A study by a former skeptic of global warming — and funded in part by the Koch Brothers — has confirmed that human activity is likely causing the Earth to warm. Prof Richard Muller was once a critic of global warming but now says the evidence is clear in establishing the connection to human activity.
Muller leads the Berkeley Earth Project and assembled an impressive array of scientists to use new methods and some new data to investigate the global warming theory. The study reached the same conclusion of earlier studies.
The Koch brothers were not the only funders who have historically opposed global warming theories, but the scientists still concluded that the data speaks of itself. Muller wrote: “Three years ago I identified problems in previous climate studies that, in my mind, threw doubt on the very existence of global warming. Last year, following an intensive research effort involving a dozen scientists, I concluded that global warming was real and that the prior estimates of the rate of warming were correct. I’m now going a step further: Humans are almost entirely the cause.”
Source: BBC
In October 2011, despite the papers not being accepted, Richard Muller launched a major international publicity blitz announcing the results of the “BEST” project. I wrote to him and his coauthor Judy Curry objecting to the promotional initiative since the critical comments of people like me were locked up under confidentiality rules, and the papers had not been accepted for publication. Richard stated that he felt there was no alternative since the studies would be picked up by the press anyway. Later, when the journal turned the paper down and asked for major revisions, I sought permission from Richard to release my review. He requested that I post it without indicating I was a reviewer for JGR. Since that was not feasible I simply kept it confidential.
On July 29 2012 Richard Muller launched another publicity blitz (e.g. here and here) claiming, among other things, that “In our papers we demonstrate that none of these potentially troublesome effects [including those related to urbanization and land surface changes] unduly biased our conclusions.” Their failure to provide a proper demonstration of this point had led me to recommend against publishing their paper. This places me in an awkward position since I made an undertaking to JGR to respect the confidentiality of the peer review process, but I have reason to believe Muller et al.’s analysis does not support the conclusions he is now asserting in the press.
I take the journal peer review process seriously and I dislike being placed in the position of having to break a commitment I made to JGR, but the “BEST” team’s decision to launch another publicity blitz effectively nullifies any right they might have had to confidentiality in this matter. So I am herewith releasing my referee reports.
http://www.rossmckitrick.com/
Global warming may be followed by an ice age. If the Gulf Stream stops, as it might as its salinity decreases, the warming will stop, probably abruptly.
Bettykath,
You are quite right. The concept of “global warming” was originally tied in with the result being a counter-intuitive Ice Age. I guess they tried to simplify the dangers too much. This is why “Human Created Climate Change” creates a truer meme.
Wow! Someone finally bit the Koch hand that was feeding him! I guess his paycheck will be late!
Maybe now we can get to work to slow or stop the things that we are doing that causes the warming! I am not holding my breath though.
“See attached Petition Card signed by Edward Teller”
Yes Teller also agreed that nuclear energy was a good thing for us all. Perhaps the residents of Japan might differ. Teller was an ego-oriented scientist of the worst kind.
The latest inevitable like is a University of Texas Austin authored a report that there is no link between ground water pollution and Fracking……. Then all hell broke loose when they found out that he sits on the board of one of the drilling companies that sponsored the results……. Life imitates apes at times…..
Teller’s been dead nine years. Times have changed, albeit too slowly. I despair for my grandkids, who’ve been left with a pile of crap to dig out of.
And this announcement will destroy a couple of the old farts I have Saturday lunch with. I hope 16 pt. type is big enough.
This is good news for science. Unfortunately for our species, its probably too late to do anything about this now.
As permafrost melts, it will release large amounts of methane, which, as a greenhouse gas, is about 20x as potent as carbon dioxide.
Things only accelerate from here. Now its a positive feedback cycle.
On of my friends signed that form. He is a theoretical physicist who is one of the leading experts on ultra dense matter. He would not know a Derecho if one blew a tree across his house. A smart guy, but not a meteorologist. Teller is dead. He was born in 1908 and died in 2003 at the age of 95. I suspect his knowledge of meteorology was no better than that of the average Weather Channel viewer. He built hydrogen bombs, not atmospheric fluid dynamics models.
People really should stick with what they know, especially when it comes to spouting off opinions. I doubt that very many of those scientists, perhaps none, would be able to withstand a Daubert challenge to their opinions if they had to back up their petition signature with testimony.
And not a single one of those 31,478 American scientists has a degree or training in climate sciences. That old sweetheart Eddy Teller may be a lot of things (see for instance the way he stabbed Robert Oppenheimer in the back & got him denounced as a commie in order to further Mr. Teller’s own career) but he knows less about Climate science than he does about about human decency.
Keep churning the manure wagon though – its not killing the Earth which will survive quite nicely without us but it very well may kill off humans. Of course given the level of stupidity displayed by people like Paul that may not be such a bad thing either.
Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose. (as in chosen meme)
Frankly 1, July 30, 2012 at 8:51 am
It must be time to start on the “global warming is going to be good for us” phase of the manure wagon run.
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The comment (Paul O’Reilly 1, July 30, 2012 at 8:55 am) proves your point.
The reason global warming denial propaganda is like cigarette propaganda was is because Teller (the one Paul O’Reilly named) worked for the Big Tobacco industry via his Marshall Institute (and was paid by Big Tobacco just like Mueller was paid by Koch) to publish propaganda.
After they failed in the tobacco propaganda, Teller via the Marshall Institute took up the job of propagandizing for global warming denial.
There is a video of a science-history lecture given by a well known professor in The History of Science, supporting my assertions.
He’s off the GOP/FOX/denier Christmas Card lists then.
Coke brothers should quit doing coke.
On the other hand 31,478 American scientists participating in “The Petition Project,” including 9,029 scientists with PhDs (one of whom is Dr. Edward Teller), have signed the following statement:
We urge the United States government to reject the global warming agreement that was written in Kyoto, Japan in December, 1997, and any other similar proposals. The proposed limits on greenhouse gases would harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the health and welfare of mankind.
There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.
See attached Petition Card signed by Edward Teller
See http://www.petitionproject.org/
We need a one couple, one child policy like China.
Dogs do not fart anywhere near the amount as humanoids do. So dont blame us.
oops …
The core problem is psychological, and Freud’s prescient urging that a psychiatry for meme complex (groups that think alike) analysis and therapy be developed, has proven to be sound.
“Three years ago I identified problems in previous climate studies that, in my mind, threw doubt on the very existence of global warming.”
The core problem is psychological, and Freud’s prescient urging that a psychiatry for meme complex (groups that think alike) analysis and therapy be developed.
He left the development of that discipline for future generations.
It must be time to start on the “global warming is going to be good for us” phase of the manure wagon run.
This follows the pattern those people laid down with cigarettes:
Its not happening
OK, it happens but its not really a big deal
OK, it is a big deal but we didn’t know
OK, we knew but we did do it on purpose
OK we did it on purpose but it was your fault for starting
OMG! you are killing us with lawsuits – think of the poor farmers!
Prof Richard Muller has now passed remedial earth science with the help of the Koch brothers. I call it progress. Now he can get to work on that earth centered universe theory.