Because they got that way

BPSDB

I feel a little awkward in that M’s comment on the post “Sciencey Spice Etc” is such a perfect set up for the post I was intending to write regardless that even I am a bit suspicious about it’s authenticity (it is a real comment nonetheless).

In a nutshell, the comment reveals a naive and dangerously simplistic notion about what both science and politics are, but which I believe is fairly common in the science community.

The post in question discusses and seeks to understand the phenomenon of Judith Curry and her blog Climate Etc as a social and socio-political event within the broader context of climate change Denialism, and begins to examine some of the gender and other dynamics which appear to be in play.

M says “I find the gender-based speculation in this post highly unnecessary, and even inappropriate. Stick to criticizing the lack of science in JC’s blog rather than attempting amateur psychoanalysis.”

“Stick to criticizing the lack of science in JC’s blog“

Right.

That’s worked really well for us.

We simply document the bad science and lack of rationality in the climate change Denier arguments and they simply go away, c’est touts.

Not.

Obviously.

For those who missed it, climate change Denial has been increasing, not decreasing. Our strategy is not working. When are we going to acknowledge that while documenting the absence of science or rationality in the Denialosphere may be necessary to making our society a reality based one, it is clearly not sufficient.

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Climate Change: the bigger the lie

BPSDB

FABIAN:  If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.

SIR TOBY BELCH : His very genius hath taken the infection of the device, man.

Twelfth Night Act III, Scene 4

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It is a perverse fact that often the sheer idiocy of many of the climate change Denier arguments works in their favour.

This is above and beyond the usual reasons some people find ways to believe the climate change Denier deceptions.

I am not referring to the hard core Deniers who write the blogs and spam legitimate climate sites with absurd claims, obvious frauds and largely irrelevant rants. This cadre are & will be the 10% of the population that will never be convinced even as their homes burst into flame.

My concern is the section of the general public who are “in denial” rather than being “Deniers” per se. They are our target for education, but to do that we need to understand why they are in denial and why the lies work on them.

• Information Deficit
• Psychology of Denial
• • Motivated reasoning
  • Groupthink
  • Future discounting & the neurotic paradox
  • Belief retention
  • Inferred justification
  • The bigger the lie
• Beware this boy
• Links of interest

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Only 0.45% of Physicists sign Denier Petition

BPSDB

Despite seven months of intense effort to recruit physicists to sign a politically motivated petition disputing anthropogenic climate change, a mere, 0.45% of the American Physical Society‘s 47,000 members signed on.

It’s a humiliating defeat for the climate change Deniers who make such false claims as ”many scientists dispute’ and ‘there is no consensus. The Petition drive was announced in the prestigous journal Nature, APS publications, numerous popular and electronic media, as well as heavily promoted by the petition organizers. Despite all of that effort and publicity, a mere 0.45% was all that they could manage.

Consider that the success rate for Nigerian email scams is estimated to be 0.1% to 0.2%, ie roughly speaking about the same. (Tip of the Hat to Grumbine for the genesis of seeking a comparison)

• • Physicists firm on climate change
  • APS rejects plea to alter stance on climate change
  • APS Council Overwhelmingly Rejects Proposal to Replace Society’s Current Climate Change Statement

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Climate Justice Fast, ripples and waves

A drop of water blood BPSDB
Mother
Are you crying?
Forgive us our sins
For we know not what we have done

Forgive me
So I can give the last drop to my brother
Horizontal
Because he is your son
And I am not your daughter.

Maybe I forgot
Your daughters feed the world.
They say I am
Mother, how did it happen
Your wounds?

Martha, participant

CJF Solidarity Rolling Fast

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Climate Justice Fast is to be … indefinite

BPSDB This morning two amazing women, Anna Keenan and Sara Svensson, gave a press conference in Barcelona about the Climate Justice Fast. Nothing I might say could compare to their words and actions. I can’t embed the webcast, so please click the link below and hear why they are putting their health and lives on the line, as well as the statement by Agnes who puts the Fast in it’s proper context.

Climate Justice Fast! Barcelona Link –
taking climate activism to the next level

Here is Paul Connor again, talking about Day 1.

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Climate Deniers demand Stalinist style political show trial

BPSDBOthers are comparing this story to the famous Tennessee Scopes trial on the teaching of evolution. There are very good reasons to suggest that it has far more in common with the Soviet show trials of dissident scientists.

The bare bones of the story is that the U.S Chamber of Commerce (hereafter CoC) would like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (hereafter EPA) to hold public hearings on climate science.

