I would still strongly question whether we could know what is "better" in the long term, for humanity or for any other living thing on the planet. Earth is not humans vs. nature--we are as much a part of Earth's natural fauna as any other species.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  8. NOAA == Political Mouthpiece by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NOAA is not a science organization. It is a political mouthpiece of the administration.

  9. Can you say... by Andover+Chick · · Score: 0

    Can you say s-c-i-e-n-t-i-f-i-c m-i-s-c-o-n-d-u-c-t.

    1. Re:Can you say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please enlighten us as to the follies of their research, oh Great One! For we are too weak minded to see the complexities of your sweeping rebuttal to their efforts!

  10. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey if some guy in his backyard failing to melt metal with a wood fire was enough to prove 9/11 was an inside job, random conjecture and ignoring people who study this stuff for a living seems comparatively easy.

  11. We always have had extreme weather events! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Was our weather this year worse than last years weather, or the year before? We have always had extreme weather events every single year around the world and just because they can point out some events this year doesn't mean its all human caused.

    Also worth noting, worldwide average temperature has remained the same for the last decade.

    1. Re:We always have had extreme weather events! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      worldwide average temperature has remained the same for the last decade.

      No, they haven't.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Satellite_Temperatures.png

      It's probably not a good idea to argue statistics that are easily falsifiable.

  12. Heywood JaBlowme by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Obama:

    Let me be clear. I'm not gonna sit idly by while Iran talks shit about all you white trash, trailer park, redneck, inbred, gun-freak retards. So I'm gonna bomb Syria. You're welcome, you vile, disgusting peasants.

  13. Still cooling. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "2012 was a year of extreme weather..."

    Despite humans outputting more carbon than ever, nasa data shows the earth has been cooling for the past decade. Humans being a small part of the climate change equation is an understatement.

  14. When I was a Kid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    All I can say about global warming is that when I was a kidd these same people where saying we where headed to and Ice Age. You have alot of people who belive it and don't belive it. As to the scientist, well they follow the money, even a cursory look would tell you that.

    1. Re:When I was a Kid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when I was a kidd these same people where saying we where headed to and Ice Age

      No, they weren't.

    2. Re:When I was a Kid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, no they weren't; that's a myth, and you misremember.

      http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/06/04/the-1970s-ice-age-myth-and-time-magazine-covers-by-david-kirtley/

    3. Re:When I was a Kid by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      All I can say about global warming is that when I was a kidd these same people where saying we where headed to and Ice Age. You have alot of people who belive it and don't belive it. As to the scientist, well they follow the money, even a cursory look would tell you that.

      Interestingly, I think they're likely correct on both fronts: we're in an InterGlacial period if the trends are to be believed, and we're messing with our environment enough to affect global temperatures during this period.

      The question now is: will we be wiped out by global warming before the next ice age hits? Or, will our mucking about prevent the next ice age, and cause Earth to look like Mars when the "ice age" was supposed to end and climate warms further?

      But you're right; scientists go where there's grant money. To a scientist, there's nothing wrong with attempting to prove the opposite of what you've already proved; if it withstands scrutiny, it advances knowledge just that much further. The problem comes when the scrutineers don't know enough to draw the appropriate conclusions from the actual findings -- and this dumbed down stuff is what the public gets to see. Usually the actual data collected is actually useful and interesting (unless politics gets involved and massages the historical data, as has happened in the US with climate measurements).

    4. Re:When I was a Kid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually I'm not misremembering, I ended up marrying my science teacher from the time and she is sitting right here and her recollection is that it was in the course work she taught from. No I am not saying changes aren't occurring, cause they are just that I take it all with a grain of salt like someone else said, attacking someone and calling them names seems to be the way progressives operate across the board they should stick to facts even when inconvenient. In their zeal for the various causes they believe in they alienate people and harden opposition instead of gaining converts by the vitriol they use. Take me for example I am not a republican nor a democrat there are positions on both sides I like and ones I don't. The republicans at least will talk logically with me even if we don't agree more often than not, but progressives drop to name calling and personal attacks much more often.

    5. Re:When I was a Kid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go fuck yourself.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_cooling

    6. Re:When I was a Kid by shadowrat · · Score: 1

      i also remember the ice age scare of the 70's. I don't think the GP is misremembering anything. We were bombarded by reports that the earth was cooling and we were heading for a mini ice age.

      I just think it's irrelevant in the current climate change debate. I don't know what logical fallacy it is, but one scientist being wrong about scenario A doesn't dictate that another scientist is wrong about scenario B.

    7. Re:When I was a Kid by khallow · · Score: 1

      The question now is: will we be wiped out by global warming before the next ice age hits?

      What's this mechanism for "wiping out" humanity by slightly getting warmer? Are we going to forget to take off our jackets and turn on the AC?

    8. Re:When I was a Kid by Megane · · Score: 1

      You mean for the Earth to become COLD like Mars? Not unless we break its magnetic field. Mars is like it is because it lost its magnetic field, the solar winds blew the atmosphere away. (Hint: you might want to at least use Venus as your example.)

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    9. Re:When I was a Kid by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 2

      The question now is: will we be wiped out by global warming before the next ice age hits?

      What's this mechanism for "wiping out" humanity by slightly getting warmer? Are we going to forget to take off our jackets and turn on the AC?

      Why do you assume that we're only going to get slightly warmer before the next ice age? If you stick a frog in a pot and turn on the heat, it gets slightly warmer by the minute... until it boils. Humankind's interference in climate change is introducing a variable that, as far as we know, never existed before. It could be that the effect is so small that it gets completely overridden by the natural cycles -- or it could be that it's just enough to derail those cycles and send them down another path. The truth is, we don't know, and while climate science is getting more sciency, everything is conjecture at this point (on both sides of the argument). But as there's a measured change, we should take that change seriously and look into it.

      This is beside the point that the climate is more than just the air -- if the world's oceans get slightly warmer, that's going to thoroughly mess with the ecology. We're already seeing migration patterns of sea life change significantly, and we're seeing extinction of some marine species. That will affect the entire food chain. So not only will we be turning on the AC, we'll no longer be eating many kinds of seafood, nor animals that consume that seafood, nor animals that consume them. This will also affect the global algae bloom, which in turn will affect the "natural" gas emissions/absorptions more than cutting down a bunch of trees ever would.

      But the truth is, we really don't know how things will turn out, because we're only beginning to scratch the surface of how it all actually works.

    10. Re:When I was a Kid by khallow · · Score: 1

      Humankind's interference in climate change is introducing a variable that, as far as we know, never existed before.

      What new variable? The laws of physics didn't change. That means whatever equations describe climate change didn't either. I think this is even more of a bullshit claim than that climate change could somehow lead to the extinction of the human race.

      But the truth is, we really don't know how things will turn out, because we're only beginning to scratch the surface of how it all actually works.

      This is a fine time to meddle when "we" allegedly don't know how things work. What I know is that climate change is a rich person's problem. And most alleged mitigation solutions to climate change create a bunch of poor people who have much more interest in becoming less poor than they do in fixing climate change problems.

    11. Re:When I was a Kid by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      Actually actually actually, you specifically called out "these same people", presumably NOAA scientists that the article is linking to. While it was formed in the 1970's, NOAA had the sort of actual scientists that didn't support the "global cooling" theory. Sorry, your example is a school teacher who perpetrated what she saw as current science events as seen by media. Sadly, it was untrue. Similar to how a social science teacher today would talk about how drones are a threat to civilians and how they'll be banned some day.

      Do you remember any teachers telling you that certain parts of your tongue had different taste buds? That the tip was for salty things, and the back was for bitter things? It's simply untrue. A mistranslation of a german text back in 1901 started it. It's been disproven multiple times, and yet I was taught it in school by my teacher around 1990. I'm sure it was "in the coursework". These sort of untruths simply have a life of their own.

      Also, what personal attacks are you seeing right now? Because all I see is the one guy telling the GP to go fuck himself while posting a link to global cooling.... which actually points out the global cooling fallacy. It's actually a pretty good example of what we're talking about. Bit of a read though.

    12. Re:When I was a Kid by Uberbah · · Score: 1

      i also remember the ice age scare of the 70's. I don't think the GP is misremembering anything.

      Too bad the facts say otherwise. They're stubborn that way, like wingers that "remember" Clinton's responsibility for Ruby Ridge, when that fiasco took place before he was even elected, much less sworn into office.

    13. Re:When I was a Kid by Aonghus142000 · · Score: 1

      One more who remembers the Ice Age Scares. Of course, who are we going to believe? Those nice salesmen telling us we need expensive insurance against future disaster or our own lying memories?

    14. Re:When I was a Kid by InfiniteLoopCounter · · Score: 1

      That's because we are heading for an ice age due to orbital forcing, and very "soon" in a geologists sense. One thing to remember though is that "soon" to a geologist is roughly 20,000 years. In the meantime, we are likely causing warming.

    15. Re:When I was a Kid by shadowrat · · Score: 1

      One more who remembers the Ice Age Scares. Of course, who are we going to believe? Those nice salesmen telling us we need expensive insurance against future disaster or our own lying memories?

      wow. i had no idea this was such a touchy subject. I'm not trying to use it as any kind of evidence against anything. Like i said, i think the wrongness of past conjecture has no effect on current theories. This article seems to confirm my memories. There were articles in time and newsweek (actual articles without penguin covers). The subject was brought up on tv. Sure, it was a lot of quackery. There was virtually no scientific consensus. It was all edge media hype like In Search Of with Leonard Nimoy, but it happened. i don't understand the denial.

  15. Re:Enough is enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh yes, those damn climate scientists and their big bucks research grants. I see them riding around in their Ferraris and snorting high grade coke off of models' chests and it's clear that they're in for it for the money!

  16. It's old, too. . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 1, Troll

    I rather giggle at "Man-Made Global Warming". Primarily, because the planet has been in an Ice Age for the past 2-3 million years: we are merely between continental glacial advances.

    The HISTORIC climate for most of the US was hot and swampy for the past several hundred million years. Since genus homo has only been around for the last 2 million years or so, you can't even blame us for human-induced global COOLING. . .

    1. Re:It's old, too. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What, common sense, reason and honestly here on Slashdot, unbelievable!

          But its wasted on this bunch, they are too busy extrapolating data to make it fit. I will giggle with you and the reality as evidenced here, there are some very smart people who are just too fucking stupid simultaneously and the worst of the bunch suck on the govt teet and are therefore free to pursue whatever agenda their masters direct them towards.

      AWG is simply about sucking more money into govt troughs in order to perpetuate the mega patronage system that science now serves

    2. Re:It's old, too. . . by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 2

      I rather giggle at "Man-Made Global Warming". Primarily, because the planet has been in an Ice Age for the past 2-3 million years: we are merely between continental glacial advances.

      The HISTORIC climate for most of the US was hot and swampy for the past several hundred million years. Since genus homo has only been around for the last 2 million years or so, you can't even blame us for human-induced global COOLING. . .

      I rather boggle at you giggling at observed effects of human activity on our climate, while at the same time taking as fact that our planet has been in an Ice Age for the past 2-3 million years, despite not having observed this yourself.

      The other boggling thing is to see that you don't seem to understand the difference between natural global climate changes and temporally localized man-made climate change, and that both can happen *at the same time* and influence each other. When you want warm water from a tap, do you pour cold water and wait for it to warm up, hot water and wait for it to cool down, or just adjust the two to get what you want?

      The fact that the planet is perfectly capable of getting really hot and cold on its own cycle is of no comfort to HSS when we realize that through our own efforts, we can quickly (geologically speaking) make this rock uninhabitable for HSS in a way that would take MUCH longer if left to itself. Of course, the opposite is also true: we can also make this rock MORE habitable for HSS for much longer - hopefully long enough for us to learn how to adapt/escape and continue on as a species.

    3. Re:It's old, too. . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I am TEMPTED to reply with the short version of this argument, that goes as follows:

      SCIENCE, bitches!

      However, I'd tell you how I'm confident of my information. We call it "Geology", and it's what I studied and did 20+ years ago, before I evolved into an IT Geek. Specifically, Quaternary Geology, which, amongst other things, chronicles the glaciations of the past 2.6 million years. Which is proven by land structures, glacial remains like drumlins and moraines, and radio-isotopic dating of various types used to date those structures.

      I also note the longer-term average climate based on the extensive fossil and geological record, as evidenced by not just radio-dating, but standard principles like "unless overturned (which can be detected easily by examination of the rocks), lower strata are older than younger strata. Paleomagnetic data yields approximate latitude, so we KNOW most of what is now the US and Europe were swampy jungles, which require a significantly warmer and wetter climate than they currently enjoy. And before you mention Continental Drift, paleomagnetic data was crucial in supporting that theory, as well.

      So again, I say to your boggling: SCIENCE, bitches!!!

    4. Re:It's old, too. . . by khallow · · Score: 0

      I rather boggle at you giggling at observed effects of human activity on our climate, while at the same time taking as fact that our planet has been in an Ice Age for the past 2-3 million years, despite not having observed this yourself.

      The difference is that you can observe for yourself that our planet has been in an ice age for the past 2-3 million years. Glaciers leave plenty of evidence behind. For example, I currently live by the shore of Lake Yellowstone which is a considerable alpine lake in the heart of Yellowstone National Park in the western US. There's plenty of evidence of glacial activity such as glacial erratics, U-shaped valleys, lake shores about a hundred meters above the current level of Lake Yellowstone, low diversity among forest plants (most of the park is covered by monolithic stands of lodgepole pine), and even a few glacial remnants in the Grand Teton mountains to the south.

      The fact that the planet is perfectly capable of getting really hot and cold on its own cycle is of no comfort to HSS when we realize that through our own efforts, we can quickly (geologically speaking) make this rock uninhabitable for HSS in a way that would take MUCH longer if left to itself.

      This "realization" is a non sequitur. Sure, I could make a zillion nuclear weapons or an efficient microscopic von Neumann weapon and target humanity with it, but that's a different quality of threat than merely producing a modest excess of CO2.

    5. Re:It's old, too. . . by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 1

      I am TEMPTED to reply with the short version of this argument, that goes as follows:

      SCIENCE, bitches!

      However, I'd tell you how I'm confident of my information. We call it "Geology", and it's what I studied and did 20+ years ago, before I evolved into an IT Geek. Specifically, Quaternary Geology, which, amongst other things, chronicles the glaciations of the past 2.6 million years. Which is proven by land structures, glacial remains like drumlins and moraines, and radio-isotopic dating of various types used to date those structures.

      I also note the longer-term average climate based on the extensive fossil and geological record, as evidenced by not just radio-dating, but standard principles like "unless overturned (which can be detected easily by examination of the rocks), lower strata are older than younger strata. Paleomagnetic data yields approximate latitude, so we KNOW most of what is now the US and Europe were swampy jungles, which require a significantly warmer and wetter climate than they currently enjoy. And before you mention Continental Drift, paleomagnetic data was crucial in supporting that theory, as well.

      So again, I say to your boggling: SCIENCE, bitches!!!

      Good solid response. This is exactly what I was looking for as far as information, as we don't actually see enough of this posted; most people opt for the short answer. However, people studying climatology (call it bunk or pseudoscience if you will) are measuring similar values regarding climate. As they don't have as much geologic data to use, they can only trust their data back as far as it was recorded, which puts a completely different time window on it.

      Maybe I misunderstood you and your giggling was due to the whole issue being inconsequential on the geologic timeframe; but to dismiss something that may be affecting us now because it doesn't match up with what has happened during the period in which HSS isn't even a blip on the timeline is to miss the point -- if you're driving a car and it's going through all sorts of dips and turns, all it takes is a bit of over-correction and you're off the road. Messing with climate COULD move us from being in an Inter-glacial period to being at the end of the last glacial period this world ever sees (unlikely, but possible). Every time I see the new information coming out of Mars missions, I take it as a bit more of a warning that we need to learn more about how we're impacting naturally occurring climate change, as it's highly likely that at this point we're having a measurable impact on it that *may* break the geologically-based projections.

    6. Re:It's old, too. . . by khallow · · Score: 1

      However, people studying climatology (call it bunk or pseudoscience if you will) are measuring similar values regarding climate. As they don't have as much geologic data to use, they can only trust their data back as far as it was recorded, which puts a completely different time window on it.

      And a much weaker reliability on it.

      Maybe I misunderstood you and your giggling was due to the whole issue being inconsequential on the geologic timeframe; but to dismiss something that may be affecting us now because it doesn't match up with what has happened during the period in which HSS isn't even a blip on the timeline is to miss the point -- if you're driving a car and it's going through all sorts of dips and turns, all it takes is a bit of over-correction and you're off the road. Messing with climate COULD move us from being in an Inter-glacial period to being at the end of the last glacial period this world ever sees (unlikely, but possible).

      So what's the point of overstating our confidence in climatology data and modeling while simultaneously claiming considerable uncertainty to the chicken little level in what happens? Both can't be true.

