Tag Archives: Climate Change

Climate Change

EPA suppresses report calling into question global warming science

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Dissenters within the EPA have called into question the global warming theory.
Dissenters within the EPA have called into question the global warming theory.

The Environmental Protection Agency, keen to advance President Barack Obama’s climate change initiatives, apparently suppressed a report from leading experts calling into question the science behind the theory of manmade climate change. The 98-page report, submitted to agency leaders just prior to it recommending regulation of carbon dioxide emissions, continues to call into question the ‘consensus’ many have said the scientific community has about the theory.

Alan Carlin, the report’s primary author, was told via email from superiors in the agency to not “have any direct communication” with anyone outside his group at the EPA. The well-published PhD has experience in environment and public policy dating back to 1964 but after submitting the report was told to discontinue working on climate change entirely.

In reviewing the report, it is obvious why the administration would find the report very untimely leading up to its decision on CO2 and its push for climate change legislation. The report authors saw the rush to judgment and urged caution saying their “concerns and reservations are sufficiently important to warrant a serious review of the science by EPA before any attempt to reach conclusions on the subject.”

See the complete story with links to the report and emails on Examiner.com.

Climate Change, Severe Weather

Is global warming responsible for a slow tornado season?

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Is global warming responsible for fewer tornadoes in 2009? Stu Ostro of the Weather Channel thinks so. Image courtesy NSSL.
Is global warming responsible for fewer tornadoes in 2009? Stu Ostro of the Weather Channel thinks so. Image courtesy NSSL.

Stormchasers across Tornado Alley have been frustrated this spring by what seems to be a lack of tornadoes and severe weather.  Indeed, VORTEX2, the largest tornado field study ever, has been running for more than two weeks now and has not seen one twister.  Last week, Weather Channel Senior Meteorologist Stu Ostro speculated that global warming was the cause.

In a segment with on-air meteorologist Stephanie Abrams, Ostro explained that the jet stream lingering over Canada and a continual ridge of high pressure were suppressing severe weather.  Without the collision of low and high pressure (among other factors), tornadoes and supercell thunderstorms have a hard time forming.

Ostro continued his explanation saying that atmospheric pressure in the Northern Hemisphere’s mid-latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees has increased steadily since 1970.  He then overlaid a chart showing this increase with that of a chart that shows global average temperatures having increased over the same period.  As he says in his blog entry, “That parallels remarkably well the trend of globally-averaged temperatures, which has also shown a significant rise since the mid 1970s.”

For the rest of the story story – and a response from Stu Ostro – check out the complete story on the Denver Weather Examiner’s pages. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Climate Change

Climate change hearing on Capitol Hill highlights politics and hypocrisy

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Former Vice President Al Gore, right, and former Virginia Sen. John Warner testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 24, 2009, before the House Energy and Environment subcommittee. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Former Vice President Al Gore, right, and former Virginia Sen. John Warner testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 24, 2009, before the House Energy and Environment subcommittee.

As legislators in Washington D.C. debated a climate change bill that would levy new taxes on businesses and potentially cost consumers, political theatre was in full view Friday at the House of Representatives.  The House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings all last week on the legislation, culminating with the appearance of former Vice President Al Gore and former Speaker of the House and potential 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.

Democrats who support the measure and the ‘cap and trade tax’ it would bring, brought forth the self-appointed head of the global warming movement Al Gore.  Mr. Gore of course was full of his usual dire predictions of the Earth’s pending doom from carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere unless immediate action is taken.  He likened those who doubted the theory to those who don’t believe man landed on the moon saying, “There are people who still believe that the moon landing was staged on a movie lot in Arizona.”

Perhaps Mr. Gore wasn’t aware but even some of those that have been to the moon and walked on its surface don’t believe all the hype about global warming.  It was just recently that a real moonwalker announced his doubts about the theory as well.  Dr. Harrison Schmitt, an Apollo 17 astronaut, moonwalker, and PhD holding geologist said, “Contrary to categorical statements by many politicians and unfortunately some scientists, including some colleagues of mine, the science of climate change and its causes is not settled – at least not to this geologist.”

There is much more to this story – including battles between the committee and Newt Gingrich when he appeared.  Learn more about how politics have taken over the debate on manmade climate change in the full story on Examiner.com.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Climate Change

Obama science advisor advocates climate engineering

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John Holdren as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy is President Obama's science advisor.
John Holdren as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy is President Obama's science advisor.

In an interview with the Associated Press, John Holdren, President Obama’s newly confirmed science advisor, discussed the possibility of ‘climate engineering’ to battle global warming.  The radical and somewhat controversial technology would require an extraordinary intervention by man in an attempt to purposely influence the climate.

Mr. Holdren feels however the dangers of climate change could leave Earth with little choice.  He is quoted as saying, “It’s got to be looked at.  We don’t have the luxury of taking any approach off the table.”

