Anne of Carversville

Just IN 11-22-09 from Science Daily: Mysteriously Warm Times in Antarctica

*****

“Science doesn’t work because we’re all nice,” said Gavin A. Schmidt, a climatologist at NASA whose e-mail exchanges with colleagues over a variety of climate studies were in the cache of hacked messages among pro-global warming experts published last week. “Newton may have been an ass, but the theory of gravity still works.”

This treasure trove of emails (how stupid!) couldn’t come at a worse time in the climate change debate. Tow weeks ago we had controversial new climate change data that challenges basic premises around CO2 absorption.

Now we have stories of punishing and discrediting scientists who offer data that disagrees with the basic premises of the pro-environmentalists. Quotes saying that scientists will badger journal editors not to accept articles that challenge global warming is frankly astonishing and now undercuts the entire subject.

Conflicting CO2 DATA

I’m just a lay person in this climate change discussion, and I want us to do the right things for the future of the planet. And I don’t want us to spend huge sums of money that no country has, if the basic premises are wrong.

Within a week of each other, we have two diametrically opposed research reports on CO2 absorption:

Controversial new climate change data: Is the Earth’s capacity to absorb CO2 much greater than expected Science Daily

Oceans Ability to Absorb CO2 May Be Dimishing, New Study Says World Changing

Looking for help synthesizing this conflicting data, there’s only TWO entires in Google News, and the writing is more of a mention, than addressing the conflicting arguments. Think of this fact. Only two news organization believe that the conflicting data of these two studies is worth reporting or dissecting? In both cases, the contrary argument received a last paragraph:

But Dr Wolfgang Knorr, of Bristol University, who has been studying the same subject said there is not yet enough evidence to prove that the Earth is losing its ability to absorb CO2.

Sinking Global Warming: Is There a Reliable Way to Track Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels? Scientific American

Rising CO2 could cause catastrophic sea level rise finds Antarctic study Telegraph UK

I just found this article at Physorg.com, which is more sensible. It seems important to note that Dr. Wolfgang Knorr isn’t out to prove against global warming. And both of the above contradictory research conclusions use researchers from the University of Bristol’s QUEST programme on climate change and earth system modelling.

It seems that these folks are involved in scientific debate and analysis, and not the unscientific, unscholarly email debacle revealed above.

Trust me, that in America we love conspiracy theories above all else. The hacked email exchange couldn’t come at a worse time, and as someone who values freedom and and honest debate, I’m really disaalusioned with the email exchanges of the pro-environmental action scientists. Frankly,  I would expect to read that from the anti-climate change from humans naysayers. Anne

Hacked climate emails: conspiracy or tempest in a teapot? Christian Science Monitor

Hacked E-Mail Is New Fodder for Climate Dispute NYTimes

In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes Washington Post