    7. Re:It's old, too. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny that you claim "SCIENCE, bitches!!!" but don't seem to realize that "scientific proof" is an invention of charlatans, and not scientists. How much scientific training did you get, and was it at a community college? You do realize that anyone who actually understands the scientific method will automatically flag your response because of the phrase "scientifically proven" and the typical goals desired by those who use such loaded phrases, right?

      I am tempted to think you are just a troll, because I've never met a scientist (that is, one who wasn't pushing an agenda or selling snake oil) who EVER used the phrase "scientifically proven", and I don't even know any scientists who would take that guy seriously.

    8. Re:It's old, too. . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 1

      Perhaps you may have noticed the news about the growth of the Arctic Ice Pack over the past year.

      My point on "global warming" is this: if we go beyond the region of actually-measured-and-recorded temperatures, and look at the last few thousand years, you'd find that the rise that is claimed to be caused by Anthropogenic Global Warming is LESS than that deduced by things like growth patterns, vegetation reaches, and trade records.

      To wit: the "Medieval Optimum" period, when it was not only possible to grow wine grapes in the British Isles, but archeological records show that it WAS done.

      Or, perhaps more dramatically, when Greenland **WAS** green. One can find the remains of forests crushed by the expanding icecap, that were green and growing in the late 1300s and early 1400s.

      One also finds evidence of an earlier Climate Optimum, the so-called Roman Climate Optimum from ~250BC to ~400AD.

      Both had average high temperatures well in excess of the readings claimed as evidence of AGW.

      So I was giggling at the point that AGW is based on a very short observation period for long-term planetary processes. . . .

    9. Re:It's old, too. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or, perhaps more dramatically, when Greenland **WAS** green. One can find the remains of forests crushed by the expanding icecap, that were green and growing in the late 1300s and early 1400s.

      So why did we stop finding those remains in the places that are now green?

  17. Pish posh... by hsthompson69 · · Score: 0

    ...human influence is *always* a contributing factor to weather. Heck, the influence of butterflies is *always* a contributing factor.

    The question is, "how big is that factor"?

    The answer? So small as to be immeasurable.

    http://www.nature.com/news/extreme-weather-1.11428

    "Better models are needed before exceptional events can be reliably linked to global warming."

    1. Re:Pish posh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The very set of studies this article is about exists to examine the impact (presence and magnitude) of global climate change on specific events.

      That the line you quote doesn't say it's immeasurably small (hell 'small' isn't even in the article), it says that the models need to be improved, and you probably shouldn't say a new expansive set of studies is irrelevant because one *editorial* in Nature published a year ago says the models need to be improved.

      Then again, denial seems to revolve around completely missing the point or endless deflection rather than addressing the facts and method of data collection, so you weren't out of the norm there.

    2. Re:Pish posh... by gsgriffin · · Score: 1

      I wonder....if this is really true...we also have the co-existence of an increase of people and exercise on the planet. When we exercise, we let off more heat with more people. Could we be changing the climate because too many of use are exercising. Dang!! I'm going to simply sit and watch TV from now on so I don't contribute to global warming through my exercise.

      --
      jsut athnoer menagiensls ltitle psrhae for you to dcoede. Why do we wtsae our tmie dnoig tihs?
    3. Re:Pish posh... by Agent0013 · · Score: 1

      I know just what you are saying. It's like the passenger pigeons. One single flock in 1866 in southern Ontario was described as being 1 mi (1.5 km) wide and 300 mi (500 km) long, took 14 hours to pass, and held in excess of 3.5 billion birds. There is no way that our overhunting and habitat destruction did them in. It's much more likely that some omnipresent and powerful being decided that they should no longer be here because they did not like them pooping everywhere. And all the rain forest and regular North American forest area that has vanished over resent time periods. I think the trees are just going somewhere else, like the elves and unicorns did.

      --

      -- ssoorrrryy,, dduupplleexx sswwiittcchh oonn.. -Quote found on actual fortune cookie.
    4. Re:Pish posh... by hsthompson69 · · Score: 1

      Funny, forest cover has been dramatically expanding with the increased atmospheric CO2 :)

      As for the fate of the passenger pigeon, color me unimpressed - I still see flying rats all over the city. The fact that Darwin's principle of natural selection eliminated the passenger pigeon doesn't bother me one whit, given the huge scope of other closely related pigeon everywhere else.

      But hey, let's just keep blaming our immoral behavior for every drought, flood, or other natural disaster - it worked for the witch doctors of the past, no reason to stop doing it now, right? :)

    5. Re:Pish posh... by hsthompson69 · · Score: 1

      one *editorial* in Nature published a year ago says the models need to be improved.

      Name a single improvement to the models that was made in the past year, that was considered by NOAA in their panicky press release.

      Just one.

    6. Re:Pish posh... by Agent0013 · · Score: 1

      That is some pretty powerful double-think you have going on. Climate change isn't happening, but there is an increased amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. And if you decide to believe the sky is under you feet and the ground is full of stars, does that make it true. It's pretty obvious that there is a whole lot of deforestation that has happened since America was first colonized, yet that's ok because we now have more forest than ever! And you say we don't have an impact, yet quite easily gloss over species extinction as no big deal.

      I think that is the real issue. It's not that you don't think we can have an impact, it's that you don't care. As long as you get to use the resources for yourself you don't care about the future. Let them boil the seas and rot to death, as long as you can make a buck and enjoy yourself you don't give a fuck. In fact you would probably get pleasure from destroying other people and watching them suffer and die while you made your buck. Nice attitude there!

      --

      -- ssoorrrryy,, dduupplleexx sswwiittcchh oonn.. -Quote found on actual fortune cookie.
    7. Re:Pish posh... by hsthompson69 · · Score: 1

      Well, let's be specific - climate change *always* happens. Interesting thing about changes in CO2 - they tend to *lag* behind temperature changes...our contribution is probably completely dwarfed by natural variation.

      It's not that you don't think we can have an impact, it's that you don't care.

      No, I definitely care. It's just because I care, I have little patience for witch doctors and voodoo - if you're going to learn the truth about something, you use science, not consensus.

      The problem you have is that you've built an edifice that you believe is scientific, but one that lacks the most basic cornerstone of the scientific method - the necessary and sufficient falsifiable hypothesis statement. Want to show that you're really doing science? Then make a statement that is more than "heads I win, tails you lose".

  18. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Matt+Steelblade · · Score: 5, Informative

    I remember an article in which it discussed that Climate Change denying is an American problem. While there are as many conspiracies to Climate Change being a myth as there are of who is starting and promoting them, the reality as shown by poll after poll is that people are not 'buying into it.' For example, my EXTREMELY Catholic parents love and agree with the pope(s). The previous pope, Benedict, was known (by some) as the green pope. A quick search easily shows how he spoke openly on the need to do something. When I say to my dad, 97% of climatologists agree on this issue (and let's be honest, in how many scientific fields do you see that sort of majority consensus on "controversial" topics) and that does nothing to persuade him, I am continued to be amazed when the pope angle doesn't do diddly either. The opposition is so engrained, reason no longer works...

  19. Re:Enough is enough. by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Debunkers"? You mean, like, frauds?

    Sorry, but I don't believe any half respectable news organization should link to something just to show "two sides" of a debate. Science is science. The people actually practicing science seem to be largely in agreement about AGW. Asking Slashdot to link to oil-industry funded shills and kooks doesn't help advance knowledge in any way.

    --
    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  20. Compelling evidence by gmuslera · · Score: 2

    With those hard numbers the remaining thing to see in this discussion is how many people is paid for Koch industries and similar ones, and how many got fooled by them into denying that human activity are causing changes in global climate strong enough to be responsible for the consequences of some of the extreme weather we suffered in recent years.

    1. Re:Compelling evidence by theIsovist · · Score: 3

      You know, sometimes even the Koch funded studies turn up something surprising: http://www.businessinsider.com/koch-brothers-funded-study-proves-climate-change-2012-7.

    2. Re:Compelling evidence by simonbp · · Score: 0

      'Cause y'know [b]Greenpeace[/b] are *totally* unbiased and *totally* free of preconceived political options.

      There was a time when environmental organisations actually cared about science. Nowadays, they just blindly campaign against fossil fuels (and nuclear) and ignore any connections between their claims and actual science. Especially when there are things caused by human impacts other than greenhouse gases, like an area flooding because half of it is covered in parking lots, but knee-jerk "environmental activists" claiming it is due to climate change, despite have not actaul rigous scientific evidence.

      Science is hard. Conspiracy theories and political defamation is easy. Thus Greenpeace and their ilk tend to favor that later...

    3. Re:Compelling evidence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With those "hard numbers"

      Hard numbers? Hardly. Is it 49.2% or 51.8%. Regardless of your belief set, I find anyone attributing a "hard number" to a very complex system that is only modeled in gross generalizations very suspect.

    4. Re:Compelling evidence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you are for nuclear power then? Great. So am I!!! Amazing that just 2 brothers caused global warming. Man they are powerful! My question is who caused the labor day hurricane of 1935?? The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane was the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the United States and the Atlantic Basin in recorded history. The 1936 North American heat wave was the most severe heat wave in the history of North America. Locations in the Canadian border states got up to 121F including Steele, North Dakota. Some of those temps have never been topped to this day. And all of this occurred before Global Warming was on the political agenda. Sorry for all the science facts showing worse weather throughout history than what we have now, but at some point you will awaken. Of course it may take the rest of your life with temperate weather, but it will eventually shine through.

  21. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Scientific consensus by itself doesn't actually mean a whole lot. After all, scientific consensus once said the universe was static in size. Even Einstein agreed...

    And of course, the exact details of that "consensus" are a bit murky (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/05/30/global-warming-alarmists-caught-doctoring-97-percent-consensus-claims/). The consensus is strong when the question is "are humans *affecting* the climate?" and that consensus starts to shrink one the question moves to "are humans the *primary* cause of the climate's change?" or "is this a disaster?"...

  22. Re:Enough is enough. by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

    Large groups of scientists have believed very wrong and goofy things for long periods of time.

    I'm not saying that's the case this time. Just saying that using the argument form that 9 out of 10 doctors agree "Brand X Cigarettes are good for your health" isn't the best argument.

    I suspect the climate is going to cool down (as it did after 1945) and then it will go on to new highs. That cool down is going to be seized on when it's really just natural variability around the generally rising temperature.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  23. Oh noes. by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 0

    OMFG! Al Gore was right! The sky is falling.!!!!!!!!!

    1. Re:Oh noes. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If we would all just turn over control of our lives and our wallets to government all these weather events would suddenly go back to being of "natural" origin.

  24. The trick by oliverk · · Score: 3, Funny

    The trick is knowing WHICH half

    --
    ---- Please be nice in case my Slashdot karma ~= my real life karma.
  25. Climate Correlation is not Causation by BoRegardless · · Score: 1

    Show me the detailed worldwide climate model including the future cycles of the Sun before I will consider believing 1 year worth of change is due to any particular cause.

    Come on now. Rational, scientific work doesn't confuse Correlation with Causation!

    1. Re:Climate Correlation is not Causation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey look, it's this tired old easily rejected argument. Obviously not one of the many climate scientists out there has ever thought to look at that! Especially not the ones who do some of the most significant solar and climate research in the US....and if such a study exists it would be impossible to find, as it would be clearly hidden and not at all available in a simple Google search...

      http://climate.nasa.gov/news/673

    2. Re:Climate Correlation is not Causation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you read the report? Does it (as you say) confuse correlation with causation? Or does it find correlation and then dig to see if, in fact, a causal relationship can be defined to allow a connection? Or are you simply tossing out a very tired catchphrase without determining applicability and assume that no climatologist in the world is aware of the statistics and probability of causality between variables?

      The original author of the "correlation vs causality" issue was Karl Pearson, and thus we have the Pearson Correlation Coefficient. He address this issue at length in several papers.

    3. Re:Climate Correlation is not Causation by BoRegardless · · Score: 1

      What bad climate change that happens 100 or 1000 years being caused by humans is the argument of human caused climate change.

      It could easily be that variations in the Suns output both in the past and in the future totally dominates climate change (excluding multi-kilometer asteroids and mega-volcanoes). The Maunder minimum is evidence within documented human history.

      I understand scientists wanting to do theories and remain employed so they write "what is hot."

      However, as pointed out recently in the news, there are multiples of physicist PHDs available versus the number of available PHD positions. That means PHDs have to dream up projects to keep themselves even underemployed at this point. If they have a job, they have to invent some project to keep employed or keep or get a grant.

    4. Re:Climate Correlation is not Causation by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Well hey, there are plenty of detailed models that are used to make all sorts of predictions.

      But they don't prove anything. How ludicrous that a computer program could actually model an entire planet's climate on a significant timescale. We can't even predict the local weather accurately past a few days!

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    5. Re:Climate Correlation is not Causation by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      Show me the detailed worldwide climate model including the future cycles of the Sun before I will consider believing 1 year worth of change is due to any particular cause.

      Uh, are you claiming that "cycles of the sun" are caused by climate?

      Or do you think that climate models don't take solar activity into account?

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    6. Re:Climate Correlation is not Causation by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      What bad climate change that happens 100 or 1000 years being caused by humans is the argument of human caused climate change.

      What? Me cannot read!

      It could easily be that variations in the Suns output both in the past and in the future totally dominates climate change

      It could be, but it isn't.

      Just find a correlation between any solar parameter and temperature over the last 100 years - there isn't one.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
  26. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People with invisible friends need not apply.

    So the pope is invisible?

  27. In other words by sunking2 · · Score: 1

    We have no idea, but picking the number int he middle hedges our bets the most.

  28. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by epyT-R · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Argument from consensus alone is also a fallacy. I'm skeptical of the motivations and accuracy of promoters AND deniers in politically contaminated 'science.' For example, your link points to a government funded organization. That's as biased as a study funded by exxon. Even if they're right, they're not promoting this for the right reason (telling the truth).. They're promoting it to push a political agenda (justification of center left politics, which means more funding for them).

    Something as large as climate change is going to require more strict adherence to the truth (whatever it is) than political cheerleading usually allows. I guarantee that it is more complicated than "man influences/does not influence."

  29. Re:Enough is enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Equivocation is one of the big failures of the modern news organizations that attempt to present unbiased information, giving an air of legitimacy to views that have none. Unfortunately, the news orgs that aren't concerned with being unbiased (e.g., Fox News) usually side with views that eschew science.

  30. Extreme Weather != Extreme Climate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that is all

  31. And this year's extreme lack of extreme weatther?? by Squidlips · · Score: 1

    How does that figure? And don't say instability... I could believe Extreme Reporting on weather rather than extreme weather....global warning is real, but it connection to last year's storms seem tenuous....

  32. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Lendrick · · Score: 1

    All this time I thought maybe people who have studied the climate for years and years might be on to something, but you have convinced me that I was wrong with your deep understanding of the topic and highly credible, well thought out refutation of their claims, random dude on the internet!

  33. Extremely small number of hurricanes? by Kohath · · Score: 3, Interesting
    1. Re:Extremely small number of hurricanes? by Xyrus · · Score: 0

      Is that considered extreme weather? If so, which half is it in?

      http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/08/30/a-head-scratcher-no-atlantic-hurricane-by-august-in-first-time-in-11-years/#more-92771

      Strike 1: You linked to WUWT, a nutter/tin-foil hat site which has about as much scientific credibility as a hooker has chastity.
      Strike 2: You don't seem capable of making the distinction between weather (a hurricane season) and climate (20 years of hurricane seasons).
      Strike 3: Long term climate projections actually predict a decrease in tropical activity, so a season such as this would, if anything, lend credence to climate change.

      However, since you do apparently truck with WUWT I don't expect any of this will make difference in your opinion. Carry on.

      --
      ~X~
    2. Re:Extremely small number of hurricanes? by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Wow, eleven whole years. That's, like, almost a dozen. This is really a problem. We need to do something. I mean, how many times in the past century has this happened? This time must be our fault.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  34. LA,LA,LA... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    The science still doesn't convince me because I think weather is complicated, and change over time anyway!

    And these scientists are money grabbing barons, we should listen to the oil industry. They know what they are doing.

  35. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by sabri · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I remember an article in which it discussed that Climate Change denying is an American problem.

    Climate change by itself is not under dispute. The question is: what causes climate change. And then there are three sides:

    - It must be us, the human population, burning all those fossil fuels causing CO2 levels to rise;
    - It can't be us, we are to insignificant. Climate change is caused by increased solar activity and oceans releasing vast amounts of CO2;
    - It is a combination of both: we can slow it down but it is inevitable;

    To be honest, I'm not a scientist and I don't give a rats ass who is correct. What I do care about is that we start taking the necessary measures to ensure that my daughter and her future children still have a place to live once I'm long gone..

