The Spectator's Fraser Nelson debates climate change with an "hysterical" Bob Ward from the LSE
Comments
Are these "climate scientists" the same one who predicated an ice age for the 1970s? If so they can't even get the weather right for the weekend let alone for fifty years time!!!
And there you have the climate debate. The sceptic on one side saying trying to be reasonable, the believer on the other shouting, refusing to listen, refusing to engage his brain and generally being very smug and rude. You can't debate in these circumstances and is it any wonder there are sceptics around when those arguing for MMGW just try to shout down the so-called deniers.
1) You repeat the old canard that there was a consensus about global cooling in the 70s. A survey of the scientific literature has found that between 1965 and 1979, 44 scientific papers predicted warming, 20 were neutral and just 7 predicted cooling. Whilst it is true that predictions of cooling got the most media attention, the majority of scientists were predicting warming even then.
Yes this just shows that despite their own "evidence" the "scientific" community and general hangers on launch into hysteria about the climate amongst other things eg avian flu and sars to name a few .
As for weather and climate, I would have thought getting it right 48hours in advance would have been an essential precursor for 48 years!! But then I suppose someone who is "clever" and relient on handouts for the reaserch may not.
Well, Fraser was the one who accused Ward of being "hysterical", told him to "calm down", accused him of not researching his debating points (ie "go and read the Spectator" "Actually I have") and interrupted Ward more often than Ward interrupted Fraser.
It's not just the e-mails people need to read. The techie stuff is even more damning.
Most of the research in this field relies on datsets produced by CRU or calibrated to the CRU data.
We don't need to wait for an enguiry. The 'Harry Read-Me' document shows all too clearly how the underlying data were in a terrible muddle and the figures subjected to a bewildering array of programs to manipulate them. Not even the geek in charge of preparing the figures could unravel them - as he makes all too clear in his own commentary on this mare's nest.
Dozens, maybe hundreds, of climate scientists have based their peer-reviewed papers on this shambolic dataset. What must they be thinking now?
That Tim Roth bloke (and his very foxy sidekick) would have nailed Mr Ward, all the mannerisms of someone trying to argue a case which they know isn't true.
Ward told a clear lie in that piece. NASA's GISS institute has confirmed its temperature data was wrong. Only 5 of the warmest 10 years have occurred this side of the second world war. Perhaps he should investigate that. Prat.
I'd like nothing more than to slap this bald d**khead as hard as possible around the back of the head then shove the exhaust pipe of my car into his mouth and and start the engine.
Climate change is a con, plain and f**king simple. It's the first step towards a communist world government where global carbon taxes are levied on a slave population worn down by a marxist engineered financial crisis. This bald pr**k is nothing more than a self-righteous hard-left zealot who is a traitor to his own country and free societies across the world.
This makes me ever so slightly ashamed to be an LSE Student.
Besides, the GRICCE at the LSE is just a few rooms shoved on an upper floor of one of the newest buildings; nobody ever goes up that high for anything useful.
1) Could it be that, back in the '70s, the scientific community (and the politicians, for that matter) just weren't that bothered about global temperatures?
2) Yes, weather isn't climate, but then neither is the climate weather. Just remember that the next time you hear someone sprouting about the Cumbrian floods being down to 'climate change'.
Taking issue with Nick @ 5.20 pm, one would assume that if in thirty years time they did a similar survey of the scientific literature of today, they would be able to show the same sort of debate. However we have a situation where most of the scientific literature questioning the Global Warming theory is buried, that is in part of what climategate has shown us, but they would surely dig it up and push it to the front to show there was a debate and no consensus at all, I lived through the period and I know that the mainstream argument was that we were entering a new ice and this was caused by the overuse of aerosols, I know that we were advised not to use aerosol cans for anything, in fact even today I feel guilty when doing so.
Other than that the scientific study to which you allude is itself questioned as being selective about which literature was included and which was not, after all according to your interpretations there were only 71 pieces of scientific literature relating to this subject in 14 years? Does that not strike you as being a bit on the low side.
Fraser whupped Ward in that debate. Ward looked like a mad scientist. I was expecting him to start rubbing his hands and cackling evilly at any second.
Are these "climate scientists" the same one who predicated an ice age for the 1970s? If so they can't even get the weather right for the weekend let alone for fifty years time!!!
Posted by: Al Gore is a Liar | December 04, 2009 at 04:53 PM
I like Frazer's last comment that the climate lot will be trying to tax the poor off the roads and out of the sky.
Posted by: David Sergeant | December 04, 2009 at 05:17 PM
And there you have the climate debate. The sceptic on one side saying trying to be reasonable, the believer on the other shouting, refusing to listen, refusing to engage his brain and generally being very smug and rude. You can't debate in these circumstances and is it any wonder there are sceptics around when those arguing for MMGW just try to shout down the so-called deniers.
Posted by: Mark M | December 04, 2009 at 05:19 PM
In response to Al Gore is a liar:
1) You repeat the old canard that there was a consensus about global cooling in the 70s. A survey of the scientific literature has found that between 1965 and 1979, 44 scientific papers predicted warming, 20 were neutral and just 7 predicted cooling. Whilst it is true that predictions of cooling got the most media attention, the majority of scientists were predicting warming even then.
