Faith-based scientist criticises religious leader for too much "scepticism"

23 February, 2011 by

Too sceptical

Oh, the delicious irony. You really couldn’t make this stuff up. Here we have the head of the Catholic church in Australia, Cardinal George Pell, whose entire purpose in life is to advance a belief system based entirely on faith, being criticised by a supposedly evidence-based scientist for not having enough “faith” in the global warming consensus, and displaying too much scepticism. Hilarious!

The head of the Bureau of Meteorology has rebuked Cardinal George Pell for his scepticism about climate change, insisting the man has been misled.

Sydney’s Catholic Archbishop is an outspoken disbeliever in man-made global warming, arguing that it was hotter during the Middle Ages and carbon dioxide levels are not historically high. [Both probably correct – Ed]

Bureau chief Greg Ayers used an appearance at a Senate estimates hearing yesterday to rip into the cardinal’s personal views.

He said the core of his arguments were based on a book by Australian scientist Ian Plimer called Heaven and Earth: Global Warming the Missing Science.

But Cardinal Pell’s convictions were misplaced, Dr Ayers said.

“The contents of the book are simply not scientific,” he told the committee.

“The cardinal has been misled.” (source)

Who cares what book he has read? At least he read it, and has an open mind to the possibility that there are other explanation for the current climate changes we are seeing – unlike most at the Bureau of Meteorology, who have their noses in the warmist funding trough.

That it has come to this: a religious leader teaching scientists how to be sceptical. Oh. My. G-d.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,

Gavinology

6 February, 2011 by

Cartoons by Josh

Josh has done a brilliant job of skewering Gavin Schmidt’s discomfort over his recent comments about a debate with sceptics. As Bishop Hill reports:

Fred Pearce is on the receiving end of the full fury of the warmosphere for his article about the Lisbon conference in New Scientist. Pearce, discussing who had agreed to turn up, said this:

But the leaders of mainstream climate science turned down the gig, including NASA’s Gavin Schmidt, who said the science was settled so there was nothing to discuss.

Read the rest here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With:

Unprecedented Arctic warming?

5 February, 2011 by

Arctic ice

Scary stuff apparently – but make sure you read the VERY important note at the end…

The Arctic seems to be warming up. Reports from fishermen, seal hunters, and explorers who sail the seas about Spitsbergen and the eastern Arctic, all point to a radical change in climatic conditions, and hitherto unheard-of high temperatures in that part of the earth’s surface.

…

The oceanographic observations have, however, been even more interesting. Ice conditions were exceptional. In fact, so little ice has never before been noted. The expedition all but established a record, sailing as far north as 81˚29′ in ice-free water. This is the farthest north ever reached with modern oceanographic apparatus.

The character of the waters of the great polar basin has heretofore been practically unknown. Dr. Hoel reports that he made a section of the Gulf Stream at 81˚ north latitude and took soundings to a depth of 3,100 meters. These show the Gulf Stream very warm, and it could be traced as a surface current till beyond the 81st parallel. The warmth of the waters makes it probable that the favourable ice conditions will continue for some time.

Later a section was taken of the Gulf Stream off Bear Island and off the Isfjord, as well as a section of the cold current that comes down along the west coast of Spitsbergen off the south cape.

…

Many old landmarks are so changed as to be unrecognisable. Where formerly great masses of ice were found there are now often moraines, accumulations of earth and stones. At many points where glaciers formerly extended far into the sea they have entirely disappeared.

The change in temperature, says Captain Ingebrigtsen has also brought about great change in the flora and fauna of the Arctic. This summer he sought for white fish in Spitsbergen waters. Formerly great shoals of them were found there. This year he saw none, although he visited all the old fishing grounds.

There were few seal in Spitsbergen waters this year, the catch being far under the average. This, however, did not surpnse the captain. He pointed out that formerly the waters about Spitsbergen held an even summer temperature of about 3° Celsius; this year recorded temperatures up to 15°, and last winter the ocean did not freeze over even on the north coast of Spitsbergen.

With the disappearance of white fish and seal has come other life in these waters. This year herring in great shoals were found along the west coast of Spitsbergen, all the way from the fry to the veritable great herring. Shoals of smelt were also met with.

Pretty serious, right? Only trouble is, the report is from 1922.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With:

Introducing the Green Climate Monster

20 January, 2011 by

Just call me GCM!

