BBC show their colour – no mention of Frackinggate

Perhaps one of the biggest environmental scandals has come up. It is already covered by the FT, Independent, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Herald Scotland, even the Guardian since 9.30 this morning but not
… the BBC.
Just about says it all regarding BBC impartiality on green issues!
BBC

Posted in bbc, Climate, greenblob | Comments Off on BBC show their colour – no mention of Frackinggate

Russia funding anti-fracking – but what about the Chinese?

Today I read in of all places the Guardian, a report suggesting anti-fracking groups are funded by Russia:
“I have met allies who can report that Russia, as part of their sophisticated information and disinformation operations, engaged actively with so-called non-governmental organisations – environmental organisations working against shale gas – to maintain European dependence on imported Russian gas.”
What is most surprising is that it’s taken this long for people like NATO to realise that foreign governments have an interest in promoting scares like fracking and global warming.
It’s long been known that in the 28gate meeting, there was a Chinese delegate (supposedly from Chinese friends of the earth – and they believe that?).
I also found that the University of East Anglia at the heart of Climategate had strong links with some Chinese University.
With something like 25% of US and UK manufacturing relocating to China – it’s pretty obvious what the motive is for this “anti-industrial” culture that all these NGOs and Universities spread.
But the real news today, is that despite all the foreign “help”, Global Warming is dead as a serious subject in the news. Indeed, I wonder whether skeptics don’t treat the small rise expected more seriously than most of the public!
Because from my brief look at the top 100 or so stories toady, Global warming is now treated in pretty much the same way as “alien abductions” or “morris men”. Yes, it still features in many outlet, but it is obvious that it is now included as filler between the serious stuff. And from the way they write, the journalists don’t expect anyone (except those they write about) to take the stories seriously.
I was going to ask “what will the Chinese think of next … to undermine the west”, but of course, now they are a major exporter, they need the west to consume their goods and undermining us may be counter productive … which may go a long way to explaining why global warming is no longer a problem!

Posted in Climate | 25 Comments

Climategate, Mons Graupius and #indyref

After finishing an article on my political blog (Scottish Independent People) I suddenly realised how divergent the themes were and I just wanted to share that thought:
Climategate: a question of the nature of science and evidence on one of the most global issues: the global climate.
Mons Graupius: the battle that in effect turned the tide of Roman expansion in Britain and obviously important in its own right following my recent discovery (Iconic Caledonian battle of Mons Graupius located.) But like Climategate, this also raises questions about the nature of evidence but this time in the location and identification of the site of this iconic battle of Caledonian independence.
#indyref: it was the way I had put the hashtag in the title and forgot to make use of it, that made me realise that this was not only about the sense of national identity, nationhood and national sovereignty implied in the Scottish independence debate, but this was also a twitter hashtag – symbolising the most modern up to date and almost instantaneous communication. That contrasts with the way, the Caledonians are often perceived as being “beyond the known world” and therefore ignorant natives with no knowledge of the Roman world. The reality we glimpse, is that whilst they were far from Rome, they knew much about the Roman atrocities in other countries.
Also whilst minor there were several allusions of equally divergent yet somehow related themes:

  • The US declaration of independence
  • Declaration of independence
  • The bringing of early Christianity to Britain
  • The Israel – Palestinian conflict (stemming from the Roman occupation)
  • The nature of time (I use the correct 138AD not the frankly idiotic 138CE/13BCE  – where the 8 & B can easily be confused – which I have done at least once).

 

Posted in General | 3 Comments

The end of the policy era

An overview of the political process from Climategate to present.

An overview of the political process from Climategate to present. To quote myself: “even if you kick the political system between the legs, because like the proverbial dinosaur, the nerve impulse takes time to travel all that way up to the small brain at the top, it will still take many years for them to respond.”


I was reading the comedy piece in the Guardian on the UKIP elections:

Forget Ukip and these staggeringly irrelevant European elections

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Posted in Climate, Media, Politics | 3 Comments

UKIP: The revolution is upon us.

Janice Atkinson of UKIP explaining the finer points of UKIP immigration policy to a #racist #bigot

Janice Atkinson of UKIP explaining the finer points of UKIP immigration policy to a one of the loud mouthed #racist #bigots

Back in January I began realising that society was going through a massive social change as a result of social media. It started with the realisation that the mainstream on climate was no longer the “mainstream” media, but in reality the “mainstream” was the blogosphere. (Climate bloggers: is CNM killing the Mainstream Media?)

Slowly, I began to realise that the change in power I was seeing between blogs and social media and the old “dinosaur press” as I began calling them (as they seemed doomed), was also being mirrored in other aspects of life. One was academia, (The end of the UK university?), but by far the bigger and faster changes (as it now appears) has been the political landscape of Britain which was reflected in my move to a bew blog: Scottish Independent People. I foresaw a massive change in politics in the UK. Continue reading

Posted in greenblob, internet Revolution, Media, Politics | 5 Comments

This post was left by Cedric Katesby.
I thought it was quite charming and even amusing in an odd sort of way, and as Cedric had clearly put some effort into it, I wanted to show my appreciate of his efforts everything from here on his his:


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Posted on by Scottish-Sceptic | Comments Off on Just for fun

Skeptic Science

It occurred to me this evening listening to Donna, that some may wonder why I’ve stopped blogging. I think the answer is fairly simple: I tend to blog when I’m trying to work out something or thinking through an issue.
But except for the Donna lecture, there’s now little left for me to mull over on climate. Now I understand skeptics & those academics opposing them, I’m no longer curious about either side.
But even more odd, now I know skeptics will win, instead of being all the keener to see change, I’ve lost interest. I can only liken it to sneakily finishing the film when my wife goes to bed and then trying to pretend I’m interested the next evening.
How do I know skeptics will win?