    --
    I'm not a complete idiot... Some parts are missing.
  36. Pure, unmitigated, fear mongering bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/05/noaa-goes-full-alarmist-with-new-publication-seeing-agw-in-extreme-weather-events/

    1. Re:Pure, unmitigated, fear mongering bullshit by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      Yes, linking to WhatTheFuckIsHeGoingOnAbout.com is pure, unmitigated bullshit.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
  37. No ice age [Re:When I was a Kid] by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 3, Informative

    All I can say about global warming is that when I was a kidd these same people where saying we where headed to and Ice Age.

    No, they weren't. Nobody was ever seriously predicting we were heading into an ice age. That "next ice age" played well in the media-- it made Time and Newsweek--but it was never a scientific consensus. Check out "The myth of the 1970s global cooling scientific consensus" in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, or the discussion and links here: http://scienceblogs.com/stoat/2008/09/18/now-out-in-bams-the-myth-of-th/

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
    1. Re:No ice age [Re:When I was a Kid] by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      But the truth is that the present-day "consensus" is also a myth. The real majority of scientists think we don't know one way or the other.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    2. Re:No ice age [Re:When I was a Kid] by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      But the truth is that the present-day "consensus" is also a myth. The real majority of scientists think we don't know one way or the other.

      "Real majority" ? like all those polls of scientists showing that most do think that AGW theories are in fact sound and supported by the evidence. Or have you found some other "evidence"?

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    3. Re:No ice age [Re:When I was a Kid] by strikethree · · Score: 1

      Who cares? You are missing his point.

      He was not a scientist as a child. All he heard was that we were in the middle of an ice age and that our activities were likely bringing it back sooner.

      It does not matter if it was true or if there was a scientific consensus. What matters is perception. Due to previous scaremongering, what is happening sounds like more scaremongering. Perhaps the scaremongering aspect should be dealt with because honestly, even if "it" (what exactly?) is "true" (for certain variations of true), it is all being promulgated in a scaremongering way: OMG!!!! If we don't do this, we are all going to dieeeeeeeeeee. Holy crap! It is already too late to stop it and all we can do is mitigate it somewhat (by paying billions to... someone?).

      Seriously, WTF?

      I am sure the people who want to pollute are behind a lot of the hyperbole but it seems to frame everything everyone says.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    4. Re:No ice age [Re:When I was a Kid] by almechist · · Score: 1

      But the truth is that the present-day "consensus" is also a myth. The real majority of scientists think we don't know one way or the other.

      And this is true because, um, you want it to be? Or maybe you heard it on talk radio? There are certainly more than a few websites that espouse this kind of misleading statement, so perhaps you saw it there?

      Seriously, here in the present day there are NO reputable polls showing anything like what you claim amongst scientists in general, let alone climate scientists. But perhaps the many polls that have found precisely the opposite just didn't manage to sample the "real majority"? Yeah, that must be it.

    5. Re:No ice age [Re:When I was a Kid] by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      One of the most-cited "polls" is a paper by Cook, et al. Cook simply lied. Here, I'll explain it simply, with nice, round, hypothetical (yet representative) numbers to make it simple.

      1,000 scientists write papers on the topic of AGW.
      646 of the scientists neither endorse nor deny the AGW hypothesis.
      348 of the scientists endorse the AGW hypothesis.

      Then another "scientist" writes a paper about those papers. When he's writing his conclusions, he ignores the 646 neutral papers--he reduces his sample to the 348 papers which endorsed AGW. Then he says that 97% of those 348 papers claim to support "the consensus." Then--and this is the crucial part, so listen closely--then he says that 97% of all scientists claim to support "the AGW consensus."

      That's called lying.

      And that's only part of it. He also plotted to play word games, taking quotes out of context, to "convert" the neutral papers to pro-AGW viewpoints [populartechnology.net]. That's called intellectual (even scientific) dishonesty--a politcally correct way of saying "lying." And he planned this before even doing the research--before he even knew what the numbers were. That is not science--that is politics and social engineering.

      And on top of all that, he completely miscategorized at least 500 of the papers he used for his results--this is according to the authors of the papers themselves.

      But go ahead and believe what you want. What's really sad is that people like you say that people like me are the ones in denial.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    6. Re:No ice age [Re:When I was a Kid] by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      One of the most-cited "polls" is a paper by Cook, et al. But Cook simply lied. Here, I'll explain it simply, with nice, round, hypothetical (yet representative) numbers to make it simple.

      1,000 scientists write papers on the topic of AGW.
      646 of the scientists neither endorse nor deny the AGW hypothesis.
      348 of the scientists endorse the AGW hypothesis.

      Then another "scientist" writes a paper about those papers. When he's writing his conclusions, he ignores the 646 neutral papers--he reduces his sample to the 348 papers which endorsed AGW. Then he says that 97% of those 348 papers claim to support "the consensus." Then--and this is the crucial part, so listen closely--then he says that 97% of all scientists claim to support "the AGW consensus."

      That's called lying.

      And that's only part of it. He also plotted to play word games, taking quotes out of context, to "convert" the neutral papers to pro-AGW viewpoints. That's called intellectual (even scientific) dishonesty--a politcally correct way of saying "lying." And he planned this before even doing the research--before he even knew what the numbers were. That is not science--that is politics and social engineering.

      And on top of all that, he completely miscategorized at least 500 of the papers he used for his results--this is according to the authors of the papers themselves.

      Of course, this isn't even mentioning the flawed methodologies used in the data the IPCC reports are based on, nor the political manipulation used to rip out "inconvenient truths" from the IPCC drafts before publishing. Or how about this: the lead author of the IPCC reports said that the computer models used to make the IPCC projections are not tracking with reality over the last 20 years. The lead author said that. And these are the projections used to justify immediate, heavy-handed action.

      What about the fact that as far back as the 1970s, "global warming" and "climate change" were being actively promoted as "vehicles" to effect unrelated political policies. The amount of money being spent on both sides of the issue by enormous corporations, organizations, and governments to manipulate the populations of the world into demanding action is obscene. That alone should give everyone serious pause.

      But go ahead and believe what you want. What's really sad is that people like you say that people like me are the ones in denial.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  38. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Argument from consensus alone is also a fallacy.

    I know, that is why it is so important to teach the controversy when it comes to evolution vs. intelligent design. For a quite similar scientific consensus (with uncertainties and major rewrites) is what supports the theory of evolution too.

    But look at the alternative actions and outcomes:

    1) All the scientists are proven wrong, and we have improved the climate and reduced pollution for no good reason at all...

    2) The scientists are right, and we wreck the world because we didn't listen to them (instead we listened to the very powerful lobby forces seeding doubts about them)

  39. Re:Enough is enough. by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Can we agree in future not to post news items having to do with climate "science" unless we are at the same time including links to debunkers of said news?

    It's obvious to everyone that the wheels have come off this particular scam. Obvious to everyone, that is, except to those whose livelihood depends on them continuing to find new ways of makinjg hockey sticks.

    Are you saying that it's not obvious to Canadians here? Probably not obvious to Alaskans either, or the Danish -- the three groups that can look outside and see the immediate effects of the climate "science" "scam".

    Personally though, I'm more concerned with the dead zones in the pacific ocean (caused by human pollution); these are likely affecting climate (and ecology) way more than our GHG emissions.

  40. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am continued to be amazed when the pope angle doesn't do diddly either. The opposition is so engrained [sic], reason no longer works

    You just characterised your appeal to religious authority as "reason."

  41. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    To be fair, some of those who started politicizing AGW early on didn't help. Nor did the over simplification of calling it global warming (even though that is what it is).

    People should not have picked results, out of context, that were convenient at the time. For example, when the ice caps start melting, it was pointed out that it was due to global warming. But when someone finds evidence that more ice is being formed somewhere else it looks suspect, even when it's part of a climate model. It looks suspect to not point that part out in the first place. Same thing with temperatures rising consistently in an area. As soon as they drop for a year, or two, before continuing to climb again, it's easy to confuse the discussion. Some of the loudest proponents of AWG, have done the most damage to the cause. After trying to simplify the situation for the greater population and then having the over simplification shown to be questionable a couple of times; laymen have a heard time knowing what to think.

    To make matters worse, people start calling each other names and ridiculing each other. When you start labeling non-believers: deniers, Luddites, planet-killers, etc. what do you think is going to happen. Hell, how would most people react?

    When I was younger, my father used to paraphrase Socrates by saying, "The older I get, the dumber I get". I finally understand how he felt. We have people on two different sides of this issue. Neither of them want to destroy the planet. But instead of taking a deep breath and discussing it like rational people, it's devolved into name calling. But that seems to be the way of things in the US anymore. I'm pretty sure that both parties in congress want what's best for the country. But instead of compromising, they both are throwing tantrums because they can't have their way 100%. It's truly sad.

  42. Idiots. by Dishevel · · Score: 1

    100 percent of weather is effected by all changes in the climate.

    --
    Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    1. Re:Idiots. by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      Affected. Not effected. If you had left out "all", then it would have been correct either way.

      A true observation, however trite.

      Here's what I want to know. How much weather is affected by humans? Screw the climate.

      Did changes in the character or volume of emissions in China or India in 2011 set up the conditions for the summer of 2012? Or the US or Europe or Russia, for that matter. Did human activity directly drive the weather?

      I'm guessing not. Ocean currents seem to be the biggest driver of changes in precipitation for any given year. But it's an interesting question.

    2. Re:Idiots. by Dishevel · · Score: 1

      It is also a question that is not asked. The establishment just assumes that the change is caused by man. The currents, the Sun, the constant change over time and all the things we do not even know enough about to know that may account for some of the changes are all ignored. Man is bad and must die.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    3. Re:Idiots. by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Yeah, "nature" must prevail over these evil humans!

      *cough*We're part of nature too.*cough*

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  43. Wild speculation... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    That report is as accurate as an old tymey Alminac that says that the last 4 years it did not rain today, so it wont rain today.

    I want to see the raw data and all the peer reviews of the same study. Too many of you people JUMP on the OMG sky is falling / OMG Sky is not falling bandwagons too fast.

    US scientists want to see the real meat and what a LOT of others scientists think.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:Wild speculation... by MtViewGuy · · Score: 1

      The big issue here--and a lot of people don't want to admit this--is that the biggest determinant of the climate on Earth is this nuclear fireball circa 93 million miles away called the Sun. The Sun's solar radiation and solar wind output--which varies a lot depending on the number of active sunspots--can hugely affect the Earth's climate, as the famous Maunder Minimum when there were no reported sunspots between 1645 and 1715 so clear demonstrated.

  44. Offer a solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wish the "scientists" would stop crying about it and offer a real solution like cheap solar energy I can put on my house or car. Offer me something that is cheaper than my gas engine so I can replace it and have a clean emissions vehicle.

  45. What what if it is...then what? by Danathar · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Let's just say it's all true.

    Then what? In order to have ANY appreciable effect GLOBAL GDP would have to be rolled back.

    that simply aint going to happen.

    1. Re:What what if it is...then what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not necessarily true. Increased use of nuclear and hydroelectric would help, however last time I checked environmentalists were trying to get all the nukes shut down and dams demolished. I know these could theoretically be completely different people than the AGW proponents, but they certainly leave each other alone.

      When the AGW proponents start counter-protesting to keep nuke plants open and propose building more dams and hydroelectric, I might start to believe that they actually care.

    2. Re:What what if it is...then what? by a_n_d_e_r_s · · Score: 1

      Well, there are calculations saying that the cost is about 2% of global GPD to fix it. Thats a small sacrifies as I see it.

      The cost to global GDP to not fix it - its higher...

      Its like fixing a house - either you fix the roof or you let it rain in. It you let it rain in; sooner or later your whole house need to be rebuilt from scratch because its rotten from the inside.

      --
      Just saying it like it are.
    3. Re:What what if it is...then what? by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      DAMN GOOD QUESTION! And a tough one to answer. And this is where the skeptics need to start barking at, not the fact that it's happening. Because there are indeed a disturbing number of crackpots that want to make everyone live in grass huts, or fire lasers off into space, or build giant solar reflectors or some shit. And you're right there: Aint' gonna happen.

      Personally though: NUCLEAR! Also maybe start a fund to help relocate industries, alter infrastructures, and generally adapt to the changes. We already provide relief through FEMA and such, so that's already "planned for", but we should expect to have to pay more to it. And we should get it through our collective psyche that we don't want to build in certain places. That we shouldn't rebuild it in the same spot after it gets destroyed the first dozen times.

      There's some serious concerns if the natural ecosystem isn't going to be able to adapt. I mean, I hope it's not a mass-extinction sort of scenario, but maybe seed vaults and the like aren't so crazy.

      All that's responding to the change. As for reversing the trend.... uh....? I got nothing except nuclear power. Or how about we get our asses to space? It'd be nice if we humanity had redundancy when it comes to planets.

    4. Re:What what if it is...then what? by Xyrus · · Score: 1

      Let's just say it's all true.

      Then what? In order to have ANY appreciable effect GLOBAL GDP would have to be rolled back.

      that simply aint going to happen.

      [citation needed]

      --
      ~X~
    5. Re:What what if it is...then what? by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Who's going to pay to put food on the table for all the people who will be cold and without jobs? Oh, well, they're just people, and humanity is evil, so it's ok. We deserve to suffer for all the damage we've done to...everything.

      These people are so arrogant that out of one side of their mouth they say that we are an evil, foolish species, and out of the other say that we are wise enough to understand the entire planet's climates and ecosystems on a timescale of millions of years. Pure hypocrisy.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    6. Re:What what if it is...then what? by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      Let's just say it's all true.

      Then what? In order to have ANY appreciable effect GLOBAL GDP would have to be rolled back.

      that simply aint going to happen.

      Why not? GWP fell by -0.5% in 2009.

      Not that tackling climate change would cause GWP to fall, but it's insane to believe that it can't fall.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
  46. Turn Around Time by wrackspurt · · Score: 1
    Around 1972 some geologists wrote Nixon a letter warning him of the impending ice age. No one then was warning about human induced climate change and global warming. I think we've done a good job on picking up on the evidence and considering it. We might be implementing more drastic responses but the effects don't yet warrant we go on a war footing and implement draconian measures.

    Part of the problem may be that our overall population of plus 6 billion and rising is bringing change that our political processes are built to deal with in a timely manner. Change is happening faster than our political processes have been shaped to consider and react. Yet our turn around time on embracing the evidence is pretty good. If you consider how long it took for the theory of Evolution to be widely embraced, or, even more recently the theory of Plate Tectonics our research and reaction to the findings on climate change has been fast in historical terms.

    1. Re:Turn Around Time by Megane · · Score: 1

      FYI, if you're worried about the "overall population", then you might want to tell China and India to do something about it. The western world is having trouble even keeping up with the replacement rate. (The US population is increasing because of immigration, not births.) China and India will probably start naturally slowing down as their standard of living increases, but they've got so much momentum that it'll be decades before it's under control. In the meantime, their increased standard of living multiplied by their population could use up a lot of resources.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    2. Re:Turn Around Time by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      Around 1972 some geologists wrote Nixon a letter warning him of the impending ice age.

      Ah, geologists.

      In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson’s Science Advisory Committee warned him that by the year 2000, there would be 25 percent more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In the words of the Committee, the continued use of fossil fuels “will modify the heat balance of the atmosphere to such an extent that marked changes in climate, not controllable through local or even national efforts, could occur.”

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    3. Re:Turn Around Time by wrackspurt · · Score: 1

      Thanks for that. I've never come across it. My interest lies in the relationships between scientific findings and the political implementations of solutions.

  47. Superstorm Freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is on its way to Syria right now...

  48. Let Me Get This Straight... by sycodon · · Score: 1

    ...Now, Weather = Climate??

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    1. Re:Let Me Get This Straight... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Set, meet subset.

  49. Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1

    You are mixing up different things.

    Our planet has gone through intense weather and drastic climate change long before we were here and will do so long after were gone..

    Right. Human-induced climate change is not instead of other factors that change the climate; it is in addition to other factors that change the climate.

    The most significant effect humans have is blaming it on shit (carbon, pagans, magnets, aliens, too much violence, not enough violence, foreskin, etc.).

    This is not merely silly, but deliberately stupid. Or, more accurately, straw man. Nobody is "blaming pagans, magnets, aliens, too much violence, not enough violence, foreskin."

    I have no patience with deliberate stupidity.

    and then hocking horseshit to morons to fix it (carbon credits,

    Now, you are really mixing different things. Understanding the causes of climate variation, and realizing that the human effect on climate pretty much matches what would be expected from the greenhouse effect models, is completely independent of what, if any, response should be taken to mitigate that effect.

    regulations that don't affect the gross emitters of the world, divining rods, sacrifices, crusades, circumcision, rain dances, etc.)