2) Climate is not the same as weather.
Posted by: Nick | December 04, 2009 at 05:20 PM
I think perhaps geologist Mr Ward should spend more time studying and complete his doctorate.
Posted by: michael mcgough | December 04, 2009 at 05:33 PM
In response to Nick
Yes this just shows that despite their own "evidence" the "scientific" community and general hangers on launch into hysteria about the climate amongst other things eg avian flu and sars to name a few .
As for weather and climate, I would have thought getting it right 48hours in advance would have been an essential precursor for 48 years!! But then I suppose someone who is "clever" and relient on handouts for the reaserch may not.
Posted by: Al Gore is a Liar | December 04, 2009 at 05:35 PM
"very smug and rude."
Well, Fraser was the one who accused Ward of being "hysterical", told him to "calm down", accused him of not researching his debating points (ie "go and read the Spectator" "Actually I have") and interrupted Ward more often than Ward interrupted Fraser.
Posted by: Nick | December 04, 2009 at 06:04 PM
Less meat - Less heat
Sir Paul McCartney wants us to become vegetarian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEyzfFkEYoc
Posted by: ukipwebmaster | December 04, 2009 at 06:38 PM
I trust Fraser. He wore a tie.
Posted by: David | December 04, 2009 at 07:07 PM
It's not just the e-mails people need to read. The techie stuff is even more damning.
Most of the research in this field relies on datsets produced by CRU or calibrated to the CRU data.
We don't need to wait for an enguiry. The 'Harry Read-Me' document shows all too clearly how the underlying data were in a terrible muddle and the figures subjected to a bewildering array of programs to manipulate them. Not even the geek in charge of preparing the figures could unravel them - as he makes all too clear in his own commentary on this mare's nest.
Dozens, maybe hundreds, of climate scientists have based their peer-reviewed papers on this shambolic dataset. What must they be thinking now?
Posted by: DavidC | December 04, 2009 at 07:29 PM
That Tim Roth bloke (and his very foxy sidekick) would have nailed Mr Ward, all the mannerisms of someone trying to argue a case which they know isn't true.
Posted by: emil | December 04, 2009 at 07:32 PM
See this, it suggests that the Medieval Warm Period existed:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/12/04/jo-nova-finds-the-medieval-warm-period/
and
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/12/04/climategate-the-smoking-code/
Posted by: rcs | December 04, 2009 at 07:35 PM
Look at this, the Medieval warm period probably did exist:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/12/04/jo-nova-finds-the-medieval-warm-period/
and to a scientist, this has some resonance (look further down in the comments)
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/12/04/climategate-the-smoking-code/
Posted by: rcs | December 04, 2009 at 07:39 PM
Ward told a clear lie in that piece. NASA's GISS institute has confirmed its temperature data was wrong. Only 5 of the warmest 10 years have occurred this side of the second world war. Perhaps he should investigate that. Prat.
Posted by: Dave | December 04, 2009 at 07:41 PM
I'd like nothing more than to slap this bald d**khead as hard as possible around the back of the head then shove the exhaust pipe of my car into his mouth and and start the engine.
Climate change is a con, plain and f**king simple. It's the first step towards a communist world government where global carbon taxes are levied on a slave population worn down by a marxist engineered financial crisis. This bald pr**k is nothing more than a self-righteous hard-left zealot who is a traitor to his own country and free societies across the world.
Posted by: Essexboy | December 04, 2009 at 08:36 PM
This makes me ever so slightly ashamed to be an LSE Student.
Besides, the GRICCE at the LSE is just a few rooms shoved on an upper floor of one of the newest buildings; nobody ever goes up that high for anything useful.
Posted by: LondonLibertarian | December 04, 2009 at 08:47 PM
Mark M,
1) Could it be that, back in the '70s, the scientific community (and the politicians, for that matter) just weren't that bothered about global temperatures?
2) Yes, weather isn't climate, but then neither is the climate weather. Just remember that the next time you hear someone sprouting about the Cumbrian floods being down to 'climate change'.
Posted by: Peter | December 04, 2009 at 11:21 PM
Taking issue with Nick @ 5.20 pm, one would assume that if in thirty years time they did a similar survey of the scientific literature of today, they would be able to show the same sort of debate. However we have a situation where most of the scientific literature questioning the Global Warming theory is buried, that is in part of what climategate has shown us, but they would surely dig it up and push it to the front to show there was a debate and no consensus at all, I lived through the period and I know that the mainstream argument was that we were entering a new ice and this was caused by the overuse of aerosols, I know that we were advised not to use aerosol cans for anything, in fact even today I feel guilty when doing so.
Other than that the scientific study to which you allude is itself questioned as being selective about which literature was included and which was not, after all according to your interpretations there were only 71 pieces of scientific literature relating to this subject in 14 years? Does that not strike you as being a bit on the low side.
Posted by: Ken Adams | December 05, 2009 at 02:28 AM
Fraser whupped Ward in that debate. Ward looked like a mad scientist. I was expecting him to start rubbing his hands and cackling evilly at any second.
Posted by: Steve Tierney | December 05, 2009 at 11:21 AM
wot no h/t?
Posted by: Swiss Bob | December 05, 2009 at 07:06 PM