  1. I’ve worked out why climate models fail to model the climate. So, they are certainly wrong, I’m no longer interest in “what ifs”, because there is nothing left to work out.
  2. I’ve refined my understanding of CO2 and how it has interacted with the planet in the past during the ice-ages. This largely removes any possibility of massive positive feedbacks from CO2.
  3. I now  understand what makes skeptics tick – and I can only say I’m glad I’m not on the other side. Because for all their bluster – the alarmists haven’t a chance.
  4. I’ve worked out why academics are so hostile to sceptics. And like someone with an annoying twitch, it is not easily changed, so it seems pointless trying to change them. Worse, trying to engage with academics now will just make them confused and angry.
  5. And perhaps most ironic of all, I’m starting to feel sorry for our present politicians. Yes, the poor sods. It’s like watching lambs going down the ramp to the slaughterhouse oblivious to what awaits them. Why let them in on the secret?  – let them have this last interlude of tranquillity!

This is why I’ve stopped blogging. The subject is no longer a question, but is more like a timetable.
Addendum
In light of some comments, I should just mention, that this is in no way an end for me as I operate a number of other sites:

  1. uClimate.com – I suppose the nearest thing to a “skeptic newspaper”. A lot of work is happening behind the scenes.
  2. Scottish Independent People – This is a political blog focussed solely on Scotland.
  3. uBurns.com  – (currently inactive) but will be to Scottish Politics what uClimate is to climate.
  4. Lenzie.org.uk – my first major website. About two years of effort and then I realise that it could never be more than a hobby site. Now only kept online as the adverts cover the costs and there’s a few features I find handy.

In addition, I’ve got a few odd sites:

  1. Haseler.net – which I own for the email (bought before .coms became fashionable!)
  2. savelenziemoss.org.uk – an environmentalist site, in the best tradition trying, and hopefully succeeding at saving our local nature reserve from being turned into housing. (Not once did we hear anything from the greens or greenspins – these organisations are all mouth and no action)
  3. Antoninewall.co.uk – it was going to be a site about Scottish archaeology, until I discovered that Scottish archaeology/history is so full of myth and other crap that it wasn’t going to be a pleasant past time away from the myth and crap of [consensus] climate science.
  4. SCEF  – Scottish Climate & Energy Forum (I’m planning to join whatever Anthony Watts creates which should make this redundant).
  5. uKipper – A site for linguistics – currently running a hastily put together page where I attempt to remove various letters of the alphabet hopefully with amusing results. (Originally planned as a social site for UKIP members. Then the Scottish party were shafted by England.)
  6. Thelords.org.uk – where I plot the overthrow of the British establishment
  7. etc.

 

Posted in Climate | 18 Comments

Did Clean air legislation caused 1970s warming?

I was recently pointed in the direction of a paper by Dr Stephen Schneider, perhaps the most media-exposed Greenhouse expert, having developed a charismatic speaking style, complemented by his 1970s good looks, and penchant for extravagant claims about impending environmental disaster. For example, in a TV interview in 1990 to Britain’s Channel 4, he remarked

“The rate of change is so fast that I don’t hesitate to call it potentially catastrophic for ecosystems.”

The quote that caught my eye was this:

… estimates were made of the effects on global temperature of large increases in the amount of CO2 and dust in the atmosphere. It is found that even an increase by a factor of 8 in the amount of CO2, which is highly unlikely in the next several thousand years, will produce an increase in the surface temperature of less than 2 deg. K.
However, the effect on surface temperature of an increase in the aerosol content of the atmosphere is found to be quite significant. An increase by a factor of 4 in the equilibrium dust concentration in the global atmosphere, which cannot be ruled out as a possibility within the next century, could decrease the mean surface temperature by as much as 3.5 deg. K.

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Posted in Climate | 2 Comments

The Denier

The Denier

The Denier


Original: Pietro Perugino’s depiction of Mary at the Cross, 1482. (Now in National Gallery, Washington)

Posted in Climate | 7 Comments

Scotsman: Mike Haseler: No place for name-calling in debate

In The Scotsman
A recent survey of those participating in online forums showed that most of the 5,000 respondents were experienced engineers, scientists and IT professionals, most degree-qualified and around a third with post-graduate qualifications.
The survey, carried out by the Scottish Climate and Energy Forum, asked respondents for their views on CO² and the effect it might have on global temperatures.
The results were surprising: 96 per cent of respondents said that atmospheric CO² levels are increasing, with 79 per cent attributing the increase to man-made sources. Eighty-one per cent agreed global temperatures had increased over the 20th century and 81 per cent also agreed that CO² is a warming gas. But only 2 per cent believed that increases in CO² would cause catastrophic global warming.
So what’s going on? Above all, these highly qualified people – experts in their own spheres – look at the published data and trust their own analysis, so their views match the available data.
They agree that the climate warmed over the 20th century (this has been measured), that CO² levels are increasing (this too has been measured) and that CO² is a warming gas (it helps trap heat in the atmosphere and the effects can be measured).
Beyond this, the survey found that 98 per cent of respondents believe that the climate varies naturally and that increasing CO² levels won’t cause catastrophic warming.
Overwhelmingly, participants in this large-scale survey support the science. However, this is not how they have been portrayed in the media, with what are now shown to be false allegations of “denial”.
Climate and energy are important issues, not just for us today but for our children, so now we know the facts about so called “sceptics”, please let’s see an end to this name-calling.
Instead please start listening to those which this survey shows have the qualifications, experience and background to understand the real impacts of changing energy use on our economy: the basic science is right, but the models were not, and the very best “jury” I can imagine says we are unlikely to be heading toward a climate catastrophe.

Posted in Academia, Climate, Funding Imbalance, History, Sceptics, Survey | 17 Comments