James Hansen's NYT oped: "we need to reduce emissions dramatically"

In his NYT op-ed (5/9/12), "Game over for the Climate," NASA's Dr. James Hansen stresses the urgency of the climate crisis & urges Pres. Obama to encourage economic incentives to leave tar sands & other dirty fuels in the ground. Related blog posts: Andy Revkin (5/11/12 Dot Earth) "Varied Views on Extreme Weather in a Warming Climate" & Joe Romm (5/13/12 Climate Progress) "James Hansen Is Correct About Catastrophic Projections For U.S. Drought If We Don’t Act Now."

PBS NEWSHOUR: climate in the classroom

Watch this segment from the PBS Newshour "Coping With Climate Change" series (5/2/12), "Teachers endure Balancing Act Over Climate Change Curriculum" which examines the experience of a Colorado high school science teacher in dealing with scepticism from students and teachers.

Susan Joy Hassol: Telling the climate story

Watch Susan Joy Hassol, Director of Climate Communication (Boulder, CO) speaking at the University of Arizona during "EarthWeek 2012" (3/29/12), "Telling the climate story" as she offers valuable insights and solutions to better communication and public understanding of climate change.

President Obama on climate change: "I'm deeply concerned"

In addressing an interview question from Rolling Stone Magazine ("Ready for the Fight: Rolling Stone Interview with Barack Obama," 4/25/12) relating to the proposed Keystone pipeline project, President Obama said "... those who have looked at the science of climate change are scared and concerned about a general lack of sufficient movement to deal with the problem. Frankly, I'm deeply concerned that internationally, we have not made as much progress as we need to make.... [I]t's been easy for the other side to pour millions of dollars into a campaign to debunk climate-change science. I suspect that over the next six months, this is going to be a debate that will become part of the campaign, and I will be very clear in voicing my belief that we're going to have to take further steps to deal with climate change in a serious way."

BBC World Service Trust: public understanding of climate in 10 African countries

A new report by BBC World Service Trust, "Africa Talks Climate" (Executive Summary PDF) based on "discussions with over 1000 people and nearly 200 opinion leaders across ten countries in Africa" shows that Africans are already struggling with climate challenges. "There is a near universal sense across all the people interviewed that the ‘weather’ is changing and these changes are already affecting people’s lives." For more (additional research and multimedia resources), visit www.africatalksclimate.com.

James Hansen's climate warning: interview in Scotland

During his visit to receive science award The Edinburgh Medal, NASA's Dr. James Hansen was interviewed by BBC Newsnight Scotland (video, 4 11, 2012). Hansen discusses carbon taxes, coal, and climate.

BBC Correspondent speaks on the difficulty of reporting on climate

At a recent U of Liverpool symposium organised by Dr. Neil Gavin, The media and climate change, BBC Environment Correspondent Richard Black explained, "In most organisations there is a hierarchy of correspondents. On top are home affairs matters; crime, justice, the economy, then Westminster, health and education, with science at the bottom.... [After 'climategate'] a number of editors [were] convinced climate change was a ‘scam.’ One [press] member [was] cold-shouldered by editors and ... accused of wasting time and resources .... We were back at the end of the bulletin, if at all."

Los Angeles Conference on Climate Adaptation: 25 - 27 June 2012

To be held in Downtown Los Angeles, The Mediterranean City: A Conference on Climate Change Adaptation focuses on "collaboration of cities working together to share ideas, needs and strategies to realistically adapt to ... impacts of climate change as they similarly affect the five Mediterranean-climate regions of the world [by bringing]together an international network of experts from the academic, policy, business, public health and government worlds...." (List of Speakers)

New Study: the conservative movement and distrust in science

In the April issue of American Sociological Review is an interesting new study authored by Gordon Gauchat: "Politicization of Science in the Public Sphere: A Study of Public Trust in the United States, 1974 to 2010 " (free PDF available). Excerpt: "To summarize the main empirical findings, this study shows that public trust in science has not declined since the 1970s except among conservatives and those who frequently attend church." Press Release at: "Study: Conservatives' trust in science has fallen dramatically since mid-1970s"

Article review on Cosmic Log (MSNBC): "Study tracks how conservatives lost their faith in science"

NBC Nightly News: connecting the dots

NBC Nightly News connects the dots between climate change and extreme weather. This segment, "Weather extremes may indicate climate change" (3/31/12), is a somewhat rare example of a US network news company covering climate without including false balance; it includes a short interview with NOAA's David Easterling.