    Ah, back to sarcasm and deliberate stupidity.

    without any actual evidence that the problem is due to their claimed cause,

    Last time I checked, nineteen different global climate models are being run by groups on four continents. They pretty much all agree on the overall effect of carbon dioxide on climate, although the details vary somewhat. Which should be pretty non-controversial, since the basic physics is well understood. There are no climate models being run by any groups on any continent that don't show the effect.

    that the problem is fixable by us, or that their proposed solution will fix the problem.

    Again: a completely different question. You don't have to deny the basic physics of climate in order to ask whether proposed solutions will work. The argument "I don't like the solutions proposed, so therefore the problem does not exist" is not a good argument.

    In fact, the opposite seem to be true-- there has been so much useless debate spent on arguing against idiots who want to deny the science that any debate about the cost, benefit, and efficacy of solutions has been completely short circuited. If you think that it is a valuable debate to ask what proposed solutions would cost, and whether they would work at all, it would be useful to actually do that debate, instead of the "none of the actual scientists knows anything, they're all in on a global hoax."

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
    1. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by sexconker · · Score: 0

      That's a lot of shit I'm not going to read. But I'm guessing you talk about consensus and models.

      A consensus doesn't mean shit when you publicly ostracize and dismiss anyone who doesn't agree with your opinion, thus discounting them and protecting your "consensus" status.

      A consensus doesn't mean shit even it's legitimate if the consensus opinion is factually wrong.

      There are exactly ZERO climate models proposed by global warming nuts (sorry, "climate change" nuts) that do the following:

      1: Predict shit into the future
      2: Predict shit far enough into the future to be significant
      3: End up being remotely accurate

      Their claim is that humans are fucking up the planet and we have to give money and power to certain people to fix it or we'll all suffer terrible consequences as the planet changes. They can't even get a testable hypothesis that holds true for a few years when they "estimate" and "adjust" historical and current data, yet they want us to believe they know what's coming in the next 10 years? The next 100 years? The next 1000?

      That's not science. That's bullshit. And anyone buying into it is a fucking moron.

      Show me a testable hypothesis and experimental results and then we'll fucking talk. That's what science is. If you claim the current state of affairs amounts to a "scientific consensus" then you don't know what science is and no one should listen to you on the matter.

    2. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Moridineas · · Score: 1

      Last time I checked, nineteen different global climate models are being run by groups on four continents. They pretty much all agree on the overall effect of carbon dioxide on climate, although the details vary somewhat. Which should be pretty non-controversial, since the basic physics is well understood. There are no climate models being run by any groups on any continent that don't show the effect.

      I'm curious with these models, do they work with backtesting? How accurate have they been with predicting the last 10 years? The last 20 years?

    3. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's a lot of shit I'm not going to read.

      The deniers' mantra.

    4. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You come up with a model that will 'predict shit into the future' accurate enough to make you happy.

      Here's your historical baseline.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Instrumental_Temperature_Record_(NASA).svg

      How exactly do you want to experiment on the earth's atmosphere & climate?

    5. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's a lot of shit I'm not going to read.

      Then why on earth should we read yours?

    6. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      I'm curious with these models, do they work with backtesting? How accurate have they been with predicting the last 10 years? The last 20 years?

      It's called 'hindcasting'. They're all pretty good at that. That's not because they are all based on actual physics and are all really good models, but because the models being used are modified until they DO match what happened. Then they are run forward.

      So, 19 different models. Are there 19 different versions of "basic physics", or just 19 different empirical equation systems created by 19 different people with 890 different parameters to tweak? In the late 1990s, after the hockey stick was well entrenched in global thought, NCAR announced quite proudly that they had been able to modify the model that created the stick so that it kept the same hindcast values but turned upwards much more rapidly. Was the upturn real or just a more hysterical view of the impending doom? Didn't matter. It was good. Had "basic physics" changed in just a couple of years to base the new model on? Of course not.

      There is an old saying in science. "Correlation is not causation". It is being forgotten. Abandoned. When someone says "the level of CO2 should be an input parameter in our model", they're assuming it has an effect. Then they modify the equations and the constants until it has the effect they think it should have.

      I remember a seminar from long ago. How many points does it take to fit an elephant? Answer: 31. The presenter demonstrated that with 31 points (30 degrees of freedom) you could fit a curve to the outline of an elephant. Thus, in modern science, he proved that an elephant consists of 31 things. That certainly wasn't his point because he did this long before correlation became sufficient to prove causation. It was exactly the opposite: that with sufficient freedom to create variables you could prove anything.

      By the way, before you bring up the "you can't understand the science unless you are a specialist in the field" canard, I work with climate scientists doing modelling. I've seen some of the models and know the empirical nature of how they operate. They all have bits where they say "we need to include the effects of X in our model but we have only a guess at the physics and certainly cannot solve the equations involved, so let's approximate by using this simple calculation... why yes, that looks right".

    7. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Uberbah · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A consensus doesn't mean shit when you publicly ostracize and dismiss anyone who doesn't agree with your opinion, thus discounting them and protecting your "consensus" status.

      You mean your religion. Climate change denialism isn't based on science, it's based on faith. And yeah, you try bringing faith into a discussion of science, you're going to be mocked.

      And deservedly so.

    8. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by sexconker · · Score: 1

      I think you'll be hard pressed to find someone who claims the climate isn't changing.
      What's being contested is the claim by climate change nuts that the claims are caused by humans, will be disastrous, and are fixable by any of the plans they've outlines.

      THEY'RE the ones making claims, and THEY have to provide EVIDENCE before I'll believe them. So far they've provided zero models that end up matching what actually happens a year or two down the road. They've done nothing but prove themselves wrong.

    9. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Denialist indeed. Are the Jews causing global warming? We must investigate!

    10. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      I think you'll be hard pressed to find someone who claims the climate isn't changing.

      Oh yeah? Never heard "Warming stopped in ...fill in the year..."?

      "Reasonable" skeptics often start by saying "you'll be hard pressed to find..." but then some utter loon comes along and says shit like "the greenhouse effect doesn't exist - it's agains the laws of thermodynamics".

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    11. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      "it's called 'hindcasting'. They're all pretty good at that. That's not because they are all based on actual physics and are all really good models, but because the models being used are modified until they DO match what happened. Then they are run forward."

      The nice thing is that climate modelling has been going on a while.

      There are predictions from 15 years ago about what should be happening now.

      Guess what?

      What is actually happening is within the prediction plus predicted marin of error.

      So it turns out that the forecasting did work.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    12. Re:Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      So it turns out that the forecasting did work.

      Kinda like the forecast "60% chance of rain" is right either way.

      You do realize that all models can do reasonably well at forecasting if the forecast period is not very long, don't you? That the "validity" of a model is never judged by a truly significant forecast period, but by how well it hindcasts. And that every model that does long range forecasts has to ignore factors that it cannot predict, like solar output, right?

      It's hard to claim that forecasts made 15 years ago are correct when it was about ten years ago that the satellite remote sensors realized there was a mistake in their calculations and the true surface temperatures were a couple of degrees off of what they were claiming. All the input data was wrong, so if you claim the output is right then the model has to be wrong. Or good at guessing.

      Any model that is correct at 100 years is luck more than science.

    13. Re: Deliberate stupidity [Re:Superstorm Sandy?] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Forecasting is like voting. It should be done early and often...

  50. Re:Enough is enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And a double shot of True Scotsman whisky to you, sir.

  51. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by ldconfig · · Score: 1

    There are lot of unanswered questions about 9/11 just don't ask any of them or get labeled crazy. Just like all of us that said for years we live in a police state where everything we do gets spied on we got called tin foil hat nut jobs for over a decade ... Thanks to the HERO Edward Snowden I have heard a whole lot of "I'm Sorry" lately. Now not all theories are based in truth and we get almost all of not based in any facts type theorizes from CNN,FOX,MSNBC,CNBC. etc etc. Like this el toro poo poo about global warming calling it climate change ...NO DUH! Look if 99% of the smartest people on earth say burning carbon is warming the planet WE NEED TO LISTEN!!! But these content cartel slime balls will make up anything to justify everything our REAL enemy has done/is doing to us. The real enemy is RICH PEOPLE not people that disagree with you about petty politics.

    --
    The spelling and grammar police can kiss my ass
  52. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And this particular argument is at least fallacious, at best a counter-example to your point. Once upon a time, the "static universe" was the generally accepted model. But in the face of alternative theories backed by experimental evidence, the generally accepted model has changed. Even that isn't fully hammered out, but evidence rules.

    Same thing happened with respect to plate tectnoics.

  53. Half? by PPH · · Score: 1

    But which half?

    Half of my coin flips are influenced by some mysterious force causing them to come up heads. Or is it tails?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  54. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by sycodon · · Score: 2

    The essential truth is that 98% of people who speak out on this issue are merely parroting back talking points and/or just being fanboys for the side that aligns with their politics.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  55. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by davide+marney · · Score: 1

    The cause of climate change is also not really under dispute either. We only care about catastrophic anthropocentric climate change. And even within that category, we should only really care about things we can realistically and economically do. For example, Australia apparently has a huge carbon tax that will have an impact on the climate so small, it cannot even be measured.

    --
    "We receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us" - Faraday
  56. Data does not show cooling. by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 3, Informative

    Here is that NASA data you're referring to:
    http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v3/
    or here, comparing various data sets:
    http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/image/0/h/compare_datasets_new.jpg

    I would not seriously characterize this as "the earth has been cooling for the past decade." Most notably, the increase in temperature observed from the 1960s has not reversed.

    Here, from the BEST project, is the comparison of theory and data:
    http://static.berkeleyearth.org/img/annual-with-forcing-small.png

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
    1. Re:Data does not show cooling. by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

      BURN!

      Heh, I mean that in two ways.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    2. Re:Data does not show cooling. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, the data certainly does not support warming either. At 95% the data can support BOTH, you just believe ONE SIDE.

    3. Re:Data does not show cooling. by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1

      Here is that NASA data you're referring to:
      http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v3/ [nasa.gov]
      or here, comparing various data sets:
      http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/image/0/h/compare_datasets_new.jpg [metoffice.gov.uk]
      I would not seriously characterize this as "the earth has been cooling for the past decade." Most notably, the increase in temperature observed from the 1960s has not reversed.
      Here, from the BEST project, is the comparison of theory and data:
      http://static.berkeleyearth.org/img/annual-with-forcing-small.png [berkeleyearth.org]

      Dude, the data certainly does not support warming either. At 95% the data can support BOTH, you just believe ONE SIDE.

      Over a time period of decades-- which is the time scale of relevance-- I see clear warming: a rise of about 0.6C in global temperature over the last 50 years. So, no, I disagree. I'd say "the data supports warming" quite clearly and unambiguously.

      --
      http://www.geoffreylandis.com
    4. Re:Data does not show cooling. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Holocene_Temperature_Variations.png

      How about over the Holocene?

    5. Re:Data does not show cooling. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah yea, just because the temperatures in May in the south broke all cold records and it actually snowed in May is no reason to believe that the heat their Atari said was coming now for decades is not on its way. It has to BE!!!! The fact that it has NEVER snowed in the month of May in that area is no reason to believe . . . .that the great HEAT will just get here somehow. I find it fascinating that the people who believe this must get YOU to believe it in order for it to happen. In 1986, no one needed to BELIEVE that Halley's Comet was close enough to earth to be seen with the naked eye. Likewise we should have been seeing increases in the thermometer 30 years ago, at the latest, and not now asking where the heat is. My conclusion is they want no solution to it or they would just simply go with a solution and not argue about it. No one on the right opposes carbon free nuclear power. That distinction is brought on by the anti-science leftists who succeeded in stopping all nuclear construction. We could have had 100% carbon free power by now if the leftist kooks set aside their unscientific emotions about nuclear and just let progress happen. But noooo - whats the fun of that?

  57. The rate of change is the key by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 1

    Yes, the planet has gone through many, many periods of extreme warming and cooling over the millenniums however there is no previous warming trend spanning 110 years like we have since the 1900's. Data suggests the start of the industrialized age has contributed heavily heavily to the climate change issue. We've never seen warming before over 20 year periods like we see since 1900 [1] and the only best guess at this point is industrialization and anthropogenic activity impact the climate negatively.

    So, depending who is making what claim, it's very easy to misrepresent the facts or misinterpret the data and the public quickly becomes confused or frustrated by it and declares "Nobody knows what's going on and I'm not letting you waste my time anymore". If you're an oil or energy magnate, this is precisely what you want as it keeps anyone from talking about curbing emissions or looking at alternative energy sources.

    [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/climate_change/describing_climatic_trends_rev1.shtml

    --
    Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
    1. Re:The rate of change is the key by Moridineas · · Score: 1

      there is no previous warming trend spanning 110 years like we have since the 1900's.

      We've never seen warming before over 20 year periods like we see since 1900 [1]

      These are pretty amazing claims to make considering that accurate, global instrumental records cover less than the last 100 years!

      It's my understanding that most "paleo" records can indicate greater climate shifts, but with nothing like 20 year granularity.

      I viewed the BBC page you linked to. It's a perfect example of why I find myself sickeningly torn when it comes to AGW. I'm a big, big believer in protecting lands, reducing pollution, and generally more sustainable living. Like a good 21st century American yuppie I compost my trash and have an organic garden (see, the $65 tomato :-P). However, when I see graphics like the map on the 3rd page, I get irritated! AGW is going to do so much damage--and there's NO potential good? I instantly become--excuse the phrase--skeptical when I see laundry lists of negatives and not even one positive. That just doesn't seem likely.

  58. Re:Enough is enough. by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 1

    Just saying that using the argument form that 9 out of 10 doctors agree "Brand X Cigarettes are good for your health" isn't the best argument.

    It is, however, the appropriate response to the argument coming from a lot of deniers (I wouldn't sully the label skeptic with them) that this is a very controversial topic among scientists. It isn't. The numbers are why. As soon as people stop claiming that there's a controversy, we will be able to stop bringing out this largely irrelevant data point.

    --
    Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
  59. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by interkin3tic · · Score: 1

    I'm surprised by the complete lack of the fourth side: "How about we start taking steps to turn the thermostat back down."

    It seems to me that geoengineering methods like iron fertilization are worth, you know, investigating. Instead we seem to be prohibiting any reasonable experiments, with regulations being passed preventing it in the UN.

    I understand skepticism that humans can fix their environmental mistakes, so I'm not saying "start dumping tons of iron into the sea and hope for the best," but it needs to be studied to prevent further climate change.

  60. Repeat after me: by davide+marney · · Score: 1

    "Better models are needed before exceptional events can be reliably linked to global warming." Nature

    --
    "We receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us" - Faraday
    1. Re:Repeat after me: by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Ah, a voice of reason. A few people actually understand that computer simulations don't prove anything, especially when a puny computer is simulating an entire planet's worth of systems.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  61. Damn! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The moon is affected by the CO2 levels.

    Go Figure.

  62. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Havokmon · · Score: 1

    I remember an article in which it discussed that Climate Change denying is an American problem.

    Climate change by itself is not under dispute. The question is: what causes climate change. And then there are three sides:

    That's why the summary of the article doesn't say 'climate change', but 'human-caused change'.

    Much like in the church, apparently repetition makes it true.

    We're skeptical because the world is full of self-grandizing bull-shitters who prey on the nieve. Climate Scientists, who tend to NOT be paid through sales of produced materials but through 'squeeky wheel' government budgeting, are far from immune of that skepticism. Just sayin.

    --
    "I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)
  63. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by operagost · · Score: 1

    The fact that a lot of rich people stand to be made even richer off the backs of the poor and middle class tend to make those people skeptical. It's rather fallacious reasoning, but the threat is real and you need to understand that skeptics aren't all mouth-breathing anti-scientists.

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  64. All weasel words.... by KirbyCombat · · Score: 3, Interesting

    1) "compelling" - well, maybe, probably 2) "evidence" - not proof or anything 3) "contributing" - might be some part of it 4) "factor" - however small Don't discount me as a denier... I just don't like seeing "compelling evidence of a contributing factor". You can say that about anything and not be wrong....

    1. Re:All weasel words.... by burningcpu · · Score: 1

      You must be new to science.

    2. Re:All weasel words.... by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Oh, these results are reproducible? Oh, of course, you can run the computer simulations as many times as you want. My mistake.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
    3. Re:All weasel words.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You ARE a denier! Probably funded by Big Oil!

      Raising doubt where none exists is a typical denier ploy. The science was settled long ago.

  65. Re:Enough is enough. by operagost · · Score: 1

    Sorry, but I don't believe any half respectable news organization should link to something just to show "two sides" of a debate. Science is science.

    Really? I thought that was called journalism. You know, let the reader decide? Journalists aren't scientists.

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  66. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by epyT-R · · Score: 2

    I'm arguing against mixing politics with science. It's not enough to support the truth. It must be supported for being so, not just because it happens to be convenient or emotionally satisfying for someone's political beliefs. Otherwise, you get mixed support at best. Something with global implications will require more than that to deal with, if it is even possible.