Climate engineering, or geoengineering, could theoretically be accomplished a number of ways.  Most currently studied techniques revolve around attempts to counteract greenhouse gases, specifically carbon dioxide, which is believe to be responsible for global warming.  Technology to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere called ‘air scrubbing’ is one alternative the administration is supposedly considering.  Another extreme option would be to purposely inject pollution into the atmosphere to reflect the sun’s rays. 

Prior to his nomination, Holdren was a physicist and professor at Harvard.  He has long sounded the alarm of manmade climate change saying global warming is like being “in a car with bad brakes driving toward a cliff in the fog.” 

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Climate Change

New government brochure promotes ‘climate literacy’

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A new brochure aims to provide clarity and literacy on the issue of climate change.
A new brochure aims to provide clarity and literacy on the issue of climate change.

With the constant din of conflicting information on manmade climate change, some coming from within these very pages, it may be difficult for the layman to understand climate change and what it potentially means for the Earth.  A collaborative project from a number of United States government agencies seeks to offer some clarity to the subject in a new brochure titled “Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences“.

  • To download the brochure, see our links at the bottom of this article.

According to the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, the guide “presents important information for individuals and communities to understand Earth’s climate, impacts of climate change, and approaches for adapting and mitigating change.”   The document is wonderfully laid out and colorfully illustrated with photos and begins by outlining the basic principles many have come to believe in terms of man’s impact on the climate. 

Human activities—burning fossil fuels and deforesting large areas of land, for instance—have had a profound influence on Earth’s climate.
– Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences

According to the document, the ‘essential principles of climate science’ are: 

  • The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth’s climate system.
  • Climate is regulated by complex interactions among components of the Earth system.
  • Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate.
  • Climate varies over space and time through both natural and man-made processes.
  • Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling.
  • Human activities are impacting the climate system.
  • Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives.

Great detail is spent on each of those issues.  Tom Karl, director of the National Climatic Data Center said, “There is so much misinformation about climate.  We want to provide an easily readable document to help everyone make the most informed decisions. Having one product endorsed by the nation’s top federal science agencies, as well as leading science centers and associations, makes this document an essential resource.”

Scientific observations and climate model results indicate that human activities are now the primary cause of most of the ongoing increase in Earth’s globally averaged surface temperature.
– Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences

As one might expect from the above quote, the document doesn’t lend any credence to or even mention any dissenting opinions about manmade climate change like we have documented previously.  The agencies represented obviously agree that the ‘science is settled’.  However, it is not overly preachy nor does it use over the top language like some climate change advocates are known to do.  The brochure can be a handy reference for everyone on all sides of the issue and help to lend a reasonable voice to the debate.

The new guide was spearheaded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with contributions from the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, State, Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Agency for International Development and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

For more info: 

Climate Change

From London to Las Vegas the planet goes dark for Earth Hour

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The Eifel Tower goes dark for Earth Hour. See a slideshow of the event from around the world on Examiner.com.
The Eifel Tower goes dark for Earth Hour. See a slideshow of the event from around the world on Examiner.com.

From the Las Vegas Strip to the Great Pyramids, lights were turned off across the globe for one hour on Saturday as part of Earth Hour, an event to draw attention to climate change.  Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries dimmed nonessential lighting in what U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hoped would, “be largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted.”

At 8:30pm local time, cities including Berlin, Beijing, Copenhagen, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Paris, Sydney and Toronto dimmed downtown lights and lighting at landmarks.  Here in the United States Albuquerque, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. and many others including Denver and Boulder participated.

In the nation’s capitol, the Capitol dome went dim at 8:30pm as did the Empire State Building in New York, Central Park and the George Washington Bridge.  In London, Big Ben was darkened and in Australia the iconic Sydney Opera House saw its lights extinguished. 

Other landmarks to go dim as part of the event included the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the Vatican, Niagara Falls, the Eiffel Tower, the Acropolis, the ‘Bird’s Nest’ in China and the Las Vegas Strip.  Here in Denver, lights were turned out in the Wellington Webb Building, the City and County Building, the Human Services Building on Federal Boulevard and the McNichols Building.

Acknowledging that the event will not do anything to decrease the world’s carbon footprint, the WWF likens it to other symbolic events such as the Boston Tea Party or the protests of the 1960’s.  Organizers are hopeful the event will get the attention of world leaders who will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark in December for a summit on climate change.

In an interview on CNN, WWF CEO Carter Roberts said, “We think we are going to have 100 million people around the world sending a message that climate change is real, and we need to take action now.  The world is watching to see what America is going to do because if America acts on climate change, the world will follow.”

Climate Change

Earth Hour set to highlight climate change

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On March 28th, 1,500 cities worldwide will particpate in Earth Hour to draw attention to climate change. See the video below for details.
On March 28th, 1,500 cities worldwide will particpate in Earth Hour to draw attention to climate change. See the video below for details.

On March 28th at 8:30pm local time, cities across the globe will participate in Earth Hour by turning off their lights for one hour.  More than 1,500 cities around the globe have committed to taking the measure to highlight worries about climate change.  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked for support for the endeavor saying,”It promises to be largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted.”

