Climate change, getting our boots on …

BPSDB “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on…”

possibly Mark Twain

The past few years have seen the internet change fairly significantly with respect to the issue of climate change.  As a tool for public education the internet is invaluable. Unfortunately as a tool for disinformation it seems that it is even more effective.

To what extent disinformation on the net drives climate change Denial as opposed to the reverse is a chicken and egg discussion. Undoubtedly they feed on each other in a classic positive feedback loop. The question is, what is to be done about it.

Not that any one thing is going to turn it around. There are a host of things the climate science community needs to do. However, I do have one specific proposal that I believe would be helpful and I would like some feedback on it.

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Wut evah

In an attempt to have the comment threads be reasonably worth reading (ie relevant to the post, coherent, relatively spam free) I first created two pages, one that was to be “Mostly Open” and the other for “Challenging the Core Science.”

As Deniers do not read it became necessary to create the “Dunce’s Corner” as a dumping ground for the relentless repetition of the same Denier memes long since known to be bunk. These aren’t challenges to the core science, they are just chanting of the Denier Canon.

The latest spat in the comments section has me creating “Wutevah” as it is an exchange that does not really fit in any of the above, nor is it appropriate where it has been posted.  I opted for “Wutevah” as it is hopefully the ultimate in miscellany & I can chuck anything here.

As comments cannot be moved easily I am forced to copy/paste the exchange, a waste of my time that I frankly resent, never mind having to read it to check for abuse etc. Clearly I will have to ponder how I respond if this keeps up.

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Greenfyre, greenfyre, where have you been?

BPSDB

Not in London,

nor visiting a Queen

.

HUGE, HUGE, HUGE thanks to S2, truesceptic and all the others who worked to keep this space going. I am truly grateful and nothing I ever do can repay the debt I owe you. You are awesome people of the highest order.

You are also owed an explanation, but I fear it is rather mundane and dreary (and not even in the least bit sordid, which might have spiced it up a bit and made this more entertaining for you).

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Quick note (and an apology)

BPSDB
Sorry for the extended absence, everyone – I’ve got a Physics exam coming up on the 15th and it’s rather taken over my life.

I do feel very bad about ignoring the blog for so long, but being a student and holding down a full-time job at the same time has proved to be pretty demanding. Not that I ever thought it would be easy, but this year has certainly been harder than last.
I think that if I had spent more time on the blog I probably would not have made a terribly good job of it, and I’m sure that my studies would have suffered.

It will be easier after the exam, but only for a few months – I will be signing up for other courses in the Autumn.

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I chose the right man!

BPSDBIn acknowledging the Woody Guthrie Award, Dan manages to weave together some of his own personal history, as well as Guthrie’s, anthropogenic climate change, and the struggles of the 1930s that inspired and motivated so much of Guthrie’s music, all in just a few short paragraphs!

Now that‘s story telling! … he does Guthrie proud.

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The Woody Guthrie Award for A Thinking Blogger

BPSDBIt has been almost a month since Honestpoet did me the singular honour of making me the recipient of the Woody Guthrie Award (presented to A Thinking Blogger). I am very late in acknowledging this honour and making the presentation to another blog for several reasons, one of them being the timing of my absence discussed under Houskeeping).

Another reason would be that I am a social coward. When asked to pick between two people I have been known to feign death rather than admit to a preference.  Receiving the award was humbling, but it also threw me into a panic. The third, related reason is that

I am in Awe of you

All of you who blog for climate and social justice. Your passion, commitment, knowledge, insight, creativity and basic insanity humbles me every day.

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Housekeeping with Gratitude

First, HUGE thanks to S2 for minding the store while I have been lost where ever it was that I was lost (below). Particularly as the absence turned out to be much longer than planned.

Also an interesting lesson learned … I have been futilely trying to recruit guest bloggers for many months, and it turns out that all I really had to do was disappear; who knew? 😉

Lost?