    Today, the problem is that a lot of scientists buy into leftist thinking because the universities are full of it, and because its political proponents support their theories with lots of funding for their own reasons (it justifies their power grabs). It's a positive void coefficient that needs reigning in. The truth, whatever it really is, is what matters the most, right? History has shown that while the state can make a scientist's career skyrocket, it can also send him to the gulag just as quickly, should his findings not support ideology. Scientists should be rewarded for correctness, not for political belief or any actions based on it Whether the neocons' industry or socialists' state is at fault doesn't matter much, because, in this case, both are essentially guilty of the same crime: encouraging emotional conviction over rational thinking, either in the scientists themselves, or in society by twisting their science into support of their world view, increasing their power and influence.

  67. Re:Enough is enough. by gsgriffin · · Score: 1

    You're a little late. The extremely accurate, never wrong, always scientific scientists are no longer calling it Global Warming. Since they have now determined, in their infinite wisdom, that some areas will actually get cooler, it is referred to as Climate Change. The real question is if some areas get hotter and some cooler, do they negate each other to still have the same average temperature for the planet? Haven't seen any statements about that.

    --
    jsut athnoer menagiensls ltitle psrhae for you to dcoede. Why do we wtsae our tmie dnoig tihs?
  68. a mere fluctuation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    isn't climate change something you can watch over hunderds of years? these "scientists" try to say watch climate change over years? i would say its just fluctuation and their wishful thinking, finding patterns. beautiful minds for sure those scientists.

  69. Couldn't go all the way with 51% for or against? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Really? so half (as in 50%) was related to climate change (impacted) and the other half wasn't.
    Isn't this a canceling out effect? Could we determine if climate change made the 50 percent better or worse?

    We once had the local police come around a put up safe parking tip notices at work.
    One of the sections was on vehicle theft. /BOLD "50% of stolen cars we unlocked" /End Bold
    Lock your doors when you leave your car unattended.

    Isn't this clearly evidence that it doesn't matter whether you lock your doors or not?

  70. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are welcome to start donating 75% of your income to Green Technology's to get things started because that's what's it going to take to make a difference.

  71. there must be good money in this kind of science by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    another poor science by climate change fanatics? but there is probably good money in this kind of science

  72. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Moridineas · · Score: 4, Informative

    Look, nobody is stupid enough to believe that climate is static. It never has been in the past, and it certainly won't be so going forward. The big questions are what are the driving forces, what are the positives and negatives of climate change as it is currently occurring, what ought to be done, and what can be done. None of these questions are nearly settled.

    As an aside, it's always interesting to me when the stereotypical political orthodoxy gets flipped. Republican doves and Democrat hawks on Syria? Likewise, liberals lampoon conservatives as being stuck in the past and afraid of change. Yet for many liberals, climate change is a great fear, a purely negative outcome, and has no conceivable positive results. ~shrug~

    What's most interesting about your post is that you apparently find it wise to chastise your father for his foolish beliefs--and gosh darn it, the man just won't listen to facts! At the same time, it's pretty obvious you're throwing around statistics that you can't have read anything about.

    I'm assuming the 97% statistic you are referring to is from Cook et al., Quantifying the Consensus on AGW. Cook et al. took two approaches to find the consensus number. The author team first searched databases for papers that had terms such as "global warming" and "global climate change" (I'm not a statistician, but I would think these terms would introduce some pretty intense selection bias right off the bat). Finding 12,465 match papers in the ISI Web of Science database, they tossed 520 (4%) and analyzed the results:

    34.8% of these papers endorsed AGW
    64.6% took no position on AGW
    0.4% rejected AGW
    0.2% were uncertain on AGW

    Amongst ONLY those papers (34.8% of the total) that took a position on AGW, 97.1% "endorsed the scientific consensus."

    The second approach was to mail out a survey to certain selected paper authors. The response rate of the survey was 14%. Again, I'm not a statistician, so I have no idea how good a result this is. Of these 1200 (14%) responses:

    62.7% endorsed AGW
    35.5% took no position on AGW
    1.8% rejected AGW

    This is all in the paper, so if I'm misinterpreted anything, or misrepresented anything, let me know.

    I think perhaps the surprising thing is that given the search parameters (such as terms that are now highly politically tinged like "global warming") and given AGW is absolutely the easiest way to get funding today as an kind of academic who remotely deals with environmental issues, is that there were as many "no stand on AGW" responses as there were.

    It's like asking the Pentagon and the CIA to write papers on the threat to the US from Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Regardless of whether there really are threats (or the magnitudes), you can bet when their jobs are on the line, they'll find something!

  73. 2013 Hurricane Season is due to...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So here I am, posting as AC because I should be working, but what I am really doing is studying any glimmer of hope that some sort of tropical storm might emerge from the Atlantic and give us surfers in New England some god damned waves! This season has been terribly flat, all we have are nice sunny 75 degree days. Sooo..... do we attribute this to climate change too? We were given predictions of above normal activity, and we haven't had one effing storm yet and we are basically at the peak of the season. We all wondered what people would do when jobs were taken over by robots, and now we know, then become armchai--I mean PhD Climatologists!!

  74. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Moridineas · · Score: 2

    I completely agree with you. I think there's an entire new strand of luddites emerging today. This is party with good cause--we've learned a lot about chemicals, pollution, and health, that we simply didn't know 50 years ago. We SHOULD be cautious going forward.

    But there's such a strand of "anything that has plastic is bad" and "anything that isn't all 'natural' is bad" that are followed by a belief that humans cannot possibly affect POSITIVE climate change, that I'm somewhat baffled.

    Humans have in the last 100 years brought about a lot of positive environmental change. Let's going with what we can do, rather than what we're not able to do.

  75. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by varargs · · Score: 0

    That's correct. Government survives on taxes. Government scientists need to keep money flowing in to preserve their work. "Climate Change" isn't about the climate, it is about TAXES (and lots of them). Climate change cheerleaders are as trustworthy as TV evangelists and bizarre religious cults that swing snakes and speak in tongues.

  76. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Moridineas · · Score: 1, Funny

    You're crazy; 97% of people parrot back talking points. You're clearly just a shill.

  77. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

    With the footnote that just about every scientist studying the problem is only on one side.

    --
    There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  78. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

    Science!

    --
    There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  79. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by FishOuttaWater · · Score: 1

    Wow, I was starting to take that 97% figure seriously. Interesting article.

  80. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm arguing against mixing politics with science. It's not enough to support the truth. It must be supported for being so, not just because it happens to be convenient or emotionally satisfying for someone's political beliefs.

    Almost all scientists agree. It's politics and oil lobbyists that don't. They are the ones mixing politics with science.

    Otherwise, you get mixed support at best. Something with global implications will require more than that to deal with, if it is even possible.

    Today, the problem is that a lot of scientists buy into leftist thinking because the universities are full of it, and because its political proponents support their theories with lots of funding for their own reasons (it justifies their power grabs). It's a positive void coefficient that needs reigning in.

    Serious? Scientists are leftists? Because of universities and funding? You don't know many scientists do you? 1) They are not rich (unlike the lobbyists that are fighting them on this) 2) They use any opportunity to tear each other down. Scientists agreeing is a rare thing. It is the case on this topic, evolution (mostly) and a few others.

    The truth, whatever it really is, is what matters the most, right? History has shown that while the state can make a scientist's career skyrocket, it can also send him to the gulag just as quickly, should his findings not support ideology. Scientists should be rewarded for correctness, not for political belief or any actions based on it Whether the neocons' industry or socialists' state is at fault doesn't matter much, because, in this case, both are essentially guilty of the same crime: encouraging emotional conviction over rational thinking, either in the scientists themselves, or in society by twisting their science into support of their world view, increasing their power and influence.

    I have no idea where you get this idea of how scientist works from. It is about facts fitting the theory. The problem with political correctness is with the people that don't want to believe the science, for a variety of reasons.

  81. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Today, the problem is that a lot of scientists buy into leftist thinking

    With the far right trying to undermine science and replace with religion and ideology I can see that.

  82. Re:Enough is enough. by varargs · · Score: 1

    Asking Slashdot to link to oil-industry funded shills and kooks doesn't help advance knowledge in any way.

    But we're supposed to accept the word of government-funded shills? Note that your precious government is using the IRS to squelch opposition opinion. And you think a government scientist (who produces what?) will ever let a report surface that shows "global warming" is BS? Taxes need to go up to keep this guy working.

    Besides, these government scientists probably couldn't get a real job in industry. Remember, affirmative action is rampant in the government.

  83. Re:Enough is enough. by Lithdren · · Score: 1

    Not that its this extreem, but if you have one area at -150F and another area at 150F, if you live between these two extreems you might call the average temp 0F. Problems arise when the wind changes direction and you go from freezing to death to frying to death. Either way you're dead.

    Climate Change is a steady increase in average temp, yes some areas will get cooler, and others warmer, but the overall effect is more heat. More heat is a problem. They changed the term because people are too idiotic to understand that a general warming of the entire planet doesn't involve a steady warming on any given point on its surface.

  84. Re:Enough is enough. by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Just saying that using the argument form that 9 out of 10 doctors agree "Brand X Cigarettes are good for your health" isn't the best argument.

    Is there any evidence that doctors actually did believe that?

    Because if they didn't your argument falls at the first hurdle.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  85. Re:Enough is enough. by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    It doesn't matter -- climate change, if that's what the term du jour is, is also used as rationale by some factions for much greater control over the economy. That is what we need to fight against. There are many potential solutions that do not involve stopping the burning of (mined) fossil fuels.

    We see from history that too much interference in the economy, regardless of reason, slows down progress, and that, in the long run, saves more lives and improves the quality of life far more than some coastal issues would lessen it. I'd rather have a few billion move inland over the course of 100-300 years and end up in the year 2300 with year 2300 technology, then slow the economy and save the coasts and end up with year 2200 tech in 2300 (or year 2100 tech, or 2050).

    Your "daughter" will have a nicer world, if by nicer you mean lots more deaths and misery because medical and other science is lagging behind.

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  86. The reality of climate over the long term... by srone · · Score: 2

    Climate scientist Peter Stott of the U.K. Met Office should have commented that these studies show that in many cases, excess human presence in areas where they have no business permanently living, has increased the risks associated with extreme events that randomly occur. Humans need to learn that life on Earth has not always been pleasant and the building of and living in flimsy structures in Earthquake fault zones, flood zones, and areas where tsunamis, hurricanes and tornadoes frequent will lead to unpleasant experiences.

    --
    "Endeavour to persevere"
    1. Re:The reality of climate over the long term... by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Well, I think you shouldn't speak for all of humanity. There are many places in the world which we would consider not conducive to human life--but people have lived there for thousands of years. It's not a life we would enjoy, but maybe some of those people are fine with it. Who's to say that we are "better"?

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  87. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by roc97007 · · Score: 1

    I nominate "politically contaminated science" as the phrase of the week.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  88. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by epyT-R · · Score: 2

    You're using fallacies to criticize my argument. Yes.. scientists fall for political bandwagoneering too. They're are humans after all. They should know better, but a lot of times, they don't have a choice: tow the line or get no funding. Political correctness demands that the science 'agree' with the official position of the political party in question. This dynamic varies from country to country, depending on its politics, and also includes inter/intra university level politics as well. You cannot tell me that left wing governments don't milk/misrepresent global climate issues as potential tax cash cows in a similar way that exxon sees profit in 'debunking' it.

    I don't trust either one at this point. Too much bullshit and not enough substance.

  89. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by epyT-R · · Score: 1

    The neocons are not the only rhetoric filled hogwashers in the arena.

  90. Re:Enough is enough. by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

    No. Facts are facts.

    Otherwise, go visit:
    http://creationmuseum.org/

    --
    There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  91. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by dkleinsc · · Score: 1

    Even if they're right, they're not promoting this for the right reason (telling the truth).. They're promoting it to push a political agenda (justification of center left politics, which means more funding for them).

    1. What if there were large funds and grants to be had by saying that global warming is a myth? Wouldn't that mean that you're presumably money-grubbing scientists have an easier time just switching sides than they would trying to change the politics of the situation in the hopes that in a decade or two they could get more money?

    2. Even if the politics of the situation changed, why would that result in more money for them? Presumably, the same number of people who are monitoring the increase in global average temperature could monitor the decrease just as easily, and any center-right politician could easily argue that point and keep their funding level at exactly what it is now. Or even decrease it, since they think they understand the problem now so no further research is needed.

    3. If climate scientists were trying to get rich, wouldn't they have gone into a much higher-paying profession like finance? Companies like Goldman Sachs snap up would-be scientists all the time because they like their statistical and mathematical skills, and pay very very well. If there's a selfish motivation for scientists, I'd expect it to be vying for the chance to be immortalized with the name associated with a correct theory, the way Einstein, Darwin, Mendel, etc are. Being wrong doesn't help with that.

    The claim that climate scientists are in it for the money just doesn't make sense: They aren't particularly stupid, and there are easier ways for them to make big bucks than providing reading material for Al Gore.

    --
    I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
  92. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Deluvianvortex · · Score: 2

    it's pretty obvious you're throwing around statistics that you can't have read anything about.

    then you go and throw out statistics that you clearly haven't read into. Although, you're right, most papers take no position, but the ones that endorse it versus the ones that don't is a ratio of 30:1, which should write a clear enough message.

  93. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

    Liar! It's clearly 97.433% You're both wrong and are obviously "communist economy-killing christian luddite denier capitalist atheist sympathizers!" TM ;-)

  94. Re:Enough is enough. by dkleinsc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What you're advocating for amounts to stories saying "Opinions Differ on the Shape of the Earth" with one link to, say, the Geological Society of America and the other link to the Flat Earth Society. Sometimes, when there are two sides to an issue, one side is definitively wrong, and reporting it any way other than that is just plain stupid.

    --
    I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
  95. Sure kid.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ..get to the back of the line

  96. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Moridineas · · Score: 1

    You can accuse me of providing a (in your view, at least!) flawed interpretation, but I copied the detailed numbers right from the paper and put them in post and provided my take on their meaning, so you can't accuse me of not reading them (or "reading into")!

  97. Header confusion by OhSoLaMeow · · Score: 1

    I read the header and thought, "Okay, 1006's Extreme Weather Impacted By Climate Change"

    --
    They can take my LifeAlert pendant when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.
  98. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You cannot tell me that left wing governments don't milk/misrepresent global climate issues as potential tax cash cows in a similar way that exxon sees profit in 'debunking' it.

    Yes, I can tell you that. I'm living in a country that have significant tax reliefs on green technology. The government is losing serious money on green technology and solutions, still support it, and still scientific consensus is the same.

  99. Slowest Start To A Hurricane Season On Record by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do we get to blame half of that on Global Warming as well? Just checking.
    Keep cheery picking...

  100. Re:Enough is enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you read the report it is hardly a smoking gun for climate change... Such as pointing out that Hurricane Sandy did so much damage because it hit a high tide(hardly attributable to Human caused Climate change.) Other parts of the report point to their models that were built using models created by other researches.... nearly all of which are getting money to study climate change.... If their models showed nothing, their money would be gone! The most easily proved warming is the City heat island effect, which does not show global warming, but regional trapping of heat caused by buildings, roads, etc. All of which have been raising night time temperatures in urban areas... None of which has anything to do with the greenhouse effect. "Science is science", but tends to lean towards keeping itself funded.

  101. Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...thinking this may just be confirmation bias?

    I mean, when the Weather Service can't accurately predict the weather for tomorrow, let alone later today, how can I realistically expect them to accurately discern the cause of a year of weather patterns?

    I'm not a climate change denier, but how can you take these people seriously when they can't make localized predictions and are making statistical conclusions on world-wide processes that occur over millions of years by looking at less than a hundred years of data?

  102. Ever notice that anecdotal evidence... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is constantly sighted as evidence of global warming? NASA's data shows that average global temperatures have been flat for 15 years now.
    But somehow all sorts of critters and specific weather events are triggered by some event that NASA's sensors can't detect.

    How does that work?

  103. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://i.imgur.com/s19MOMd.jpg

    So you really think that the data and history support a warmer future?
    And all those bumps in the temp record were also linked to CO2?
    And with all the CO2 sources in the world, the man made stuff is supposedly causing all the difference?

    Send YOUR money in please, not mine.

  104. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Deluvianvortex · · Score: 1

    I'm saying you missed the forest for the trees. You may be right about the number being inflated, but it doesn't change the overall trend.

  105. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't trust either one at this point. Too much bullshit and not enough substance.

    Geniously interested - do you believe in evolution or intelligent design, or are you on the fence between them because of the controversy?

  106. Any time you hear only positive or negaitve by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    Nothing is all benefit, or all cost. Nothing is all good or all bad. Everything has tradeoffs, everything has a cost. The trick then is weighing the costs and benefits to decide if something is good or bad overall, and what course of action to take.