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), last year’s event saw an estimated 50 million people worldwide participate.  Organizers hope for a much more significant event this year with a goal of 1 billion as a way to ‘send a strong message to our political leaders that we want them to take meaningful action on climate change.’

Acknowledging that the event will not do anything to decrease the world’s carbon footprint, the WWF likens it to other symbolic events such as the Boston Tea Party or the protests of the 1960’s.

I urge citizens everywhere to join us.  We are on a dangerous path, the planet is warming and we must change our ways.
– U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Berlin, Beijing, Copenhagen, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Paris, Sydney and Toronto are some of the international cities that have committed to participate.  Here in the United States many major cities have agreed to turn their lights out including Albuquerque, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. and more.

Colorado as well has six cities participating including Boulder, Commerce City, Denver, Fort Collins, Silverthorne, and Westminster.  Denver will darken four public buildings:  the Wellington Webb Building, the City and County Building, the Human Services Building on Federal Boulevard and the McNichols Building.

For more information, visit Earth Hour’s website here:  http://www.earthhourus.org

Thornton Weather

Astronaut Harrison Schmitt: Climate change alarmists ‘intentionally mislead’

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Dr. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt as a trained geologist was the first scientist-astronaut and walked on the moon with the Apollo 17 lunar mission.
Dr. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt as a trained geologist was the first scientist-astronaut and walked on the moon with the Apollo 17 lunar mission.

Last month Apollo 17 astronaut and moonwalker Harrison Schmitt added his voice to the growing chorus of scientists speaking out against the anthropogenic [manmade] global warming (AGW) theory.  In strongly worded comments he said the theory was a ‘political tool.’  Now, in a speech at the International Conference on Climate Change he outlined his argument in great detail saying, “the science of climate change and its causes is not settled.”

Schmitt recalled as a child in Silver City, New Mexico helping his father, also a geologist, take rain measurements.  Those early experiments spurred the former astronaut’s interest in earth sciences at an early age.  He recalled how later in life, while on the surface of the moon, he made weather forecasts for the southern hemisphere of the earth. 
 
In wide ranging commentary, Dr. Schmitt made a point by point argument against many of the things that global warming advocates point to in support of the theory.  In a similar vein to his comments last month, he continued to admonish scientists and politicians that have politicized the issue and said those that disagree do have a battle ahead of them. 

Get the rest of this story on Examiner.com.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Climate Change

Climate models’ predictions falling outside acceptable scientific boundaries

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A recent analysis of climate models shows they are falling outside acceptable scientific limits.
A recent analysis of climate models shows they are falling outside acceptable scientific limits.

Last month former vice president Al Gore made a well publicized appearance before a Senate committee warning of the dangers of global warming.  Lesser known is the appearance of a climatologist before a House subcommittee two weeks later that called into question the models on which anthropogenic [manmade] global warming advocates use to base their assertions on. 

Dr. Patrick J. Michaels is a research professor of environmental services at the University of Virginia and a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute.  He is a climatologist with impeccable credentials.  Dr. Michaels holds A.B. and S.M. degrees in biological sciences and plant ecology and holds a Ph.D. in ecological climatology.  In the past he has served as president of the American Association of State Climatologists and was program chair for the Committee on Applied Climatology of the American Meteorological Society (AMS).  He also is an active participant in the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

We include his resume as it is significant because it shows that this is someone with a deep background in climatology and a wealth of experience.  When someone of this caliber discusses climate change and anthropogenic global warming we can and should take notice. 

In testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Dr. Michaels testified on the little known fact that the scientific models used to predict global warming are starting to fall outside acceptable scientific limits.  They have been unable to accurately predict temperature increases and when used to model historical increases, they fail as well. 

This is a fascinating story.  Be sure to get the rest of it on Examiner.com.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather
Climate Change

Battle of the climate scientists part 3 – Gray attacks the science

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Hot or not? Are the global climate models accurate or are they full of hot air?
Hot or not? Are the global climate models accurate or are they full of hot air?

The science behind the theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), or manmade climate change, has been said to be ‘settled’.  The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Al Gore, and Dr. James Hansen make up a triumvirate of climate change advocates.  Wielding studies, computer models, and various charts and analyses, they believe man is heading down the road to self-destruction of we do not reverse course immediately and do everything and anything to stop what they believe is an unnaturally warming climate.

Last week we first brought to light a letter by Dr. William Gray, Professor Emeritus of Colorado State University, admonishing the American Meteorological Society’s decision to give its highest award to Dr. James Hansen.  Hansen is head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), an astronomer, and a very divisive figure in the global warming debate. 

We continue our analysis of not only the battle between Dr. William Gray and Dr. James Hansen but the larger issue of anthropogenic global warming.  In his letter Dr. Gray raises some very interesting arguments about Hansen’s research and about the science behind the theory of AGW.  Today we take a closer look at the science as Dr. Gray sees it.

Get all the details on Examiner.com!

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather