Category Archives: Climate Change

Climate Change

NOAA announces new climate change portal

Leave a comment
NOAAs new Climate.Gov website is supposed to provide a single point-of-entry for NOAA’s climate information, data, products and services. (NOAA)
NOAA's new Climate.Gov website is supposed to provide a 'single point-of-entry for NOAA’s climate information, data, products and services.' (NOAA)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced its new ‘portal to climate information’ at the web address Climate.Gov. The site is to serve as a consolidated home to climate information from across all of NOAA’s various departments.  The site has potential but despite the announcement, some of the information on the site is already out of date.

The new site was announced yesterday by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco. Ironically, the Gore Effect seemed to be in full force as the major winter snowstorm that struck Washington D.C. forced the press conference to be held by telephone.

The NOAA Climate Service Portal will go hand in hand with the proposed NOAA Climate Service, a new branch of NOAA that officials want to become the one-stop-shop for climate information from the U.S. government. “We envision this climate portal as the first step toward making the wealth of climate information at NOAA available in one easy-to-use resource,” Lubchenco said.

  • An interactive “climate dashboard” that lets users see a range of constantly updating climate datasets (e.g., temperature, carbon dioxide concentration, and sea level) over adjustable time scales;
  • A new Web-based climate science magazine called ClimateWatch, featuring videos and articles of scientists discussing their recent climate research and topics that cannot be relayed in charts and graphs;
  • Explanations and exploration of data products available from NOAA and partner agencies, with direct links to the sources of the comprehensive datasets;
  • Educational resources for students and teachers, including lesson plans for the classroom and laboratory, educational games and interactive media; and
  • Easy-to-understand fact sheets and presentations for professionals and the public about climate science, research and climate impacts.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!The site is a great looking one but there are some problems.  Read about that in the complete story on the Climate Change Examiner.

Climate Change

Gore Effect strikes again – Forces NOAA to change announcement of new climate agency

Leave a comment
Snowmageddon forced government officials to announce their proposed new climate agency via teleconference instead of at a press conference. Was it the Gore Effect at work?
'Snowmageddon' forced government officials to announce their proposed new climate agency via teleconference instead of at a press conference. Was it the Gore Effect at work?

With a great deal of hype yesterday, the United States Department of Commerce announced its vision for a new government climate agency spearhead by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Planned as a media event at the National Press Club yesterday, officials were forced to instead make the announcement via teleconferencing due to the major winter storm that struck the nation’s capital and shut down the federal government.

It was ironic that the announcement of the NOAA Climate Service had to be changed due to the extreme winter weather. In recent years the term ‘Gore Effect’ was coined to explain the unseasonable weather that oftentimes accompanies appearances by former vice president and Nobel Laureate Al Gore or when a global warming event is held.

Cold and snow have followed Al Gore and these events across the globe with amazing frequency since 2004. Hearings and press conferences about climate change in the nation’s capital have been besieged by winter storms and global warming events across the earth have been struck by severe cold in recent years. Just this past December, the United Nations Climate Change Conference felt the Gore Effect when severe cold and snow arrived in Copenhagen as international delegates worked on a global warming agreement.

Climate officials are quick to point out that what used to be termed ‘global warming’ is now called ‘climate change’ and has little to do with short term weather. The shift in vernacular has been made in recent years to allow climate scientists to better explain virtually any weather or climate condition that falls outside the norm.

Climate Change ExaminerFor all the latest climate change news, please visit the Climate Change Examiner.

Climate Change

Questions arise about U.N. climate panel’s glacier retreat claims

Leave a comment
This image from the IPCCs AR4 report was included with claims of Himalayan glaciers disappearing by 2035. That claim has now been disproven. The image also shows that glacial retreat was occuring long before the industrial age. (IPCC)
This image from the IPCC's AR4 report was included with claims of Himalayan glaciers disappearing by 2035. That claim has now been disproven. The image also shows that glacial retreat was occuring long before the industrial age. (IPCC)

Just three years ago, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made the stark claim that it was “very likely” that Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035. In a blow to its credibility, the IPCC was forced to acknowledge this week that the assertion was incorrect despite being oft repeated by its leaders.

The claim was contained in the IPCC’s seminal “AR4” report that was issued in 2007, the same year the panel and Al Gore won Nobel Peace Prizes for their work combating anthropogenic global warming. The document has served as a guide to policymakers in their efforts to force heavy regulation of carbon dioxide emissions.

The passage in question said, “Glaciers in the Himalaya are receding faster than in any other part of the world and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps warming at the current rate.”

Concerns of glacial retreat have been used to provide an exclamation point on the claims that action must be taken immediately to stem man’s purported influence on the climate. According to the IPCC’s methodology, “very likely” is meant to have a 90% or greater chance of occurring. With millions of people in Asia relying on glacial ice for their water supply, the threat was considered to be great.

The claim was said to reference a study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a global environmental advocacy group performed in 2005. The WWF’s study in turn cited a 1999 story in New Scientist that contained the claim.

New Scientist had interviewed Dr. Syed Hasnain who was working at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi at the time. No quote is attributed to Hasnain where he mentioned the 2035 date although it appears in the narrative of the story. Earlier this month, Hasnain said that the statement was pure “speculation” and not based in scientific fact.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!For the rest of this story including the response from the head of the IPCC, please visit the Climate Change Examiner.

Climate Change

‘Frozen Gore’ returns to Fairbanks, Alaska bigger than ever

Leave a comment
The new version of the Frozen Gore statue spews smoke generated from a truck. (FrozenGore.com)
The new version of the 'Frozen Gore' statue spews smoke generated from a truck. (FrozenGore.com)

He weighs two tons, is six feet tall and spews smoke from his mouth. No, not former vice president and Nobel Laureate Al Gore but rather a huge likeness of him carved out of ice. The infamous ‘Frozen Gore’ ice sculpture has returned to Fairbanks, Alaska and it is better than ever.

Last year, local businessmen Craig Compeau and Rudy Gavora received national media attention for the ice sculpture of the former vice president they had commissioned. The frozen likeness was created to draw attention to what Compeau called Gore’s hypocrisy in the debate about manmade climate change. Thousands of people went to see the sculpture and the website www.frozengore.com recorded more than 1.7 million visitors.

This week Compeau and Gavora unveiled a new Frozen Gore statue that is bigger and has a feature that allows it to belch smoke from its mouth (see video below). At the unveiling visitors laughed as the smoke emanated from the sculpture all while a soundtrack of Al Gore’s speeches played in the background.

Sculpted by Steve Dean, the sculpture is intended to draw attention to the men’s belief that other factors drive the climate besides man. Compeau told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, “We do want to invite debate. We don’t agree with his theories — we’re suspicious of the financial motivation behind them.”

The pair did invite Al Gore to come view the statue and have a debate last year. Gore declined citing a ‘scheduling conflict’ although according to Compeau no date had even been suggested.

Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weatherFor the rest of this story and to see the video of the new Frozen Gore in action, please visit the Climate Change Examiner.

Climate Change, National Weather

Deaths and cost from natural disasters down significantly in 2009

Leave a comment
A distinct lack of major natural catastrophes resulted in lower costs and less of a loss of life in 2009. German reinsurer Munich Re AG said in its annual disaster report that approximately 10,000 people lost their lives and $50 billion in losses was realized during the year.  The company warned however that manmade climate change will soon reverse those numbers.

In terms of lives lost, with approximately 10,000 people killed during 2009, the year fell far short of the average of 75,000. This was also significantly less than in 2008 when 220,000 were killed by natural disasters. That year saw two major catastrophes – Cyclone Nargis and an earthquake in China’s Sichuan province – case the vast majority of lives lost.

The insurer’s numbers match closely with a report released last month by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) which put the annual death toll at 8,919. The most significant events in 2009 were an earthquake in Indonesia in September which killed 1,117, flooding in India in July that killed 992 and a series of typhoons and tropical storms that struck the Philippines.