Heartland Institute is toxic to GM

Conservative/libertarian thinktank The Heartland Institute has long cast doubt on climate change. In "GM pulls support for Heartland Institute" (3/30/12), the LA Times explains that "GM’s decision ... was the direct result of a campaign by Forecast the Facts, an advocacy group seeking to get TV meteorologists to openly acknowledge climate change." Forecast the Facts targeted GM, after the recent release of Heartland documentation, because this company is "very actively pushing a green image with high-mileage cars and the Chevy Volt ... and a number of other things they do on the sustainability side." The Guardian also reported on this development, "General Motors pulls funding from climate sceptic thinktank Heartland" (3/30/12), which quotes Kert Davies of Greenpeace US: "It is a further indication that the Heartland Institute's misinformation about climate change is not something that corporations want to have anything to do with. It has become toxic."

New York Times still quoting denialist Christy

In "Weather Runs Hot and Cold, So Scientists Look to the Ice" (3/28/12), the New York Times reaches into their old files and includes rhetoric of climate denialist John Christy to provide some (false) "balance" to their latest climate story. Back in 2005 I submitted two open letters to the NYT ombudsman requesting this paper stop quoting Christy - whose controversial work had been overturned (Christy was also featured in my paper "Climate of Scepticism"). There have been many recent stories on extreme weather around the globe - compare this NYT story with Reuters "Link builds between weather extremes and warming" (3/25/12).

See also this recent post (includes email address for NYT public editor).

Helsinki Climate Adaptation Conference: 29 - 31 August 2012

The Second Nordic International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation will be held in Helsinki on 29-31 August 2012. According to the official website, this conference is open to scholars and practitioners interested in climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation and while there will be some emphasis on adaptation in a Nordic setting, participation from outside the region is strongly encouraged.

Guardian exposes billionaire as key funder of UK denialist thinktank

According to the Guardian, "Michael Hintze, a leading Conservative party donor who runs the £5bn hedge fund CQS, has emerged as a financial backer of the climate sceptic thinktank founded by former chancellor, Lord Nigel Lawson. The Global Warming Policy Foundation, launched by Lawson in 2009, regularly casts doubt on the science and cost of tackling climate change in the media and has called on climate scientists to show greater transparency, but has refused to reveal details of its donors. Leading Nasa climate scientist James Hansen calls it 'one link in a devious manipulation of public opinion [regarding climate change].'" Read the article, "Michael Hintze revealed as funder of Lord Lawson's climate thinktank" (3/27/12).

New York Times: more denialism

In the latest example of a falsely balanced climate story, Justin Gillis of the New York Times (3/13/12) went to one of the most media saavy denialists in "Rising Sea Levels Seen as Threat to Coastal U.S.." Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute has amazing access to top media companies - see also this post and this post. The NYT seems to be calling Ebell a "climate researcher" when it leads into his drivel with "The handful of climate researchers who question the scientific consensus about global warming do not deny that the ocean is rising. But they often assert that the rise is a result of natural climate variability, they dispute that the pace is likely to accelerate, and they say that society will be able to adjust to a continuing slow rise." Unfortunately, via the New York Times News Service, this article was then republished by smaller papers, such as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Compare the Reuters (3/14/12) version which includes no such denialst mantra: "Floods spurred by rising seas threaten 5 million"

If you'd like to comment to the NYT, contact Public Editor Arthur Brisbane at: public@nytimes.com

Joe Bastardi on Fox News: "CO2 cannot cause global warming"

