Reading Ice Cores
February 28, 2011
In the course of researching last week’s video on Richard Alley and ice cores, I came across this short piece which had information about how snow at shallow depths, before it hardens into ice, is read by scientists.
There’s footage of Jeff Severinghaus, whose work has been discussed several times in climate crock videos, one of the world’s leading experts on paleo-climate, with whom I’ve consulted on issues related to interglacial timing.
NBC Nightly news was one of many outlets that has picked up on a little noticed part of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s program, that might benefit the billionaire Koch brothers, key funders of the anti science movement.
“Be the Carbon Tax” – Tim De Christopher Trial Begins Today
February 28, 2011
From the Deseret News:
SALT LAKE CITY — The much belated and bemoaned trial of the modern-day darling of civil disobedience begins today, and as much as Tim DeChristopher has told his story to the throngs, now it’s time to tell it to a jury.
DeChristopher, a soft-spoken University of Utah graduate with iron convictions, is being prosecuted in federal court on two charges that could land him in prison for up to 10 years.
Despite the looming possibility of a criminal conviction, DeChristopher has long contended it was his personal convictions that transformed him into bidder No. 70 at a BLM auction, facetiously staking a claim to 13 parcels of land for nearly $1.8 million. The action brought charges in U.S. District Court of violating an onshore oil and gas leasing act and making a false statement.
Warm Arctic, Cold Winter Paradox
February 28, 2011
Dave Eichorn of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at SUNY has a video explaining the recent paradoxical winters, with historically warm arctic temperatures, and record breaking cold and snowfall in the US and Eurasia.
Penis in a Hornet’s Nest
February 27, 2011
In this segment, Colbert puts a hilarious spin on how the outlaw hacker group Anonymous gave a pretentious corporate poser a deluxe cyber wedgie.
There’s a more sinister and menacing side to the back story, as this post from the Center for American Progress reveals:
Thomas Friedman: “Mother of All Wake Up Calls” for Oil Addicted America in Arab Awakening
February 25, 2011
Thomas Friedman writes today about what might be America’s final opportunity to wean itself off mideast oil:
No one is rooting harder for the democracy movements in the Arab world to succeed than I am. But even if things go well, this will be a long and rocky road. The smart thing for us to do right now is to impose a $1-a-gallon gasoline tax, to be phased in at 5 cents a month beginning in 2012, with all the money going to pay down the deficit. Legislating a higher energy price today that takes effect in the future, notes the Princeton economist Alan Blinder, would trigger a shift in buying and investment well before the tax kicks in. With one little gasoline tax we can make ourselves more economically and strategically secure, help sell more Chevy Volts and free ourselves to openly push for democratic values in the Middle East without worrying anymore that it will harm our oil interests. Yes, it will mean higher gas prices, but prices are going up anyway, folks. Let’s capture some it for ourselves.
It is about time. For the last 50 years, America has treated the Middle East as if it were just a collection of big gas stations: Saudi station, Iran station, Kuwait station, Bahrain station, Egypt station, Libya station, Iraq station,United Arab Emirates station, etc. Our message to the region has been very consistent: “Guys, here’s the deal. Keep your pumps open, your oil prices low, don’t bother the Israelis too much and, as far as we’re concerned, you can do whatever you want out back. You can deprive your people of whatever civil rights you like. You can engage in however much corruption you like. You can preach whatever intolerance from your mosques that you like. You can print whatever conspiracy theories about us in your newspapers that you like. You can keep your women as illiterate as you like. You can create whatever vast welfare-state economies, without any innovative capacity, that you like. You can under-educate your youth as much as you like. Just keep your pumps open, your oil prices low, don’t hassle the Jews too much — and you can do whatever you want out back.”
Graph of the Day: Congress demands More for Climate Disaster, Less for Climate Science
February 25, 2011
The National Weather Service’s Seasonal Drought Outlook is another reminder of what we can expect more of going forward as the planet warms.
Ironically, those parts of the US most susceptible to drought seem to be disproportionately represented by Congressmen who don’t believe in global climate change, who wish to defund government efforts to measure, understand, predict, and mitigate the effects, as a ‘waste of money’, but nevertheless are first in line to make sure their district takes advantage of taxpayer relief for the ongoing agricultural disasters in their districts.
Chris Mooney examined this paradox over at Desmogblog:
New Crock Video: What Ice Cores Tell Us, and How Deniers Distort it
February 24, 2011
A widely circulated piece of climate denial nonsense purports to use legitimate evidence from greenland ice cores to debunk the record of global warming
Displaying temperature records out of context, and making the claim of legitimacy by citing the data, and it’s primary author, Dr Richard Alley, this popular propaganda piece pretends to be based on actual evidence, when it is anything but. (a lengthier discussion is up at Skeptical Science)
Dr. Alley has become a popular fixture in many of my videos, and is a great, down to earth presenter of climate science, see below for more from him.
NOAA Inspector General: No Wrongdoing in Climate Emails (other than mocking Inhofe)
February 24, 2011
This is an Outrage, I tell you!
Yet another investigation, and yet another clean slate.
The US Department of Commerce Inspector General has written to Senator James Inhofe (R-Exxon) pursuant to the Senator’s request for an investigation of the so called “Climate Gate” emails and any related wrong-doing that might have taken place in NOAA’s climate research.
That investigation is complete, and the results are in:
The Inspector General’s report states specifically:
· “We found no evidence in the CRU emails that NOAA inappropriately manipulated data comprising the [Global Historical Climatology Network – monthly] GHCN-M dataset.” (Page 11)
· “We found no evidence in the CRU emails to suggest that NOAA failed to adhere to its peer review procedures prior to its dissemination of information.” (Page 11)
· “We found no evidence in the CRU emails to suggest that NOAA violated its obligations under the IQA. (Information Quality Act)” (Page 12)
· “We found no evidence in the CRU emails to suggest that NOAA violated its obligations under the Shelby Amendment.” (..which essentially authorizes federally-funded research data derived from institutions of higher education, hospitals and non-profit institutions to be accessible under the Freedom of Information act)(Page 16)
Most hilariously, Politico noted that one of the items investigated was a satirical image of the Senator himself…(above)
Graph of the Day: Global Wheat Prices-Business Week asks, Could Hunger tip the Balance?
February 24, 2011
Click for Larger Image
In a major article highlighting global food crisis, Business Week lays it out:
The hunger that has roiled the Middle East was not caused by the whims of autocrats and cops. It began last year with crippling drought in Russia and later Argentina, and torrential rains in Australia and Canada…..
Climate Denial Crock of the Week 