Incredibly, the CoC wants “‘Scopes’-like hearing on the evidence that climate change is man-made.” For those who are not familiar with it, the “Scopes” reference is to the famous “Scopes Monkey Trial” where school teacher John Scopes was put on trial in Tennessee for illegally teaching Evolution science .

The EPA is dismissive of the petition, particularly as the basis for it are the usual collection of climate change Denier idiocies such as “climate change has stopped.” For more on those details and further analysis see here and the links at bottom.

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Vancouver Sun Climate Denier opts for the “George Will Defense”

BPSDBThe “George Will Defense” is, having been caught in a series of flagrantly ridiculous lies, tell some more in an attempt to justify them.  It seems that Manthrope’s uncritical idolizing of Ian Plimer’s climate change Denial discussed in Vancouver Sun: Perpetual Motion Works, Earth is Flat! has upset some of the Vancouver Sun‘s readers. So much so that a response seemed called for.

Unfortunately we do not get a thoughtful and honest reflection on the whys and wherefores of having published drivel. Far from it. The title “Opposing views draw scientists’ scorn” tells you exactly how Manthrope is going to try to spin it.

You see, the problem is not that the Plimer’s book is a load of unscientific nonsense, or that Manthrope was either incompetent or unethical (or both) as a journalist in his partisan and unabashed promotion of Plimer. Oh no, the problem is that scientists are intolerant of “opposing views.” We’re not talking about facts and science here, we’re talking about “views”, opinions, and tolerance.

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“Outpouring of Scientists Rejecting Man-Made Climate Fears!”

Or so the headline at Climate Despot claimed. BPSDB

Dog bites Man

Win-win for the Goebbels wannabes

.

The headline is referring to a non-story about some letters of protest that Chemical & Engineering News, the publication of the American Chemical Society, received regarding the June 22nd editorial “Climate-Change News“. The editorial in question is a quick review of some current events in climate science, and a description of the sleazy tactics being used by the climate change Deniers in an attempt to influence the political process.

The Deniers would like you to believe that there is a mass outpouring of rage from the ACS membership at the pro-science/reality  stance (that would not be their way of expressing it) of the CEN editor. Nope, not even close. Even so, the incident promises to be a win-win for the Denialosphere, hence their interest in making a fuss about it.

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Climate lying and fraud moves from science to politics

BPSDBOK, climate change denial has always been about politics, not science, but the climate change Deniers are expanding the scope of their lying and frauds.

Now they are forging letters allegedly from groups representing marginalized populations in an attempt to prevent any meaningful action on climate change. The letters to members of the U.S. Congress actually came from a Washington lobby firm.

“They stole our name. They stole our logo. They created a position title and made up the name of someone to fill it. They forged a letter and sent it to our congressman without our authorization,” said Tim Freilich, who sits on the executive committee of Creciendo Juntos, a nonprofit network that tackles issues related to Charlottesville’s Hispanic community. “It’s this type of activity that undermines Americans’ faith in democracy.”

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Talkin’ bout a revolution

BPSDB Today is the mass civil disobedience coinciding with Powershift’09 in Washington DC. (live coverage at Capital Climate Action and Greenpeace).

The nonviolent resistance and the reasons for it, from the political “Climate Code Red”  to the personal  “See you in jail: It’s not symbolism when you live in D.C.”, Why civil disobedience may be necessary on climate change have been covered, so I won’t be repeating that.

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Climate News: Crude and Screwed

• Crude
• Hopping down the Bunny Trail
• Screwed
• Christmas shopping

Crude

The Way Things Break has posted Crude – The Incredible Journey of Oil which  turned out to be much better than I anticipated.  Good, accessible presentation of the carbon cycle, geological history, anoxic oceans, and the last 30 min are quite heavy hitting on climate change.  Ninety minutes not wasted and excellent for educating your friends and family

Cavet, as you are warned at the site “there are some sound issues for the first few minutes. Things clear up around 3:33 …” They do clear up, but for three and a half minutes you are really annoyed.

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Clutching at Straws

BPSDB Clutching/grasping at Straws: 1. to try any method, even those that are not likely to succeed, because you are in such a bad situation. He’s hoping that this new treatment will help him but I think he’s clutching at straws. (usually in continuous tenses)

2. to try to find reasons to feel hopeful about a situation when there is no real cause for hope. She thinks he might still be interested because he calls her now and then but I think she’s clutching at straws. (usually in continuous tenses)

TheFreeDictionary

Perhaps in an attempt to atone for it’s “coldest in the decade“ faux pas The Guardian brings us this video interview:

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