Economic losses were also below the decadal average of $115 billion per year. 2009’s reported losses fall at less than half of that and far below the $200 billion mark that was seen in 2008. Munich Re said, “Losses were far lower in 2009 than in 2008 due to the absence on the whole of major catastrophes and a very benign North Atlantic hurricane season.”

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!For the rest of this story and to see how climate change could cause greater impact from natural disasters, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Climate Change

2009 proves to be pivotal year in climate change

Leave a comment
2009 - The year climate change and global warming activists would like to forget
2009 - The year climate change and global warming activists would like to forget

There is little doubt that 2009 will be viewed as a pivotal and important year in the debate about manmade climate change.  For years alarmists served up their theory to a seemingly captive audience.  This past year however, the sands shifted and scientists that doubt man’s influence on the climate found their voice. 

Throughout the year, alarmists suffered setbacks and then the Climategate scandal struck and the UN climate summit ended in failure.  Even Al Gore was likely hiding with a polar bear somewhere after the dismal year he experienced.  🙂

The Climate Change Examiner has a great summary of the year in climate change:

For those who believe the manmade climate change theory, the new year cannot get here fast enough. As 2009 comes to a close, many are faced with the realizations that not only are they losing in the court of public opinion, the ‘consensus’ about anthropogenic global warming is far from solid. The year saw preeminent scientists join the chorus of those saying that other drivers besides man influence the climate, a scandal erupted that shook the very foundation of climate science and a much touted climate summit fell into disarray.

As 2009 dawned, climate change advocates continued to sound the alarm about carbon dioxide’s accumulation in the atmosphere and the warming they believe it causes. With President Barack Obama taking office in January, it was thought their brand of climate science would find a new foothold on which to advance the cause. As Obama prepared to take office, Dr. James Hansen sent the president-elect a letter warning of the dire consequences at hand saying that he had four years to save the world.

High hopes were soon dashed as many noted scientists and public figures raised their voices in dissent. From meteorologists to geologists to climate scientists, those who don’t agree with the theory refused to be silenced.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!Click here to read the rest of this important look back at 2009 in climate change news.

Climate Change

Questions about the ethics of Climategate scientists abound

Leave a comment

The fallout from the release of thousands of emails from the world’s top climate scientists has been swift. Some of those involved have begun to turn on each other and even the international organization that has driven the manmade climate change debate is turning its back on them.

The Climategate scandal spans the globe and includes scientists from top universities, government agencies and private institutions. While some have said the messages call into question the very science behind anthropogenic climate change, on a more personal level it calls into question the ethics of the men involved. Data manipulation and deletion, efforts to prevent sharing of information, collusion to prevent publication of dissenting opinions and many more charges have been leveled.

Dr. Phil Jones, head of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, was arguably featured most prominently in the emails. He apparently made requests of his colleagues to delete emails that he didn’t wish to see shared, made concerted efforts to withhold data, and worked with other scientists to stifle others opinions.

Jones temporarily stepped down from his position pending the results of an investigation. He has however seen little support from other scientists involved in the event.

Dr. Michael Mann of Penn State University and author of the discredited ‘hockey stick’ graph was the recipient of one of the emails from asking him and other scientists to delete previous correspondence. In interviews since the event, Mann did not support Jones saying, “I can’t put myself in the mind of the person who wrote that email and sent it. I in no way endorse what was in that email.”

Mann disavowed deleting any messages however, when he received the message he did not object and in fact replied that he would forward the request to Dr. Eugene Wahl at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).Penn State is currently investigating Mann however that inquiry is being conducted in private just leading to doubts about its impartiality.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!What do other prominent scientists and the United Nations have to say about the scientists?  Get the rest of the story at the Climate Change Examiner.

Climate Change

Complete coverage of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

Leave a comment
The Climate Change Examiner is the place for the latest on the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The Climate Change Examiner is the place for the latest on the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

15,000 delegates, 5,000 journalists and dozens of world leaders have decended on Copenhagen, Denmark for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15).  Decisions will be made that could shape the world in the decades to come. 