A planned absence of a week or so extended because:

1. I’m an idiot, and catching up with everything once I return invariably takes much longer than anticipated;
2. Apparently when there is  a break for whatever reason I find that I extend it to catch up with things that get neglected when I am full on blogging (dishes, laundry, life etc);
3. I also pretend that I am going to clean up the backlog of links and reading, but in fact I invariably make it worse as I wander the the climate blogosphere;
4. My ancient computer is dying, seriously dying. I am getting a new one and it will arrive someday, but in the meantime this one  continues to randomly die which could mean more disappearances in the next little while;
5. My internet access stopped, and I assumed it was related to #4) above. After working on it for almost 2 days I discovered that the problem was my ISP … but by this point it Fri eve at 7 PM, before the long weekend … ir no one at the ISP office. All told sorting that out took almost another week, sending me back to #1).

Mike

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Comments policy – the Sequel

Sigh.

Like Coby and ScruffyDan (and probably every climate blogger at one point or another) I find that I have to rethink comments policy on this blog.  Not surprisingly the issue is the same as elsewhere, the proverbial “shouting match” over the reality of anthropogenic climate change.

The “problem” is perfectly evident on these threads and at every climate rationalist’s site; overwhelmingly some climate change Denier posts uniformed &/or obviously nonsensical repetitions of the same old debunked Denier nonsense. In many cases quite obviously without even having read the post to which they are appended.

Some other commenter replies, with or without facts refuting the nonsense, and off it goes.

While not universally true, typically it is the Denier who  does not engage rationally, logically or honestly, responding to refutations by ignoring them and advancing yet another false argument instead.

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“Mostly” Open Comment Thread

Please be advised:

This thread is for most comments that are not relevant to a particular post on this site;

IF your comment is an attempt to challenge the core science of anthropogenic climate change then it belongs on the “Challenging the Core Science” Comment Thread, NOT HERE. Violators will simply be deleted.

Comments will be also be deleted without mercy &/or have one of the following texts appended, or substituted for it IF:

1. It attacks individuals;
2. It replicates at length arguments that could simply have been linked;
3. It duplicates other comments you have made in this thread or elsewhere on this site;
4. It is a copy of a comment that you spam climate sites with.

ALL posters, please do not engage or reply to policy violators. I will be deleting their comments as soon as possible which will leave your comment contextless.

Please be advised:

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“Challenging the Core Science” Comment Thread

This thread is for comments that purport to challenge the core science of anthropogenic climate change (use the IPCC  The IPCC Assessment Reports as a baseline).

Please be advised:

Your comment will be ignored without mercy &/or have one of the following texts appended, or even substituted for it IF:

1. It does not fully reference and link science based sources; not necessarily peer reviewed literature, but sources which are ultimately based on peer reviewed science in a manner that can be verified.
2. The argument is based on a logical fallacy such as cherry picking or an ad hominem Check First!
3. It merely repeats one of the Denier memes well known to be idiotic nonsense Check First!
4. It merely propagates some Denier spam post that has already been debunked as nonsense Check First!

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Housekeeping

I was recently messaged as to whether the recent lack of activity here was because the muse had left me. No, we are not amused 🙂 (OK, I had to do that).

Truth be known I have some 60+ posts in various stages, from merely an idea to almost completed. And that’s without yet having had the time to sit down and work out some sort of coherent plan for this blog; so no, that’s not the problem.

“The problem” is simply time. It is End of Year so work requires budgets, reports, etc. We are coming up on the 1st anniversary of my mother’s death and family are coming to town. It is tax time and I am trying to close the will and do the estate taxes, and so on. There is a lot more, but you get the idea.

And now I am leaving town for a week and will have no access to computers, much less the internet. In less than 20 minutes actually. I have a post that needs at most another 15 to 30 min work and I really thought I would get it up this morning, but packing would also be an idea. So would getting dressed. Just a thought.

So thank you for your patience. Early May also promises to be difficult, but this too will pass and we can get back on track. So thank you all and I will see you in a week 🙂

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Apologies: Computer issues

Folks

My apologies for relative absence recently, but I have been experiencing computer issues. I believe that these are now dealt with, at least for the time being, and normal service resumes tomorrow afternoon.

Mike 🙂

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Closed Thread

Up to a point. Let’s try and keep it to climate science, more or less.

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