    Any time something is presented as completely one-sided, someone is pushing an agenda. You can see this with advertising all the time. They talk up how awesome whatever their product is, all the cool shit it does for you. They never talk about any limitations, downsides, etc, unless it is legally required (like the drug advertising). The reason is, of course, they are trying to sell you on it. They want you to think it is awesome so it is all benefits, all the time.

    You are correct, it is something to watch for. When people present a very one-sided stance it is often because they are pushing a given point, not because there is no counter-point.

    1. Re:Any time you hear only positive or negaitve by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      So when I piss in your pool, that's not a bad thing. It might pollute your pool with urine, but it has emptied my bladder.

      Is that the kind of even handed analysis you mean?

  107. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by interkin3tic · · Score: 1

    I'm talking about geoengineering, not whether or not climate change is happening.

    If you want, I'll put you on the list of "people to debate with over arguments that have been basically settled among sane folks," but I have to warn you, it's going to be a while before I get done with all the creationists first.

  108. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by epyT-R · · Score: 0

    No, you are not genuinely interested, you are concern trolling...and no I don't buy into 'intelligent' design. I am just skeptical of issues that are heavily politicized. EG the polar ice caps are melting away (which is true), yet the media and politicians hype up every storm and every hot day as examples of 'global climate change.' Neither side of the political spectrum represents the issue in a rational way.

  109. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by interkin3tic · · Score: 1

    It's bad enough that environmentalists helped prevent nuclear power, which would have prevented climate change, now they're standing in the way of reversing climate change.

    I think their intentions are good, much better than the buisiness lobby, but the road to a hot as hell earth...

  110. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by epyT-R · · Score: 1

    I'm sure it is, and I'm sure it's looking into raising taxes to compensate. The money has to come from somewhere.

  111. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Consensus? Oh, you mean that report by Cooks that erroneously claimed 97% consensus when in fact it was 0.3%? That consensus?

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  112. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Moridineas · · Score: 1

    Well no, that's actually not what you accused me of initially, but ok. I think there's a pretty huge difference between the statement that "97% of climatologists agree" and "97.1% of a subset of climate papers that contained a certain set of (in my view potentially biasing) words and in which the authors made some kind of judgment call about AGW posit that humans are responsible for at least some portion of global warming." At this level of disagreement, we're down to a religious wedge issue, so I don't expect us to suddenly come to an agreement, but that's how I see it. I do not believe that mine is an unreasonable statement.

    To put it more waggishly (or "partisanly" as you may see fit)--is it a surprise that papers (funded by a government that believes in AGW) discussing anthropogenic global warming believe in anthropogenic global warming?

  113. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by GameboyRMH · · Score: 2

    This is the case no matter what happens, whether through "green" tech or continuing pollution. That's not a climate policy problem.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  114. Re:Enough is enough. by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Well, good thing then that there has been no warming over the last 200 months! Of course, we also wouldn't want to talk about the fact that none of the climate models predicted that current, long-term pause...

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  115. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by epyT-R · · Score: 1

    1. I'm sure there are. Like I've said, I don't think either side of the political spectrum is willing to stand for the truth, but only the part that benefits their political positions. I would expect big oil et al to do similar things. Money is one motivator. Emotion is another.

    2. Well lets see, on the left, more money might flow into their coffers if the scientist's position justified a succession of environmental taxes. On the right, if a scientist's findings support, or at least called into question the research supporting global warming, he'd probably get funding from exxon and co. Since they're funded in this way, any results from these scientists is questionable to say the least. However, I realize that research into global scaled issues like climate costs a lot of money, so it's not like they have a lot of choice. Therefore, I have to assume that at least some of this data has been massaged by people trying to keep their jobs. This means I don't simply buy into the hype spoonfed by the media, left or right. Since I don't have all the data, what definitive conclusion can be drawn?

    3. They're not trying to 'get rich.' They're trying to fund their careers and establish authority in their fields. Nothing wrong with that until it gets in the way of finding the truth. Here in the states the political bias means more/less funding, and possibly being admitted into/shut out of the university lecture circuit, but in more totalitarian countries (like the USSR for ex), they were basically bought and paid for. When the science promoted (or at least ran parallel to) the ideology and the party prospered, they were rewarded, when it contradicted, they were punished politically. In that country, being politically incorrect was career suicide. I don't have to remind you of the cliche galileo vs the church as another example, right? Politics contaminates science and destroys its progress. This is because science is about finding the truth, while politics is about emotional justification and social power.

    If climate change is real, and we are largely to blame for it, then we need to strip away the politics before we can see the full picture of what we're dealing with.

  116. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    I only got to the part where he said the study was invalid because it didn't directly address the "skeptics' " latest sticking point (whether AGW is catastrophic; before that it was whether it was man-made, before that it was whether it was happening; next it will probably be whether it's preventable). At that point I was both at my tolerance limit for moronic discourse and satisfied that, like other attempted refutations of the consensus study, it was absolutely wrong.

    And anyone who didn't immediately disregard that article due to idiotic, inflammatory language sure as hell isn't in it for the facts.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  117. And the point is? by maharvey · · Score: 1

    It's as if they are saying that climate change (if true) would be a bad thing...

  118. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Deluvianvortex · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm saying that the papers that endorse it vastly outnumber the ones that don't. Even if we threw out the papers that didn't say anything absolutely, its still 34.8% versus 0.4%, which is a 870:1 ratio. That is better than a 6 sigma result. If AGW was not real I would expect more papers to exist touting that idea. Your point about the government and jobs is redundant unless you can prove that all the studies came from the US, and even then you're insinuating that virtually every scientist there that exists is okay with falsifying their data.

  119. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    There's only one way to strip away the politics, and you could do it any time:

    Separate them in your head.

    You seem to be saying that since there is overlap between the action/inaction choice of the climate issue and political goals, you can't trust the science. But that overlap will always exist in a governed state.

    It's no different from any other science where physical experimentation is impossible, like astrophysics. You can try to learn it for yourself. You can live in an apartment in Somalia while you do it, if that helps (bring guns!).

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  120. The /. entry is hype. by edibobb · · Score: 1

    It was stolen from "Science", but it's still hype. Four weather events were studied. Climate change was a primary cause in zero of them.
    They did not conclude the global warming causes half of extreme weather events. They did not conclude that global warming has caused any extreme weather.

  121. Junk science. by mcjazzbass · · Score: 1

    If you're going to try to make those kind of connections, how about giving man-made emissions credit for zero hurricanes all year long? All these Al Gore types trying to claim the evidence is beyond dispute, but I would still give good odds that scientists had it right back in the 70s when the big scare was the big chill of another ice age. It's all just a scam, the more hysterical your conclusions, the more you stand to gain in funding.

  122. Or...willfully obtuse. by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    1) "compelling" - well, maybe, probably 2) "evidence" - not proof or anything 3) "contributing" - might be some part of it 4) "factor"

    It's called a summary article. Feel free to look up the source data and analysis if you want something more.

    Don't discount me as a denier.

    Heavens no, wouldn't want another "zomg you're comparing 'skeptics' to Holocaust deniers" that seems to pop up in every article on climate change.

  123. this just in by epine · · Score: 1

    This just in: Stephen Hawking's ALS caused by a butterfly in Santiago. Sober minds everywhere weep with shame.

  124. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The cause of climate change is also not really under dispute either. We only care about catastrophic anthropocentric climate change.

    Perhaps we "deniers" need to point this out more often. CO2 has obviously risen, just as global temperatures have obviously risen and sea levels have obviously risen. No sane "denier" denies any of that. (Obviously, as evidenced by the flat earth people, there are people who will deny anything.) What's under debate is whether the small changes we've seen so far are going to accelerate out of control and roast the planet.

    Personally, I wonder why, if another 1C increase would start a feedback causing temperatures to rise another 20C, why we don't see this happen on parts of the planet that are already 1C hotter than average. It's an average, so there are places that are far above and far below that average. Why aren't we seeing cases of mini-global-warming where, for example, some part of Arizona, due to high humidity (which has many times the greenhouse effect of CO2), enters this deadly feedback mode causing the temperature to rise to 150 only to be saved by nightfall?

    There's a reason the earth is full of generally-habitable temperatures everywhere from the equator to whatever inclination the sun is at this time of year: When the earth gets hot, water evaporates and forms clouds which reflect some sunlight back out into space. It's basically a thermostat. Perhaps we can tune the dial a little raising or lowering it a degree or two, but we're not going to break it and cause the temperature to spiral out of control unless we somehow figure out how to prevent water from evaporating. Perhaps we can cover the oceans with another oil spill, thereby preventing the water from making contact with air, and preventing evaporation that way.

    And even within that category, we should only really care about things we can realistically and economically do.

    No joke. It's hard to take these people seriously when they can't come up with an idea that has a chance of working. It's like how the republicans insist that they only want to repeal "obamacare" because it won't achieve its goal of helping americans, yet they don't bother to propose their own better solution. If the democrats honestly believe global warming is going to happen, then perhaps they should put their smartest people on the task of coming up with a solution. However, I guess it's a lot like the gun debate, where their smartest people realize they're wrong, and so only complete idiots are making proposals for new gun legislation.

    For example, Australia apparently has a huge carbon tax that will have an impact on the climate so small, it cannot even be measured.

    ...and the wildfires that result from land owners not being allowed to do controlled burns because the government wants them to allow the shrubs to grow as a carbon sink are amusingly blamed on global warming as well.

    Honestly, it's rather disappointing to see that even a site like Slashdot is 50% believers. You'd hope that people here would be smart enough to think for themselves and see the bullshit for what it is, but apparently most intellectuals don't care so much for actual thought as they do for memorizing any fact presented to them as truth, and of course their favorite pastime of laughing at all the "stupid people" who are too ignorant to realize that the earth is indeed round and that global warming is an established scientific fact. In the end, it doesn't really matter if they're right or not, just that they have reason to feel better than everyone else. Makes up for all that bullying in middle school I guess.

  125. Re:Enough is enough. by BasilBrush · · Score: 0

    How much of a moron do you have to be not to see that someone presenting a 16.6 years extract of data is cherry picking.

    Presenting a multi-year period as a number of months so that it can look like a round number. You have to be an imbecile to fall for that. And you have.

  126. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    For example, your link points to a government funded organization. That's as biased as a study funded by exxon.

    How's that? You mean "as biased" because western governments are all in the pockets of the oil industry, or "biased" as in "I"m a Randian moron spouting false equivalencies with zero basis in reality"?

  127. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    No, you are not genuinely interested, you are concern trolling.

    No, "calling out Randians on their BS" isn't concern trolling. Echoing denialist talking points that have been debunked for over a decade, that's trolling.

    I am just skeptical of issues that are heavily politicized.

    Intelligent Design is politicized. Going to answer that question yet, or dodge it a second time?

  128. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Uberbah · · Score: 0

    Scientific consensus by itself doesn't actually mean a whole lot. After all, scientific consensus once said the universe was static in size. Even Einstein agreed...

    Tired denialist talking point is tired. Modern theories of plate tectonics, size of the universe, ulcers etc etc replaced older, inferior theories. Let us know when all the Exxon funded scientists have come up with a superior model of climate that replaces all the models showing human involvement. Until then, feel free to test another theory that has overwhelming consensus, gravity, with your foot and an anvil.

    forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/05/30/global-warming-alarmists-caught-doctoring-97-percent-consensus-claims

    Obvious conservative concern trolling is obvious.

    is "are humans *affecting* the climate?" and that consensus starts to shrink one the question moves to "are humans the *primary* cause of the climate's change?"

    Attempted use of red herring is red. Whether or not humans make up 49.9% or 50.1% of climate change is batshit irrelevant when the problem is humans changing climate faster than it can adapt.

    Furthermore, that entire line of deflection, I mean reasoning, runs into one little problem: if it turns out that the sun (or volcanoes or Smug) is making up 20% of climate change that means humans need to do more to reduce their emissions, not less. But OTOH I do like it when trolls use self-defeating arguments.

  129. As usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    More FUD from the climate change crowd trying to gin up grants for bogus research.

  130. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Uberbah · · Score: 0

    To be fair, some of those who started politicizing AGW early on didn't help

    Concern trolling.

    People should not have picked results, out of context, that were convenient at the time.

    Which models you referring to - maybe the ones that have consistently understated the rate of change?

    But when someone finds evidence that more ice is being formed somewhere else it looks suspect

    Not as suspect as long-debunked denialist talking point, since warmer weather can carry more precipitation, which can result in increased snowfall. What's next, why can't we we see stars on shots from the lunar landing?

    Some of the loudest proponents of AWG, have done the most damage to the cause. After trying to simplify the situation for the greater population and then having the over simplification shown to be questionable a couple of times; laymen have a heard time knowing what to think.

    More concern trolling.

    To make matters worse, people start calling each other names and ridiculing each other. When you start labeling non-believers: deniers, Luddites, planet-killers, etc. what do you think is going to happen. Hell, how would most people react?

    Tone trolling for those who want willful ignorance and faith-based science respected. The anti-vaccers have earned their derision, but the climate change denialists are going to get a lot more people killed than the anti-vaccers.

    Don't like it? Come up with a superior model based on science rather than ideology. Denialists and concern trolls love to talk about how newer theories have replaced older ones on the shape of the universe, just up thread, but ignore the part where better theories were developed.

    But instead of taking a deep breath and discussing it like rational people, it's devolved into name calling.

    It's been discussed rationally ad nauseum over the last 30 years. Rationality is not the problem, we've had that in spades, willful ignorance is. And for some people, it is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into" - Johnathan Swift.

  131. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    what are the positives and negatives of climate change as it is currently occurring, what ought to be done, and what can be done. None of these questions are nearly settled.

    Yeah. Who cares if cities drown, countries disappear under the ocean, and Africa starves if Tropicana can plant some orange groves in Greenland?

    Republican doves and Democrat hawks on Syria?

    Republican doves were driven out of the party by 2003. And Democrats have shown their propensity for hackery since they've defended actions from their Dear Leader that would have had them in the streets if it was Bush doing the same things for the same reasons.

  132. Re:Enough is enough. by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    We see from history that too much interference in the economy, regardless of reason, slows down progress, and that, in the long run, saves more lives and improves the quality of life far more than some coastal issues would lessen it. I'd rather have a few billion move inland over the course of 100-300 years and end up in the year 2300 with year 2300 technology, then slow the economy and save the coasts and end up with year 2200 tech in 2300 (or year 2100 tech, or 2050).

    Randian nonsense. The costs of centrally planned climate mitigation are insignificant next to the costs of doing nothing, or leaving it to Exxon to decide it's in the interests of their shareholders first.

  133. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Moridineas · · Score: 1

    Yeah. Who cares if cities drown, countries disappear under the ocean, and Africa starves if Tropicana can plant some orange groves in Greenland?

    Yours is EXACTLY the kind of statement that makes me so uncomfortable. That is such an incredibly hysterical statement. Not even the most extreme estimates of sea rise produce anything like you say within centuries. Africa starve? 10,000 years ago the Sahara was green and wet. Maybe it will be again. There's so much uncertainty, we really, really don't know.

    Republican doves were driven out of the party by 2003. And Democrats have shown their propensity for hackery since they've defended actions from their Dear Leader that would have had them in the streets if it was Bush doing the same things for the same reasons.

    The Tea Party and libertarian strands of conservatism have made more traditional (paleocon if you will) noninterference conservatism more resurgent than it's been in years. The present Republican dove (nee neocon) can make some excuse by saying that "we learned from our mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan."

    What the heck excuse do the Democrats have? "We did such a bang up job in Afghanistan and Iraq (plus our limited interference in Libya) that we thought we ought to help out in Syria as well! Never mind the hundred thousand that have already died, a couple hundred deaths from chemicals weapons is the red line!"

  134. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by jbengt · · Score: 1

    34.8% of these papers endorsed AGW
    64.6% took no position on AGW
    0.4% rejected AGW
    0.2% were uncertain on AGW

    I take that to mean that 64% of the studies were not about AWG, therefore they don't have anything to do with a statistic about the papers' endorsement or rejection of AWG.

  135. Re:Enough is enough. by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    Large groups of scientists have believed very wrong and goofy things for long periods of time.

    Zombie talking point. There's an overwhelming consensus amongst physicists on basic forces of gravity - care to test it with your foot and an anvil? The thing about all those "goofy ideas" is that they were replaced with better ideas, theories and models. Until the denialists come up with a superior model, they can pound sand with their zombie.

  136. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Moridineas · · Score: 1

    I'm not insinuating anything, I've said it several times!

    I don't believe that many climate scientists deliberately falsify data. I'm sure there are some because there are people in every field that falsify data. I do believe that when funding is dependent on grants, and grants are highly available for AGW research topics, that researchers have a completely rational motivation to find AGW in places where there is perhaps ambiguity. I'm surprised this is a controversial statement. If you work in academia, finagling to get grants is just part of life. Five years ago just about every grant request in certain branches of physics and chemistry were modified to include something about "biosensors" or "chemical sensors" because there was a huge amount of funding available for homeland security projects. That's just what goes in academia--it is what it is.