There is a lot going with the various press conferences, proposals, protests and more.  Underscoring the importance of the event, President Barack Obama will attend next week.  Will an agreement be reached?  What form will it take? 

The ultimate goal is to establish rules and limits on carbon emissions for all nations but it is not without controversy.  The recent Climategate scandal is serving as a backdrop and causing doubt in many people’s minds. 

The Climate Change Examiner is covering the story and its potentially wide-ranging effects.  Be sure to take a look!

Climate Change

California and Google team up to show residents the effects of global warming

Leave a comment
This image from the Google Earth tour released by California and Google portrays some of the dangers manmade climate change are thought to bring to the state. See below for a link to watch the video. (State of California)
This image from the Google Earth tour released by California and Google portrays some of the dangers manmade climate change are thought to bring to the state. See below for a link to watch the video. (State of California)

The state of California and Google have been considered at the forefront of the fight against manmade climate change and the two have come together to help the state’s residents visualize the effects of global warming. The new interactive tool, dubbed CalAdapt and part of the Google Earth software, portrays a dismal future for the Sunshine State unless steps are taken to stem man’s effect on the earth.

Narrated by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the tour begins by zooming in and out of the state and highlighting the steps it has taken on its own. Investments in renewable energy, its commitment to reduce greenhouse gases to 1990 levels and the state’s green building program are all featured.

Graphic representation of the effects of manmade climate change are meant to drive home the dangers California faces. From a less reliable water supply to more frequent and more intense wildfires and rising sea levels, the state faces a number of risks according to the video.

The unveiling ceremony was held on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The significance of the location was not lost on Schwarzenegger who said, “Within a century, Treasure Island, this place where we are right now, could be totally under water.”

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!What will happen to California if manmade climate change isn’t slowed?  Check out the video at the Climate Change Examiner.

Climate Change

ABC, CBS, NBC continue to ignore Climategate email scandal

Leave a comment

The story has all the makings of a big news story and a world class whodunit. An illegal break in leads to charges of a global conspiracy. Some of the world’s leading experts tackling one of the most pressing issues of our day and age are forced to launch a defense of themselves. Two experts fall under the specter of investigations, Congress holds hearings into the affair, the Internet is set afire by one phrase – Climategate.

For two weeks the story rages and grows in intensity and yet somehow, the big three television networks are missing in action. Whether the story is just smoke or if there is fire behind it, the hacking of one of the world’s major climate research centers and the fallout from it is big news. By ignoring the story, ABC, CBS and NBC are highlighting the failures of themselves and much of the mainstream media.  Perhaps more importantly they are contributing to their own demise and irrelevance.

Since the Climategate story broke two weeks ago today on November 20th, the story has been covered by all cable news networks including FOX News and CNN. Through it all, the big three are nowhere to be found. Not one mention of the event has been made on the networks’ morning or evening news broadcasts.

The story has all the makings of a big news story and a world class whodunit. An illegal break in leads to charges of a global conspiracy. Some of the world’s leading experts tackling one of the most pressing issues of our day and age are forced to launch a defense of themselves. Two experts fall under the specter of investigations, Congress holds hearings into the affair, the Internet is set afire by one phrase – Climategate.

For two weeks the story rages and grows in intensity and yet somehow, the big three television networks are missing in action. Whether the story is just smoke or if there is fire behind it, the hacking of one of the world’s major climate research centers and the fallout from it is big news. By ignoring the story, ABC, CBS and NBC are highlighting the failures of themselves and much of the mainstream media.  Perhaps more importantly they are contributing to their own demise and irrelevance.

Since the Climategate story broke two weeks ago today on November 20th, the story has been covered by all cable news networks including FOX News and CNN. Through it all, the big three are nowhere to be found. Not one mention of the event has been made on the networks’ morning or evening news broadcasts.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!Why are the networks ignoring the story?  Who is covering the story in the networks’ absence?  Get all the details on the Climate Change Examiner.