Just happens to have the same initials as general circulation models – that’s pure coincidence of course. Anyway, I’d like to introduce this little fella to you (see photo). After many minutes of painstaking research, Australian Climate Madness has decreed that all unusual or severe weather events of whatever nature, anywhere in the world, are solely the mischievous work of the Green Climate Monster (he gets bored easily). The GCM is responsible for the shrinking Arctic ice sheet, the growing Antarctic Ice sheet, advancing glaciers, retreating glaciers, heatwaves, cold spells, mountains of snow, absence of snow, droughts, floods, hurricanes, absence of hurricanes, very windy days, calm days, sunny days, cloudy days, foggy days, El Niño and his twin sister, the seasons, thunderstorms, absence of thunderstorms, excess rainfall, less rainfall, extinction of frogs, discovery of new frogs, fewer polar bears, more polar bears, everything else listed at the Warmlist, and plenty more besides.

Now I know what you’re thinking. That’s totally ridiculous. Everyone knows that the GCM doesn’t exist, to which I would respond: disprove the existence of my little green friend. The GCM causes everything. Nothing you mention can possibly NOT be as a result of the GCM’s little games – he has a very commendable work ethic – I don’t know how he does it, to be honest. So any weather or climate phenomenon you care to mention results, either wholly or in part, from the wayward actions of the GCM.

To which you will inevitably respond: you’re crazy, Joe – check yourself into the local loony bin – you need serious medication, pal.

But simply replace my imaginary friend with “climate change” and that’s the situation we find ourselves in today. Climate change causes everything. Nothing can disprove climate change. Whatever happens, whether it be a long drought in Australia that “experts” thought would never end, to tragic floods in Queensland and Victoria, climate change is to blame – we know that because politicians, climate scientists and the mainstream media tell us.

The problem with this is that it becomes an unfalsifiable hypothesis, and therefore inherently unscientific. Ask a climate scientist what weather pattern or climate signal would show anthropogenic climate change were not happening, and they wouldn’t be able to give you an answer.

So you will see a lot of the Green Climate Monster in the future. Whenever, something is blamed on climate change, the GCM will pop up on this blog – because we know who’s really behind it, don’t we?

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,

Tomorrow's Headlines Today: Decline in Vegemite sales would be "consistent with global warming"

6 January, 2011 by

Excellent proxy

[Satire Alert] Don’t forget, you read it here first… 😉

Decline in Vegemite sales would be “consistent with global warming”

A recent federally funded study has demonstrated that a decline in the consumption of favourite Aussie spread Vegemite, if such a decline ever occurred, would be consistent with global warming.

Climate Scientist Dr Al Armist said, “It’s been well known for many years that consumption of toast is a very good indicator of global temperature. People just don’t eat toast when it’s hot – simple as that. Here in Australia, toast is invariably accompanied by copious amounts of Vegemite, so if sales of Vegemite were ever to decline, it would indicate clearly that Australian temperatures were rising.”

When asked whether such a decline could be a result of other factors, such as people “simply going off it”, Dr Armist replied that their research showed that global warming was the only explanation. “We looked at all the other possible causes, but we discounted all of them for reasons that would be too complex to explain to the general public, or a journalist.”

The study’s results could be applied in other countries, Dr Armist said. “This isn’t just a local phenomenon, but would be repeated globally. You could look at Marmite, Bovril and other salty, yeasty spreads elsewhere in the world. They would all act as excellent proxies for global temperature, and would certainly be more reliable than GISS.”

The study, which cost the Australian taxpayer a staggering amount of money, also showed that if Vegemite sales were to increase, that too would be entirely consistent with global warming. Dr Armist concluded, “We haven’t quite worked out why yet. But it’s only a matter of time.”

© any gullible newspaper or website you care to mention.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With:

FAIL: environmental predictions of the past

31 December, 2010 by

Epic fail

With a track record like this, who could possibly doubt the environmentalists’ warnings of a forthcoming global warming apocalypse?

h/t The Air Vent – and as Jeff said, check out the present day back-pedalling from the original doom-mongers who probably thought they’d never be picked up on their embarrassing errors.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With:

Ryanair boss: AGW is "horse shit"

10 September, 2010 by

Fantastic stuff from the colourful Ryanair chief, Michael O’Leary (with a few of the asterisks filled in):

His latest comments, in which he said the idea man-made pollution is heating up the planet is “horse shit”, have struck a sour note with environmental campaigners – something which is unlikely to unduly trouble O’Leary.

He said in an interview with The Independent: “We’ve had an ice age. We’ve also had a couple of very hot spells during the Middle Ages, so nobody can deny climate change.

“But there’s absolutely no link between man-made carbon, which contributes less than two per cent of total Carbon Emissions [and climate change].”

He added: “The scientific community has nearly always been wrong in history anyway. In the Middle Ages, they were going to excommunicate Galileo because the entire scientific community said the Earth was flat.

“I mean, it is absolutely bizarre that the people who can’t tell us what the f***ing weather is next Tuesday can predict with absolute precision what the f***ing global temperatures will be in 100 years’ time. It’s horse shit.”

