Oh noes, I hope this doesn't distract all of us from the "catastrophic threat to our planet" that is global warming (and the taxes that come with it, of course).
I personally think this is all rediculous, Fox News actually created the whole ClimateGate Story, Keith Olbermann has more:
I'm going to need a lot more info than just "climate change fascism" or whatever they said. That article didn't discuss the contents of the e-mails with any substance. I don't feel like loooking it up (I am google'd out right now...tried looking stuff up earlier and got pissed.)
So, what was REALLY the contents of those e-mails?
This has a bit more about the content of the e-mails. I do love the comments claiming the "global warming is dead" as though this research center is the only one in the entire world.
I just noticed this. Are you claiming that scientists have been manipulating data simply so that they will have to pay more taxes?
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Cool. Thanks man. That puts it into a much better picture for me. He's basically doing what was already known to be done by many: Pushing a "we need to stop man-made global warming" agenda.
And, I find it quite funny that he was trying to manipulate recent data that shows a general trend towards cooling.
Duuuuh!
Of course!
Wait....wut?
Cart before the horse could also be the case.
Creating a demand for an "employee's" services is hardly something stupid, as you imply. Sure, they may pay more taxes, but they will have not only job security, but a better paying job. That's the way it's been for what...the last 20-30 years? I'm sure the veterans are getting paid nicely.
this is weeks old, I had thought of putting something up when it broke, but it is hardly news. More interesting is how vulnerable the supposedly confidential and private institutional networks are.
The only phrase in the emails that relates to the scientific credibility of the centre is where a "trick" is discussed in how data was made to fit a model. The university has provided a long description of how the term was used in context, long story short, "trick" doesn't have to mean deception, and is often used to describe an ingenious method of data analysis in science, especially in informal emails.
More attention has been payed to the comments of the scientists leveled at global warming "skeptics", which, OMFG STOP THE PRESSES, shows that scientists are humans who get pissy.
sad the guy had to step down. This is even worse than the harvard chair who had to step down over comments about girls natural ability to do mathematics, as the head of the centre really didn't do anything.
One thing that is always shown as an indicator of global warming is the shrinking of the ice sheets at the poles. What few seem to realise is that the antarctic ice sheet is actually growing. Although this is put down to, ironically, the hole in the ozone layer at the south pole. So it seems that damage to the enviroment is actually preventing climte change.
Although the hole in the ozone layer is actually getting smaller and "repairing" itself because of less use of CFC's.
Oh that'come on. The guy was openly advocating the ignoring of contrary evidence and also openly admitted that they were not in a position to validate their target findings. You making this out to be some hasty mis-understanding doesn't fit; he was violating the most basic principles of producing just a study.
And this is more significant than this being 'just one' research centre. It provided fully one third of the data that the IPCC used to make its judgment on climate change, and that being the case the data, and the means by whuich is was produced, is immensly important to the debate- even more so as another third, the data by Hansen's institute, has come under fire for arbitrary adjustments also.
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Last edited by Ushgarak on Dec 6th, 2009 at 11:05 AM
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He actually suggested ignoring contrary evidence? Cause I think that would be a pretty for a head of a scientific institution. Even if it was in "informal emails"...though I am not sure what they are defined as.
biologists very publicly advocate ignoring the so called "darwin skeptics", people who study history often refuse to acknowledge the work of Von Danichan and other "alternative history" writers.
Decontextualized into a talking point on an internet forum, it can sound as bad as you want it to. The thing is, if data were being excluded, it would show up in the peer reviewed material. One wouldn't require these internal emails.
Further, any sufficiently large body of text will produce sentences that can prove any point. If you were to go through the emails me and my prof sent to each other about a review process we felt was a little unfair (given our results didn't support the journal editor's thesis), you could probably make it look like we aren't scientists or that the whole endeavor of vision research is a fraud.
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Well, I didn't read the emails of course, but I don't know it does sound pretty bad to advise to ignore evidence. Cause evidence implies that it is valid. If he was saying to ignore empty attacks on their evidence, sure.
But yeah, you are probably right that you can construct something from such a large amount of data, though I assume like I, you didn't read all those emails either, so we both go by what we heard about it, no? (perhaps I am wrong, you seem a weird enough fellow to have checked it out yourself)
no, I haven't read them all myself. (though I admit, it is not for lack of trying, I just don't know where to find them hosted)
it depends what the evidence is. David Icke has "evidence", Alex Jones has "evidence", Micheal Behe has "evidence". However, if we assume the evidence is valid, then we are in the almost untenable position of proposing a "grand conspiracy" within all of climate science, much like creationists propose a grand conspiracy of all biologists. For the same reasons it is impossible that the scientific community is ignoring biological data that would prove creationism, it is ridiculous to think that all people doing real science on climate are deliberately ignoring work which meets scientific rigor.
We can talk about zeitgeists and interpretation, but the charge that there is real, valid science that would survive a real peer-review being ignored by all climate scientists because... ?.... doesn't seem like a very good argument at all.
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Last edited by tsilamini on Dec 6th, 2009 at 05:24 PM
fair enough, though such academic distinctions between types of evidence is not something people really care about when they email each other.
also, this begs the question, what evidence? most evidence against global warming comes in the form of single statements focusing on a single piece of evidence that isn't immediately reconcilable with the dominant theory. The only line of reasoning that would produce any testable hypotheses is that of "its the sun", but that is only relevant if we are talking about anthropogenic warming vs natural, not questioning warming trends in general. Even then, the sun argument has been rebuked, at least as the dominant driver of climate change.
Then we can bring it back even further. While there might be allegations here or there against climate scientists who support man-made global warming, there is irrefutable evidence of collusion between big business, conservative government and some research groups who have shown evidence against global warming (which has never been peer-reviewed). The anti-warming side is closer to the "smoking doesn't cause cancer" group rather than determined scientists looking to poke holes in a grand cover-up.
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Well, I think what is probably an interesting discussion is the actual consequences arising from the warming and the steps that should be taken, if any. As this is a heavily politicized topic, and politicians do have a tendency to jump the gun and at times create much more damage than good, even if good in intentions.
The way I see it is that to many people acceptance that global warming exists and is man made is a direct acceptance of having to start recycling, stop fossil fuels completely, etc.
you will get no argument from me about any of that. Spending tax dollars on climate change is not the most effective way to make human existence better at this point, if ever. Its become a stupid issue. Mainly, environmentalism has been a way for companies to push costs onto consumers, be it in bags or in raising costs to "offset" "environmental" policies.
My personal thoughts are that we didn't need global warming to tell us that we should look after the world and not pollute. Those are good ideals in and of themselves. Thomas Friedman, who I like most of the time, talked about how everyone thinks we are having a green revolution, but we are only having a "green party". We do these symbolic things, like bumper stickers or New Age mumbo jumbo (which is possibly one of the greatest beneficiaries of this green party), but nobody is willing to make the real cutbacks necessary to produce a carbon neutral, or whatever buzzword, society. We shouldn't shoot ourselves in the foot to be environmentalists, but we also shouldn't just be environmentalists because of potential global calamity. So what, as soon as there is no disaster looming in the future we should dump motor oil on our lawns?
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Dec 5th, 2009 10:56 PM