    Regardless of all of this, I absolutely stand by my statement that "97% of climatologists agree," as sourced in Cook et al., is totally false.

    When I was an undergrad, the Republican group at my school pulled every faculty member's political affiliation. History, Art History, Women's Studies, African American Studies, sociology, anthropology, etc, had between them a large number of faculty (100, give or take) and not one Republican--all Democrats. Engineering, computer science, math, etc were spit more much closer, and in the economics department, there were more Republicans still. Why? Ideology obviously has a great deal to do with what people choose to work on. Correlation or causation? I know what I believe.

    I have no doubt that most climate scientists do believe in AGW (hesitation over the 97% claim notwithstanding). I believe there are many reasons for this.

    The good news is, we should no for sure within say, 10 years. If the models are right, we should see a statistically significant change by then. If the models are wrong...? Until then (and even then, unfortunately), factions will no doubt keep arguing.

  137. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Khashishi · · Score: 1

    There's plenty of dispute regarding climate change. Not much rational dispute, but plenty of dispute.

  138. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by riverat1 · · Score: 2

    Personally, I wonder why, if another 1C increase would start a feedback causing temperatures to rise another 20C, why we don't see this happen on parts of the planet that are already 1C hotter than average. It's an average, so there are places that are far above and far below that average. Why aren't we seeing cases of mini-global-warming where, for example, some part of Arizona, due to high humidity (which has many times the greenhouse effect of CO2), enters this deadly feedback mode causing the temperature to rise to 150 only to be saved by nightfall?

    I think you fundamentally misunderstand what global warming/anthropogenic climate change means. Very few scientists think it means runaway warming or even 20C rises (unless we continue BAU for another century). The changes are subtle (especially over short time periods) but profound. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the loss of land based ice from warming and the sea level rise that results. From year to year or even over a decade the rise in sea level is not alarming. But it will take several hundred years for the major ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica to reach a new equilibrium point with the new temperature. The last time CO2 levels in the atmosphere were as high as they are now sea level was around 70 feet higher than it is today so it wouldn't surprise me if that much SLR is already locked in. It will just take time to manifest.

    The only realistic solution to global warming is to bring greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, down to a net zero level. Anything else is just window dressing.

  139. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by riverat1 · · Score: 1

    Those bumps in the temp record are mostly linked to natural variation. The influence of CO2 shows up in the long term temperature trends.

    Not only that but the graph you cite is only for one site in central Greenland, a poor analog for global temperatures.

  140. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

    But instead of taking a deep breath and discussing it like rational people, it's devolved into name calling.

    Concern trolling.

    More concern trolling.

    Tone trolling

    Denialists and concern trolls

    Yes, thank you very much for proving my point. I'm not even disagreeing with you and you want to call me names.

  141. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And then your dad says to you: "well, 97% of the clergy believe in a god or two, but I don't see you in church".

    Agreeing on climate change is a climatologist's job, so of course they agree. They already agreed with all that before they became climatologists. That by itself really shouldn't convince anyone, any more than saying "97% of homeopaths agree that homeopathy totally works", or "97% of people of astrologers agree that capricorns should be careful with money either this month or next month".

    If you want to sway a skeptic, it doesn't matter who is on your side. You need to present actual data. But at a glance, this data doesn't cut it.

    "About half the events reveal evidence that human-caused change was a factor", they say. How big a factor? And the other half revealed no such evidence? It's as though this report was carefully calculated not to change anyone's mind.

  142. Could this due to posting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    [quote]'Could this due to climate change?'[/quote]

    Could this due to what the shit is grammer?

  143. Not believing it one bit! by p51d007 · · Score: 0

    These 10-20-30 year studies on global warming (ooppppssss...climate change) are a bunch of hog wash anyway. What's 30 years, compared to the age of the earth? A few seconds? Also, with this recent batch of "climate change" an abandoned mine, was discovered in the Greenland area. Now, if it was WARMER hundreds of years ago, before the industrial revolution, what caused the "warming" that allowed for a mining camp?? What the anticapitalist/industrialist don't say, is the earth is a living breathing thing, and the OUTPUT OF THE SUN changes in cycles. We are in the middle of a cycle now! I remember as a teenager in the 70's, when it was cool in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter, of how we were entering a new ice age, and then 30 years later, the planet was going to melt all the ice and it was going to broil in the summer and we wouldn't have any winters. With the low information voters, and the poor quality of legitimate education in today's schools (USA), it's no wonder so many youth of today, and those in their 20's to 30's believe all of this so called global warming (I'm sorry, "climate change") garbage.

  144. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Very few scientists think it means runaway warming or even 20C rises (unless we continue BAU for another century).

    Yet another example of the deniers knowing more about the subject than the believers. What the believers propose is that, while our CO2 emissions are presently causing a rise of only 1C per century, positive feedback effects in the atmosphere will cause the next 1C to turn into 20C, effectively ending most life on the planet. Sound a bit too far-fetched to be true? Yeah, I thought so too. In particular, every past attempt to predict when this feedback will kick in and cause exponential rise in temperature has failed, requiring new models to be created every ten years in order to push it another decade into the future. Yet, to the believers, this isn't evidence that the feedback effect is non-existent, it's just evidence that -- well, I don't know what. They don't seem to be educated enough about the issues to even know what the hell I'm talking about. They just know that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, and greenhouses are hot, and so we're all gonna die.

    The only realistic solution to global warming is to bring greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, down to a net zero level.

    No, we actually don't have to do anything. The problem will solve itself. Just ask the peak oil crowd. ...and ignore their doomsday scenarios as well. Seems like any time anyone discovers anything they aren't happy until they've used it to predict a doomsday scenario.

  145. Re:Enough is enough. by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Now that you got your name-calling out of your system... How about the fact none of the models match the current temperature trends? None of them. Any explanation for that? Or just more ad-homimen attacks, essentially admitting your own inability to counter my original post.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  146. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by riverat1 · · Score: 1

    Not even the most extreme estimates of sea rise produce anything like you say within centuries.

    If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet were to collapse it could lead to 10 feet or more of sea level rise in a decade or two. It is mostly grounded below sea level so if it starts to go the disintegration can be rapid There is evidence in the paleo-record of sea level of multiple foot sea level rises on decadal time scales so it appears similar events have happened in the past.. The possibility of this actually happening is unknown at this time but it can't be ruled out.

  147. meh, they need to be more specific by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My personal calculations said it was more like 52.733% man made.

  148. Re:Enough is enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It doesn't matter whether they believed it, it matters whether they said it.

  149. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by riverat1 · · Score: 1

    "About half the events reveal evidence that human-caused change was a factor", they say. How big a factor? And the other half revealed no such evidence? It's as though this report was carefully calculated not to change anyone's mind.

    Attribution like this is difficult and a relatively new area of study. It's most likely just an honest expression of the researchers level of knowledge. If it advances the field of climate attribution then it was worthwhile. I seriously doubt they even gave a thought to changing anyone's mind in the larger climate change debate.

  150. Maybe Maybe not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've yet to see convincing evidence that it matters. The dinosaurs did pretty well during warmer temperatures and CO2 levels. Sure seas may rise etc, but the world didn't end. Humans are the most adaptable mammal on the planet we'll adjust or fix it. I don't understand all the freaking out.

  151. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by khallow · · Score: 1

    Why is what a small minority of US residents think such a problem? I think it's more of a problem that proponents of so-called "climate change" can't make a credible argument and are reduced to spurious argument from authority fallacies. If climate change is really as bad as claimed, then your rhetorical incompetence is endangering us all.

  152. Oh, Hum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So what are YOU going to do about it? Tax me? be liberal...

  153. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Xyrus · · Score: 1

    Climate change by itself is not under dispute. The question is: what causes climate change. And then there are three sides:
    - It must be us, the human population, burning all those fossil fuels causing CO2 levels to rise;
    - It can't be us, we are to insignificant. Climate change is caused by increased solar activity and oceans releasing vast amounts of CO2.
    - It is a combination of both: we can slow it down but it is inevitable;
     

    Well, only you first one matches the observational data. The isotope analysis of the CO2 in the atmosphere has shows a rapidly increasing C12/C13 isotope. If the CO2 were coming from organic sources, there would be more C14. Also, solar activity has not increased over the past 100 years. In fact, it appears to be slacking off a bit.

    What I do care about is that we start taking the necessary measures to ensure that my daughter and her future children still have a place to live once I'm long gone.

    That I agree with. :)

    --
    ~X~
  154. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Xyrus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Look, nobody is stupid enough to believe that climate is static. It never has been in the past, and it certainly won't be so going forward. The big questions are what are the driving forces, what are the positives and negatives of climate change as it is currently occurring, what ought to be done, and what can be done. None of these questions are nearly settled.

    You make it sound like we don't have a clue, which is incorrect. Research on anthropogenic warming goes back about 120 years or so. Greenhouse theory goes back almost 200 years. These concepts are not new.

    As an aside, it's always interesting to me when the stereotypical political orthodoxy gets flipped. Republican doves and Democrat hawks on Syria? Likewise, liberals lampoon conservatives as being stuck in the past and afraid of change. Yet for many liberals, climate change is a great fear, a purely negative outcome, and has no conceivable positive results. ~shrug~

    Political ideology doesn't factor into it. The science does. And the result of tat science paints a grim picture of the future if we don't get our at together. No credible scientist is predicting the end of human civilization as a result, but the change and the speed that it happens is going to present some serious obstacles. Even the DoD has released several reports on the subject, including projections of future "hot spots" where rising sea levels, droughts, depleted watersheds, etc. may cause unrest.

    It takes time and resources to respond to change. Our current civilization is built upon a certain expected climate. A shift in that climate is going to cause problems EVEN IF the overall outcome would be beneficial (current projections show it won't be, especially the worst case scenarios).

    What's most interesting about your post is that you apparently find it wise to chastise your father for his foolish beliefs--and gosh darn it, the man just won't listen to facts! At the same time, it's pretty obvious you're throwing around statistics that you can't have read anything about.

    I'm assuming the 97% statistic you are referring to is from Cook et al., Quantifying the Consensus on AGW. Cook et al. took two approaches to find the consensus number. The author team first searched databases for papers that had terms such as "global warming" and "global climate change" (I'm not a statistician, but I would think these terms would introduce some pretty intense selection bias right off the bat).

    Selection bias? That's what they were looking for. They wanted papers explicitly researching aspects of climate change. However, there are a lot of climate research papers that don't deal with climate change. So what would you recommend as a filter? Global cooling?

    Finding 12,465 match papers in the ISI Web of Science database, they tossed 520 (4%) and analyzed the results:
    34.8% of these papers endorsed AGW
    64.6% took no position on AGW
    0.4% rejected AGW
    0.2% were uncertain on AGW

    Why did you bold the papers that took no position? Do you think all climate research is about global warming? Global warming is one, just one, subject of study in climatology. And since they were trying to determine what scientists thought on the subject of global warming, there's no point in including those papers which had nothing to do with global warming research.

    Amongst ONLY those papers (34.8% of the total) that took a position on AGW, 97.1% "endorsed the scientific consensus."

    I'm not sure what point you are trying to convey here. Of the papers that were related to global warming research, there was a 97.1% agreement. Given the number of research papers and scientists that represents, that's pretty good agreement.

    The second approach was to mail out a survey to certain selected paper authors. The response rate of the survey was 14%. Again, I'm not a statistician, so I have n

    --
    ~X~
  155. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There you go. From the very first of the global warming scam (the 2 words "global warming" have to be repeated back to them for embarrassment purposes)all data that did not comport with the latest brainwash from the doomsday cult is rejected. You post a factual piece there that is not subject to interpretation and they can't take it. You must be excoriated immediately, charged with heresy for not going along with the high priests of scientism. Just keep reminding them that the 2 words "GLOBAL WARMING" are the words they used from the beginning until they decided they needed other words because the scam wasn't being swallowed like they hoped it would be. It did not get as warm as they thought. Uncovered emails told of "the earth's missing heat" and "hide the decline" from the University of East Anglia. Massive cold weather happened despite them saying there would be no more snow and there was more snow. Reality cannot shake a dupe's vision of what is happening in reality. They will just keep going along and ignoring everything in the climate that says different. It will snow every year, blizzards will happen, extreme cold weather records will continue to be broken, and the Jim Jones weather people will plod on, unmoved by their own eyes.

  156. Re:Enough is enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, the evils are curtailing your scientism religion by not going along with the climate doomsday cult. Maybe they need to be eliminated? Then the climate will act like you want it to and actually get WARMER? Yeah. That is how science works.

  157. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    - It can't be us, we are to insignificant. Climate change is caused by increased solar activity and oceans releasing vast amounts of CO2;

    I think you're being unkind to the the skeptics here - only the dumbest of them would say " Climate change is caused by increased solar activity" when it's pretty clear there is no increased solar activity.

    As for "oceans releasing vast amounts of CO2" that ties in rather poorly with increasing ocean acidification, and if CO2 released by the oceans causes warming why doesn't CO2 released by us?

    The usual "skeptic" argument is "it's natural". If you ask for more details they'll mutter something about "rebound from little ice age" or "cycles".

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  158. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    I think perhaps the surprising thing is that given the search parameters (such as terms that are now highly politically tinged like "global warming") and given AGW is absolutely the easiest way to get funding today as an kind of academic who remotely deals with environmental issues, is that there were as many "no stand on AGW" responses as there were.

    If the facts don't match your preconceptions then there are two possibilities:

    1. the facts are wrong
    2. you are wrong.

    Maybe "AGW is absolutely the easiest way to get funding today as an kind of academic who remotely deals with environmental issues" is a misunderstanding of how science, scientists and funding works?

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  159. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    Once all or most scientists were republicans.

    Now almost all of them are democrats.

    What changed? The scientists or the political parties?

    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56795477-90/science-scientists-gop-http.html.csp

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  160. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by gottabeme · · Score: 1

    It's a fact that as far back as the 1970s, climate change and global warming were being promoted as vehicles to effect unrelated political policies. If that, combined with the enormous amounts of money being spent to manipulate the populations of the world in both directions, doesn't give you pause, then I don't think we have anything to talk about.

    --
    "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  161. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by gottabeme · · Score: 1

    Thank you for explaining this. I wish the major media would explain what you just did. It simply confirms the famous old quote about statistics.

    The truth is not that there is consensus that AGW is real--the consensus is that we don't know.

    --
    "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  162. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    For example, your link points to a government funded organization. That's as biased as a study funded by exxon.

    Uh, no it isn't.

    Please reduce your paranoia dial while posting in public.

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  163. Re:Enough is enough. by gottabeme · · Score: 1

    I'm sure the ancients said the same thing when the "consensus" was that the earth was flat.

    "Insightful" my foot. Nothing but fallacy.

    --
    "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  164. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    Well lets see, on the left, more money might flow into their coffers if the scientist's position justified a succession of environmental taxes. On the right, if a scientist's findings support, or at least called into question the research supporting global warming, he'd probably get funding from exxon and co.

    Given that the funding "from exxon and co" exists where are the scientists "calling into question the research supporting global warming"?

    You seem to spend all your time arguing from your political position without looking at the facts. Maybe this is why you so clearly misunderstand how scientists and science work.

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  165. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    You can live in an apartment in Somalia while you do it, if that helps (bring guns!).

    Nope. Guns will get you nowhere in an environment like Somalia.

    You want to bring gunmen, not guns.

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  166. Re:Enough is enough. by gottabeme · · Score: 1

    Ah, ad hominems are so much easier than research! And they are often more effective than facts.

    Yeah, the idea that journalism should be impartial is so last century.

    Here's some truth for you: The majority (64.6%) of "the people actually practicing science" think we don't know whether AGW is happening.

    But hey, 97% of the 34.8% of scientists who have endorsed AGW agree with "the consensus," so it must be real. The numbers can't lie!

    "90% of baseball is half mental." I'm sure Yogi Berra would believe in AGW. (Forgive me!)

    --
    "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  167. Re:Enough is enough. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    How about the fact none of the models match the current temperature trends? None of them. Any explanation for that?

    What none of them ?

    Well, no. In fact it turns out to be possible to match current behaviour with models.

    Kosaka and Xie (2013, Nature, doi:10.1038/nature12534)

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  168. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by BeaverCleaver · · Score: 1

    They have been investigated . Bottom line it requires a LOT of iron, and massive algal blooms might have other unwelcome side effects.

  169. Re:Enough is enough. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    Note that your precious government is using the IRS to squelch opposition opinion.

    You mean that a republican voting tax inspector decided that "political" groups that that were for reducing taxation might be worth checking to see if their tax declarations were correct. (And, lo and behold, it turned out that they often weren't).