Brilliant stuff. If you follow The Independent link, however, you will see a piss-weak attempt at rebuttal of his simple, but valid, points (essential because The Indescribablyboring has already made up its mind on climate change) which is littered with the usual IPCC apologist nonsense and caveats by the bucket load.

Top of the mornin’ to yer, Michael!

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With:

UK Climate Madness: switch off motorway lights to reduce emissions

19 July, 2010 by

The UK will soon look like North Korea

Never mind the fact that, you know, drivers might need them to, er, see where the f**k they’re going? Another example of utter, total, jawdroppingly stupid moonbattery from the UK, and yet another example of where imaginary, computer-modelled deaths from climate change will be spared at the expense of real deaths in car accidents from unlit motorways.

The Highways Agency announced that an eight-mile stretch of the M6 in Lancashire would be the seventh site in England where the lights are turned off between midnight and 5am. The quango, which is responsible for more than 4,000 miles of motorway and trunk road, said the move will save money and carbon emissions and even stop light pollution.

Andy Withington, the area performance manager for south Lancashire, said only quiet stretches of road are chosen [oh, that’s OK then] and pointed out that junctions, where most accidents happen, will be lit.

“This is the seventh site in England and we expect it to work as successfully as everywhere else – achieving up to a 40 per cent saving in carbon emissions and energy use as well as giving local communities reduced light pollution of the night sky,” he said.

There is literally no end to the madness.

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , ,

Japanese told to go to bed early to cut emissions

25 June, 2010 by

Wacky Scheme No. 2: Japanese sleeping hat

Wacky Scheme Alert as those crazy Japanese decide they are going to save the planet by … going to bed earlier. Simple! Yet more interference in the way people live their lives by the ever-present green police:

The Morning Challenge campaign, unveiled by the Environment Ministry, is based on the premise that swapping late night electricity for an extra hour of morning sunlight could significantly cut the nation’s carbon footprint.

A typical family can reduce its carbon dioxide footprint by 85kg a year if everyone goes to bed and gets up one hour earlier, according to the campaign.

The amount of carbon dioxide emissions potentially saved from going to bed an hour early was the equivalent of 20 per cent of annual emissions from household lights, “Many Japanese people waste electric power at night time, for example by watching TV until very late,” a ministry spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph.

“But going to bed early and getting up early can avoid wasting electrical power which causes carbon dioxide emissions. If people change their lifestyle, we can save energy and reduce emissions.” The campaign also proposes that people take advantage of an extra hour of morning sunlight by improve their lifestyles in general by running, doing yoga and eating a nutritious breakfast. [That’s the great thing about environmentalism – you get to tell everybody else what they should and should not do, kind of like a green dictatorship]

It is the latest initiative tackling climate change by the Japanese environment ministry, which is faced with the challenge of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent from 1990 levels within the next decade.

Not a hope in Hell, especially with barking mad schemes like that one.

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , ,

Climate Madness: call for supermarket goods to have "carbon labelling"

10 June, 2010 by

Not a joke, perhaps?

You Couldn’t Make It Up Alert: More lunacy from Down Under as a local consumer group calls for products to have a label showing the amount of amount of greenhouse gases generated by a product’s raw inputs and manufacturing process. No, really, they’re 100% serious:

UK shops have hundreds of product lines with a carbon label and a UK parliamentary environment committee has said such labelling may prove the single most important measure in promoting change at home, work and in business to slow down climate change.

Australia has no such labelling and its big supermarkets and the industry body, the Australian Food and Grocery Council, are querying the consumer appetite for it and if carbon emissions should be stated on a product or if a label with a single broad environmental rating is better.

The AFGC said it couldn’t estimate when a consistent approach may be agreed and some form of labelling introduced.

Asked what the industry was doing to help raise consumer awareness, the AFGC said it had a group of retailers and manufacturers looking at options but no consumer groups were included in the group.

Choice senior food policy officer Clare Hughes said: “I think the industry needs to be showing leadership and responding by giving consumers information so that they can make sustainable choices.

“This is an area where we should be educating consumers, explaining that there are sustainability implications for the food choices that they make, and not just waiting,” Ms Hughes said.

Can you believe it? All of this is based on the assumption that CO2 is the primary driver of climate, which it almost certainly isn’t, and if it isn’t, this whole exercise is totally, utterly pointless, and will just push up the cost of essentials at the supermarket checkouts. At least the Coles supermarket chain has more sense and is politely telling them all to get lost:

“It’s premature to commit to one approach until we better understand the level of customer demand for, and understanding of, carbon labelling”.

Climate madness.

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,
«Previous Page
Next Page»