Heartland Denial Palooza coming. This won’t be the First One with Punch Bowl Problems
May 7, 2012
Oldie but Goodie. Some long time viewers may remember how keynote speaker Pat Michaels nearly cleared out the room at the 2008 Heartland Climate Denial conference, when he suggested that in fact, the world is getting warmer, and humans have something to do with it, and that a favorite climate denial claim might in fact be, in his words, “a little unfair to the data”.
If you’re on a schedule, cut to Michael’s remarks about 2 minutes in.
Another problematic speaker at the conference this year will be “Jack” Schmitt, former Astronaut but more recently famous for ludicrous truth-challenged remarks about the extent of Arctic ice, (he seems to think there’s nothing happening up there), and for his conviction that the environmental movement has been taken over by the Communist Party.
Climate Denial Crock of the Week 
May 7, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Will all of.this wake you up to the facts that (a) HI is a.minor player of little influence (b) there is no worldwide skeptic “denier” conspiracy (c) there is something to discuss indeed and it’s not your cheap shots (d) you’ve been cooperating on getting it all stuck forever on the same trite arguments
?
May 7, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Remarkably, I agree with Omnologos: The HI cannot actually be that influential because, despite what Michaels said in his speech, almost 4 years later, the “global warming stopped in 1998” myth is the one I still personally see and hear repeated most often.
If the so-called “sceptics” could actually come up with a new argument that has not already been debunked, that would be something. However, King Solomon (or whoever it was that wrote the book of Ecclesiastes) really was a wise man: He said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”.
Nevertheless, there is one thing that is new: A 40% increase in atmospheric CO2 that has been achieved a hundred or thousand times faster than at any previous occasion in geological history, caused by humans burning fossil fuels.
http://lackofenvironment.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/nothing-new-under-the-sun/
Given all that we know about Earth history from the study of palaeoclimatology, to think that this might not affect our climate; now that really is incredible!
May 7, 2012 at 8:48 pm
HI weren’t that influential until they were catapulted into the limelight a couple of months ago – now they have influence, even if only to serve as a lightning rod or barometer for other similar organizations to judge public opinion.
With backers and delegates pulling out, they might have to amend their booking of the Hilton for their conference, and reserve the broom cupboard instead.
May 7, 2012 at 1:17 pm
I’m guessing that was the last time Dr Michaels was invited to speak.
@7:17
“Global warming is real and the second warming of the 20th Century people have something to do with it. Get over it!”
Ouch!
May 7, 2012 at 2:44 pm
[…] Heartland Denial Palooza coming. This won’t be the First One with Punch Bowl Problems « Climate D… Oldie but Goodie. Some long time viewers may remember how keynote speaker Pat Michaels nearly cleared out the room at the 2008 Heartland Climate Denial conference, when he suggested that in fact, the world is getting warmer, and humans have something to do with it, and that a favorite climate denial claim might in fact be, in his words, “a little unfair to the data”. […]
May 8, 2012 at 4:55 am
You mean we have to beg oiholdmynose for a trite argument? Oh, sorry. I forgot, no sarcasm allowed.
Oh, and one thing, I don’t believe I read there was a denier conspiracy, but I believe I heard some mention of an upcoming, er, convention of er, ah, what do you call your pointy tin foil hat thingy?