U.S. Senate Hearing “Climate Change: It’s Happening Now”

Posted on July 18, 2013 by | 237 comments

by Judith Curry

There was a big hearing today in the Senate on climate change.

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237 Comments

Posted in Policy

Why farmers don’t believe in anthropogenic global warming

Posted on July 17, 2013 by | 573 comments

by Judith Curry

If there’s one thing U.S. farmers can count on, it’s bad weather, and perhaps as a result, many of them don’t think humanity is to blame for the long-term shifts in weather patterns known as climate change.

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573 Comments

Posted in Skeptics

Certainly not!

Posted on July 17, 2013 by | 212 comments

by Judith Curry

Good science requires cultivating doubt and finding pleasure in mystery. – Stuart Firestein

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212 Comments

Posted in Uncertainty

AGW skeptics in the professional community

Posted on July 15, 2013 by | 304 comments

by Judith Curry

We find that climate science scepticism is not limited to the scientifically illiterate, but well ensconced within this group of professional experts with scientific training – who work as leaders or advisors to management in governmental, non-governmental, and corporate organizations.

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304 Comments

Posted in Skeptics

Why Libertarians should support a carbon tax

Posted on July 15, 2013 by | 266 comments

by Ed Dolan

. . . even if they can’t love it.

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266 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Unforced variability and the global warming slow down

Posted on July 13, 2013 by | 425 comments

by Patrick Brown

How we interpret the current slow-down in the rate of global warming depends very much on the length of the ‘leash’ in the true climate system (i.e., how large internal variability is).

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425 Comments

Posted in Attribution

Axioms of ecological policy

Posted on July 12, 2013 by | 167 comments

by Judith Curry

“Many of today’s ecological policy issues are contentious, socially divisive, and full of conundrums.” – Robert Lackey

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167 Comments

Posted in Policy

The forecast for 2018 is cloudy

Posted on July 11, 2013 by | 265 comments

by Judith Curry

”The dramatic warming predicted after 2008 has yet to arrive.”

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265 Comments

Posted in climate models

Climate vs weather prediction: should we rebalance?

Posted on July 11, 2013 by | 88 comments

by Judith Curry

The Weather Forecasting Improvement Act of 2013  introduced by Environment Subcommittee Vice Chairman Jim Bridenstine will prioritize the mission of NOAA to include the protection of lives and property, and make funds available to improve weather-related research, operations and computing resources.

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88 Comments

Posted in climate models, Policy

Manufacturing consensus: clinical guidelines

Posted on July 10, 2013 by | 129 comments

by Judith Curry

Yet these and other guidelines continue to be followed despite concerns about bias, because “We like to stick within the standard of care, because when the shit hits the fan we all want to be able to say we were just doing what everyone else is doing—even if what everyone else is doing isn’t very good.” – Jeanne Lenzer

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129 Comments

Posted in Consensus, Ethics

Climate model tuning

Posted on July 9, 2013 by | 235 comments

by Judith Curry

Arguably the most poorly documented aspect of climate models is how they are calibrated, or ‘tuned’

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235 Comments

Posted in climate models

Why progressives should love a carbon tax

Posted on July 8, 2013 by | 320 comments

by Ed Dolan

. . . and why not all of them do.

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320 Comments

Posted in Energy, Policy

IPCC discussion thread

Posted on July 5, 2013 by | 199 comments

by Judith Curry

The Fifth Assessment has been a particularly turbulent period for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). . .  but the pace at which the world changes is stepping up, and we can be sure that the IPCC must adapt to these changes if it still wants to retain significance in the future.

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199 Comments

Posted in IPCC

Climate Risk

Posted on July 2, 2013 by | 442 comments

by Judith Curry

How much effort should we exert this year as opposed to 10 years from now? How should we manage discontinuous or highly uncertain effects?  What is the likelihood of a technological deus ex machina? Will climate change mean geopolitical surprise in the Arctic or from petroleum exporting nations? Are we a world filled with highly flexible innovators or low-turnover, high-cost capital stock? – Hultman, Hassenzahl, Rayner

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442 Comments

Posted in Policy

Why conservatives should love a carbon tax

Posted on July 1, 2013 by | 340 comments

. . . and why some of them do. – Ed Dolan

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340 Comments

Posted in Policy, Politics

How should we interpret an ensemble of models? Part II: Climate models

Posted on June 30, 2013 by | 122 comments

by Judith Curry

To solve these pressing problems, there needs to be much better recognition of the importance of probability models in climate science and a more integrated view of climate modelling whereby climate prediction involves the fusion of numerical climate models and statistical models. – Stephenson et al.

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122 Comments

Posted in climate models, Uncertainty

An energy model for the future, from the 12th century

Posted on June 29, 2013 by | 302 comments

by Judith Curry

So, are you wondering what we can learn about energy policy from the 12th century?

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302 Comments

Posted in Energy, History

Open thread weekend

Posted on June 28, 2013 by | 539 comments

by Judith Curry

It’s your turn to introduce topics for discussion.

539 Comments

Posted in Week in review

Have U.S. Republicans shifted strategy on climate change?

Posted on June 27, 2013 by | 619 comments

by Judith Curry

One day after President Barack Obama unveiled a broad blueprint for reining in heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions and adapting U.S. infrastructure for more droughts and floods, Republicans are taking aim at the plan’s economic costs — not the science underpinning it. – Jennifer Dlouhy

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619 Comments

Posted in Politics

‘Noticeable’ climate change

Posted on June 26, 2013 by | 182 comments

by Tony Brown

Climate changes. How often? In what direction? What is actually meant by ‘climate change?’ Is the current definition useful?

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182 Comments

Posted in History

Reactions to President Obama’s Climate Change Policy

Posted on June 25, 2013 by | 315 comments

by Judith Curry

President Obama has released his new climate change policy:  Plan to Cut Carbon Pollution – Taking Action for Our Kids.

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315 Comments

Posted in Policy, Politics

How should we interpret an ensemble of models? Part I: Weather models

Posted on June 24, 2013 by | 130 comments

by Judith Curry

Over the last two weeks, there have been some interesting exchanges in the blogosphere on the topic of interpreting an ensemble of models.

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130 Comments

Posted in climate models

CFC climate bomb (?)

Posted on June 23, 2013 by | 200 comments

by Judith Curry

Talk about perverse incentives! It appears that Chinese coolant manufacturers have been producing an excess of a harmful greenhouse chemical in order to dispose of it responsibly under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). – Walter Mead

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200 Comments

Posted in Attribution, Greenhouse effect

The Economist on The New Republic on the ‘pause’

Posted on June 20, 2013 by | 537 comments

by Judith Curry

A new article in the Economist responds to the recent article in The New Republic, discussing the policy implications of the ‘pause.’

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537 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Anatomy of dissent

Posted on June 19, 2013 by | 313 comments

by Judith Curry

Two particular subgroups of ACC-questioning mainstream scientists that emerged from my research among atmospheric scientists were two kinds of research meteorologists: the (by definition physics-strong and theoretical) dynamicists and more empirical research meteorologists with past training in synoptic methods and weather prediction. – Myanna Lahsen

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313 Comments

Posted in Skeptics, Sociology of science