    Besides, these government scientists probably couldn't get a real job in industry. Remember, affirmative action is rampant in the government.

    Ok, a sociopathic glibertarian and a racist scumbag.

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  170. Nope, that was a model by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What evidence is there of this ice? The ice no longer exists.

    So you see a valley. Well there are valleys near the equator where no ice ever went. The Grand Canyon was caused by the river running through it, not ice.

    So you have no actual visited evidence of this ice age.

    Other than by inference and measurement of consequential effects of the hypothesis "There was a Global Ice Age". Just like AGW.

    One you accept without qualm the other you fight tooth and nail because your politics is jilted by it.

    1. Re:Nope, that was a model by khallow · · Score: 1

      What evidence is there of this ice? The ice no longer exists.

      As I noted, the ice is still present in the Grand Tetons.

      So you see a valley. Well there are valleys near the equator where no ice ever went. The Grand Canyon was caused by the river running through it, not ice.

      It's not enough to have a valley, the valley has to have a particular shape. The Grand Canyon is not a U-shaped valley. Also, many of these U-shaped valleys have remnants of large landslides at the base of the valley, indicating that the valleys are currently unstable. One way to have a stable U-shaped valley is to fill the valley with some sort of solid, such as ice, so that the walls of the valley are supported and don't collapse.

      Other than by inference and measurement of consequential effects of the hypothesis "There was a Global Ice Age". Just like AGW.

      You totally missed my point. I can hop into my car and see directly evidence of the last glacial period in my region (though obviously showing global extent will require much more traveling). You can't do that with evidence for AGW. I can't hop in the car and take my own independent measures of temperature for the last 150 years even for my region.

      This data is further obscured by various massaging of the data to eliminate things like the urban heat island effect, movement of temperature stations (they don't always stay put over the decades), other systematic errors (like maybe improper maintenance of the weather station in question), and maybe contrary evidence that doesn't fit the current "climate change" narrative.

      Finally, I can provide a reasonable defense of the theory of ice ages without referencing a single scientific paper. Can't do that with AGW aside from describing the basic radiative model.

      One you accept without qualm the other you fight tooth and nail because your politics is jilted by it.

      Yep. Looks like it. But it's because the two aren't comparable in terms of difficulty of independent verification.

  171. Wow. Ultra-Moron Appears! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Really, so a paper that doesn't try to attribute human cause to the warming trend is IN YOUR MIND ALONE "think[s] we don't know whether AGW is happening."?

    I grant you the special rank of ULTRA-MORON.

    Well done. Have a bikkit.

    (PS as a follow up, count up the ones who actually say we don't know or that we do and it's not us. It's about 0.003%.)

    1. Re:Wow. Ultra-Moron Appears! by gottabeme · · Score: 1

      Apparently you are forced to resort to ad hominems instead of logical argument. This is typical of alarmists.

      Let's reason together with nice, round, hypothetical (yet representative) numbers to make it simple.

      1,000 scientists write papers on the topic of AGW.
      646 of the scientists neither endorse nor deny the AGW hypothesis.
      348 of the scientists endorse the AGW hypothesis.

      Then another "scientist" writes a paper about those papers. When he's writing his conclusions, he ignores the 646 neutral papers--he reduces his sample to the 348 papers which endorsed AGW. Then he says that 97% of those 348 papers claim to support "the consensus." Then--and this is the crucial part, so listen closely--then he says that 97% of all scientists claim to support "the AGW consensus."

      That's called lying.

      And that's only part of it. He also plotted to play word games, taking quotes out of context, to "convert" the neutral papers to pro-AGW viewpoints. That's called intellectual (even scientific) dishonesty--a politcally correct way of saying "lying." And he planned this before even doing the research--before he even knew what the numbers were. That is not science--that is politics and social engineering.

      And on top of all that, he completely miscategorized at least 500 of the papers he used for his results--this is according to the authors of the papers themselves.

      But go ahead and believe what you want. What's really sad is that people like you say that people like me are the ones in denial.

      --
      "Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."
  172. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by daveime · · Score: 1

    > The only realistic solution to global warming is to bring greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, down to a net zero level. Anything else is just window dressing. So basically ban cows, because Methane is a greenhouse gas, and ban electric kettles because Water Vapour is a greenhouse gas? Would you listen to yourself? BAN ALL THE THINGS!!! If I can't have a cup of coffee in the morning, or munch on a juicy steak, then what's the point of living anyway?

  173. Since the sun is cooler over last 30 years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This hypothesis of yours that it is the sun as the major factor, this means the earth should have been cooling dramatically for the last 30 years.

    Observations show otherwise.

    Your hypothesis is ruled out by observation.

    Please try again.

  174. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm sure it is, and I'm sure it's looking into raising taxes to compensate. The money has to come from somewhere.

    Of course, but your conspiracy theory that they are misrepresenting climate issues today because they have a monetary interest similar to big oil is factually wrong.

  175. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by strikethree · · Score: 1

    For myself, I do not much care if the planet becomes hotter, colder, wetter, or drier. WHat I care about a LOT is whether or not the air is fit to breathe or the water is fit to drink. Filling the atmosphere and oceans with nasty chemicals and and compounds has to stop.

    This part of the debate is suspiciously absebce from the debate. It is all about CO2 and if it can cause warming. Who cares? It can turn the oceans into an acid bath.

    mooo

    --
    "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
  176. Be Afraid! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    <STAMPSFEET>Be afraid! Damn you.</STAMPSFEET>

  177. If 'weird weather' is caused by Global Warming... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... how come it happens after there has been a pause in air temperature increase for 15-20 years (depending on figures)

    ALL scientists agree that there has been an air temperature pause. The supporters of Global Warming say that the heat has gone to the bottom of the sea (where it can't affect the climate), but they agree that the air temperatures are static.

    So how come?

  178. Re:Enough is enough. by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    An interesting take on the Kosaka and Xie study. And note that, at this time, it's simply a fit of data, it is NOT a model as it is much too new to actually have been used for a prediction. Unlike the other dozens and dozens of studies I linked to further up the chain.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  179. Re: Correlation is not causation, FFS. by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    The third choice should be: it is both anthropogenic and natural causes which are completely unknown and yet follow the course of our CO2 generation in lockstep and yet the sum of both processes does not exceed what could be attributed to anthropogenic CO2 alone so it's futile to reduce our CO2 production because this other unknown process is so unknown that for all we know it might stop following our CO2 output if we reduce it and instead just keep going up because climate scientists don't know everything, do they.

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  180. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by riverat1 · · Score: 1

    Water vapor is not an issue since any excess in the atmosphere will quickly condense out to rebalance the level. It's impossible for water vapor to build up in the atmosphere in the way CO2 does.

    I'm not convinced that methane from cattle is that big an issue either. Methane has a half life of around 10 years in the atmosphere and will eventually oxidize to CO2 and water. The carbon in the methane that cows belch came from the atmosphere in the first place so it has no effect on the total carbon in the active carbon cycle which is the real issue.

  181. Re: Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It was so absurd and unsupportable the people in Australia just threw out the government.

  182. Re:Enough is enough. by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

    So you have no excuse for the cherry picking you believed. Moron.

  183. Re: Correlation is not causation, FFS. by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    Well perhaps you deniers should share your better understanding of what AGW predicts with, for instance, the IPCC; they think that
    "a 'runaway greenhouse effect'â"analogous to Venus-appears to have virtually no chance of being induced by anthropogenic activities." - http://www.ipcc.ch/meetings/session31/inf3.pdf
    Thank God you guys know better than the researchers, not only the science, but even what they are theorizing.

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  184. Re: Correlation is not causation, FFS. by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    Item the second; "this feedback" has already "kicked in"; the eenergy received from the sun is only enough to support a blackbody temperature of approximately minus eighteen degrees C, in the absence of atmosphere. CO2 alone is only enough to raise the global average temperature to about ten below; other gases raise it another few degrees but the feedback effect of water vapor raises the average temperature to positive 14 degrees C. Your vision of clouds as the negative feedback which will kick in at some unspecified point in the future to limit temperature rise to some magic number that will be low enough to save us from trouble violates observed reality; both anecdotal, most people having noticed that a cloudy night retains warmth better than a clear one when heat is radiated into space, and precisely quantified studies:

    http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/2010JCLI3666.1
    http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6010/1523.short
    http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/325/5939/376
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19628865

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  185. Re:Enough is enough. by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

    Do you really think climate science is settled as much as gravity?

    Come on.

    The models they were certain of only 8 years ago turned out to need large corrections.
    The extra storms were were supposed to see are lacking.
    This is a theory which is undergoing large adjustments in real time.

    It takes a long time for science to really settle down. At best, we've been looking at this about four decades. Prior to that there was serious consideration of the cooling trend. it wasn't until the early 70's that the majority of climate papers shifted around to warming and cooling papers pretty much stopped by 1978.

    It's the insane certainty and the constant mistakes and misstatements and the excessive certainty which is a problem.

    And it's a problem that several people who oppose climate warming are in bed with the oil companies and pretty skeevy. It gets some people emotionally invested in climate change. And people exploding and over reacting and making extreme statements always makes me a bit suspicious.

    I'm not in a position to affect things in any way. and my votes generally go to the pro-climate change politicians.

    But seriously- there is probably nothing we can do on this one. If it's humans, the 50% population increase we'll see during our life times is going to break all kinds of ecological systems. If you are serious- talk about getting the population back down to 4 to 5 billion. Otherwise, climate change people are really just pissing into the huge wave of oncoming humanity.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  186. Re: Correlation is not causation, FFS. by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    Exactly. Since green algae started taking carbon out of the air and other critters started eating them, burping, and farting the carbon in the carbon cycle has not been an issue in climate change. What we are looking at is taking the results of a hundred million years of plants taking carbon out of the carbon cycle and getting buried during the carboniferous period, during which the earth became cooler andless humid than it had been for the previous several billion years, and dumping a good fraction of that carbon back into the air over a century; and assuming that something will prevent the climate from returning to the hot, humid state it was in the last time there was this much carbon in the cycle.

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  187. Re: Correlation is not causation, FFS. by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    Yeah, environmentalists stopped nuclear power. That and the tendency of nuclear plants to blow up once a decade.

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  188. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Moridineas · · Score: 1

    I think that's -- without a doubt -- a big part (IMHO anyone who denies that evolution exists should be banned from politics). I think it would be wise to consider wider trends in academia as well, however, amongst both public and private institutions.

  189. Re: Correlation is not causation, FFS. by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    If you have no idea about the relative amounts of CO2 emitted by human and nonhuman sources, what on earth makes you think your opinion re AGW is anything other than random?

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  190. Re:Enough is enough. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

    An interesting take on the Kosaka and Xie study.

    Not very interesting:

    Tisdale: Anyone with a little common sense who’s reading the abstract and the hype around the blogosphere and the Meehl et al papers will logically now be asking: if La Niña events can stop global warming, then how much do El Niño events contribute? 50%? The climate science community is actually hurting itself when they fail to answer the obvious questions.

    On average (as Xie points out to Curry) La Niña / El Niño contribute nothing to global warming - they can't, they don't make heat, they just move it around.

    Also check out what Tamino has to say about Curry's misinterpretation of the results.

    And note that, at this time, it's simply a fit of data, it is NOT a model as it is much too new to actually have been used for a prediction. Unlike the other dozens and dozens of studies I linked to further up the chain.

    Nope, it's a model.

    Kosaka and Xie don’t have a tunable parameter. They used a full-blown coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model (GFDL CM2.1).

    http://blog.chron.com/climateabyss/2013/08/learning-from-the-hiatus/

    http://nomads.gfdl.noaa.gov/nomads/forms/deccen/

    Yay for Fortran!

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  191. Re: Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Niether can an asteroid impact...

  192. Re: Enough is enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It was October and the Indians on a remote reservation asked their new Chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

    Since he was a Chief in a modern society he had never been taught he old secrets.

    When he looked at the sky he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like.

    Nevertheless, to be on the safe side he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.

    But being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"

    "It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold," the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

    So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.

    A week later he called the National Weather Service again. "Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?"

    "Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."

    The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

    Two weeks later the Chief called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"

    "Absolutely," the man replied. "It's looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever."

    "How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked.

    The weatherman replied, "We're sure it's going to be cold because the Indians are collecting firewood like crazy!"

  193. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by volmtech · · Score: 1

    The consensus is having your daughter sterilized is on of the first necessary measures. Supposedly the Earth can only support one tenth of it's current population. If she is white you probably wont have any grandchildren anyway. My 40 and 26 year old daughters haven't. The Black, Brown and Yellow peoples are so I guess it's going to be their problem to solve.

  194. Re: If 'weird weather' is caused by Global Warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The heat got swallowed by the Bermuda Triangle. It was a travesty said Trenberth.

    Film at 11.

  195. Re:Enough is enough. by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Thank you for confirming your inability to face facts!

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  196. Local Weather is not Global Climate by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1

    Ah yea, just because the temperatures in May in the south broke all cold records and it actually snowed in May is no reason to believe that the heat their Atari said was coming now for decades is not on its way.

    Correct. A single cold month in the south of England is not indicative of global climate either way.

    Repeat this to yourself until you understand it: Weather is not climate. Weather is not climate. Weather is not climate.

    One cold May in the south of X, one warm winter on the plains of Y, one cold winter in the mountains of Z, one rainier-than-average monsoon in central W: none of these have statistical significance. It is the long-term sum of all of these that is significant.

    I am equally annoyed by the people who declaim that every hot summer means global warming must be true as I am by the people who shout that every cold summer means that global warming must be a hoax. They are both equally wrong.

    Anecdote is not data. Your backyard is not the global average. Local weather is not global climate.

    Look at the data, not your backyard.

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
  197. Re:Enough is enough. by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

    Cherry picking it's "facts". It's deception. Moron.

  198. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hear, hear!

  199. Only 0.3% consensus on Global Warming! by TheRealLifeboy · · Score: 1

    Look if 99% of the smartest people on earth say burning carbon is warming the planet WE NEED TO LISTEN!!!

    Really?? 99%??

    Do you have any proof whatsoever of this statistic-made-up-on-spot?? The real consensus is 0.3%. What is that? Only the looney fringe seems ot think Global Warming is indeed happening and caused my humans...

    1. Re:Only 0.3% consensus on Global Warming! by TheRealLifeboy · · Score: 1

      meant to say: "seems to think Global Warming is indeed happening and caused by humans...

  200. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by phlinn · · Score: 1

    So, following your link to skeptical science, and examining the intermediate level to actually look a temperatures, the models they showed have in fact been compared to data extending past 2005, although they stopped observed data there. Doing so makes it clear that for the bast 15+ years, that particular set of models overestimated the temperature growth.

    A broader comparison is available here. Climate models fairly consistently diverge in their predictions. You might aso check a later link.

    --
    "Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny! Free men pull in all sorts of directions" -- Havelock Vetinari
  201. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    I know they are various models, the point is that smearing them as "alarmist" doesn't work if they've been understating the rate of change.

  202. Depends on who you listen to. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    2012 was a year of extreme weather: Superstorm Sandy, drought and heat waves in the United States; record rainfall in the United Kingdom; unusually heavy rains in Kenya, Somalia, Japan, and Australia;

    According to the RFS (Rural Firefighting Service), Australia is looking forward to an extreme fire season in the coming weeks as we are in the middle of a drought. So which is right? Unusually heavy rains and drought would seem to be opposite ends of the spectrum to some people.

  203. Re:Correlation is not causation, FFS. by phlinn · · Score: 1

    You didn't actually follow my links did you? Your link provided claims about items other than temperature, which I didn't touch on, unless you switched to the intermediate tab. There they provided a graphcal comparison of 3 different scenarios under a model by Hansen, which showed some consistency with real data up until 2005. I noted that those particular models have been extended past that by other people, and doing so made it clear that they overestimated growth. My provided link was to a comparision of a large number of models, all of which overestimated temperature growth.

    --
    "Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny! Free men pull in all sorts of directions" -- Havelock Vetinari
  204. Re:Enough is enough. by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    The models they were certain of only 8 years ago turned out to need large corrections.

    As the denialists keep spamming, the theory of gravity is constantly updated by physicists. That's what scientists do: improve on theories with new data and superior models - something denialists have yet to do. This "large correction" stuff is nothing more than an empty talking point.

    The extra storms were were supposed to see are lacking.

    New England. Heard of it? Worst storm in 75 years. Know any girls named Katrina?

    And it's a problem that several people who oppose climate warming are in bed with the oil companies and pretty skeevy.

    And even those people say climate change is happening when they actually look at that data.

    Climate change is real. It's happening. Models going back even 30 years have been remarkably prescient. So go on and test that theory of gravity with your foot an an anvil, since quantum string theory is "constantly being updated" and models from ten years ago don't exactly explain how dark matter works.