The Coming Ice Age
Notes from the blogosphere
- New Denier1 Memes
- One Dead Meme (we hope)
- More ‘Global Cooling’ debunked (and quantifying crackpots)
- Confusing the Global Warming Signal
New Denier Memes
1) “We prevented the next ice age”
The Way Things Break barely got the prediction posted and the meme was already taking off. This one springs from a new study that the earth was headed for a new ice age … in 10,000 years. Luckily climate change may save us.
Given that if we don’t act fast there may be nothing to save in the next century or two the premise is ridiculous, but that hasn’t stopped the Deniers. See “The next denier talking point: “We prevented the next ice age” for more.
2) “The data is all corrupt!”
As commenter John Goetz reported a couple of days ago the GISS data posted the day before had problems. This was a data set that was clearly marked as provisional and the error was quickly detected and corrected. Even so, as RealClimate discusses in Mountains and molehills the Denialosphere is already spinning off multiple memes about corrupt data and conspiracies pushing the “climate change hoax.”
OK, attacking the temperature record is not a new meme and Coby Beck’s “The Temperature Record Reliability Attack” still covers the correct response pretty nicely, but this latest incident is sure going to give it new force.
3) “I Heart Global Warming”
Another meme that is not new (used?), but one that I believe we will see a lot more of as a result of the mini-documentary “I Heart Global Warming.” The documentary does not pretend to look at any more than the immediate, short term consequences for Greenland which are likely to be positive for them. Nor does it pretend that this is representative generally, or of anywhere other than Greenland.
As far as I can tell it is accurate except for clarity about the prospect of adapting to catastrophic climate change; it implies it is possible whereas the probability is pretty much nill. However, I do expect that the Denier’s will claim that it proves all of those other things and more. Watch it and see what you think – it’s an interesting look at Greenland regardless of the climate issue.
As an aside I will note that it is interesting to see the same Denier claim in different places that i) climate change is hoax, ii) humans aren’t causing it, and iii) it is beneficial. I have yet to see a Denier do all three in a single piece, but maybe one of you knows an example. However, on that theme …
4) “The economic crisis has kneecapped climate legislation”
The Way Things Break first mentioned this one under Meme Watch:… and Weatherdem’s Weblog also explores it as Global Warming Deniers Turn Into Delayer. The narrative will run as “Sure let’s deal with climate change … later, when the economy has recovered.
One Dead Meme (we hope)
Now that we are being “saved from the new ice age” (as per above) perhaps the Deniers will abandon the “we are in a cooling phase” based on lack of sunspots, particularly as Solar Cycle 24 is finally starting.
More Global Cooling debunked (and quanitfying crackpots)
Another recent example of the “Global Cooling” foolishness would be Easterbrook who has been pretty thoroughly critiqued by Chris Close at Climate Change “Easterbrook and the coming ‘Global Cooling.’”
Chris also did a modified Crackpot Index “Quantifying skeptical arguments“just a I had “Climate Denier Crackpot Index” back in October. Chris clearly did more work on his although I think our goals were a little different. I sought to show how little one needed to change the index to get a good fit, whereas Chris’s is specifically tailored to Climate Crackpottery.
Confusing the Global Warming Signal
Over at Accuweather Headline Earth there is a good little short “Confusing the Global Warming Signal” about how El Nino and El Nina can mask or accentuate climate change. A good place to send those confused by climate variability.
UPDATE Nov 14: Part II has been posted “Impacts of El Nino and La Nina“
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Denier “Challenge” aka Deathwatch Update: Day 38 … still no evidence.
1As I discuss here I do not use the term “Denier” to refer to all climate change doubters. Those who thoughtfully and intelligently address the facts I call ’skeptics’.
Those who irrationally deny the existence of the science and instead propagate the lies and distortions such as those discussed above and linked to the right under “Debunking Denier Nonsense” are “Deniers”.
The choice of the correct term is based on their actions, not their conclusions.
IMAGE CREDITS:
I think that the old OISM “Petition Project” paper by Robinson, Robinson & Soon comes pretty close.
It’s concluding paragraph is a classic:
Oh, for a “Preview” button.
Looks like I screwed up the closing tag on my link. Apologies.
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Well, there was Ben’s comment on this thread, which argued 1) “The southern hemisphere has not warmed”, 2) “There is no direct proof that the amounts of warming we are seeing are due to CO2″, and 3) “There is no proof that the effects will be negative. ” He then moves on to (fail to) substantiate each point… all in the same comment.
I’m oddly reminded of this when I see that. The comments have some pure gold in them.
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Furthermore, the economic crisis is clearly not the fault of the free market, but the fault of Government™. (Not the Bush government, though, who is faultless.) If there were no economic crisis, then it means that Capitalism is Great.
Therefore, climate legislation = government interference = wealth redistributionism, which is the Great Satan. QED.