More outrageously false climate commentary on Fox News. This Media Matters for America posting (3/9/12) "Fox News Science, Again," includes video and analysis of the latest appearance by meteorologist and high profile climate denier Joe Bastardi. Last July, Joe Romm of Climate Progress commented on Bastardi's resignation from Accuweather and his new alliance with the industry-connected, anti-climate American Tradition Institute. In "Why Is Fox Going To Joe Bastardi For Climate Change Analysis? posted 8/17/11, Media Matters pointed out that Bastardi has appeared on Fox at least 18 times over the last 2 years. For more on Bastardi, see this 2008 Washington Post piece.

"Sounding the alarm:" video of presentation by James Hansen

NASA's Dr. James Hansen appears at TED (a nonprofit devoted to "ideas worth spreading" based in technology, entertainment, and design). This presentation covers the science as well as the reasons behind Dr. Hansen's public engagement on climate: "Why I must speak out about climate change. (18 minutes). Highlights include discussion of "fee-and-dividend," civil disobedience, climate tipping points, and climate denialism (filmed Feb. 2012).

New Blog: Arab Climate Change

Batir Wardam, Jordanian environmentalist and writer, has just launched a new blog, Arab Climate Change which has the stated mission of "Documenting impacts of climate change on Arab countries and their mitigation and adaptation responses in policy and practice." Excerpt from blog policy positions: "We believe that this region desperately needs political leadership in climate change. Politicians are either not aware of the potential impacts of climate change or driven by the narrow perspective that combating climate change will mean economic hardship for the countries. This region needs enlightened and strong political leadership that can mobilize public support and financial resources for climate change solutions."

Australian Case Study: public response to climate scenarios

Funded by the Australian Research Council, Dr. Simon Niemeyer of the Australian National University Climate Change Instutute is the Primary Investigator of a research project which compares public responses to scenarios of future climate change. This summary (click on "Publications") outlines a case study and its main findings, which includes: "[More severe] climate change scenarios [somewhat displace] high level ... scepticism [in favor of] demands for public action, usually from (all levels of) government."

Scientists speak out: the assault on climate science

A group of US scientists have just published an essay (with the Environmental Defense Fund) arguing against the "legal challenge to the [EPA's] science-based determination that heat-trapping greenhouse gas pollution is a threat..." This piece was picked up by McClatchy News (3/1/12): "Assault on clean air, science." A number of regional newspapers have run this essay including The Miami Herald (3/1/12), the Sacramento Bee (3/1/12), the Idaho Statesman (3/1/12), The Sun Herald in Biloxi-Gulport, Mississipi (3/1/12), and the Kansas City Star (3/1/12).

Efforts by Republican climate scientists to educate GOP candidates are "thwarted"

From InsideClimate News (a non-profit, non-partisan news organization) on 2/22/12: "GOP Not Listening to Its Own Scientists on Climate Change." Excerpt: "A number of prominent U.S. climate scientists who identify themselves as Republican say their attempts in recent years to educate the GOP leadership on the scientific evidence of man-made climate change have been futile. Now, many have given up trying and the few who continue notice very little change after speaking with politicians and their aides."

UPI spreads Santorum's climate disinformation

The race for the US presidency has, due to the political far-right, brought a dangerous increase in high-profile climate denialism. There is political campaign rhetoric and then there is indefensible spreading of anti-science myths. In covering election politics, media outlets become complicit in spreading disinformation as they quote anti-science beliefs without question or challenge. In just such a story, "Gingrich assails Obama on oil" (2/21/12), the global media outlet UPI (United Press International) failed its international audience when it included this quote - which has no basis in reality - by Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum: "There's a 'lack of real scientific evidence' about global warming, Santorum said, arguing 'phony studies' on climate change are not 'not climate science but political science'." Similar stories have been published by other news outlets including CBS News and the Associated Press.

TAKE ACTION: Email John Hendel, Executive Editor of UPI and let him know your thoughts.

Michael Mann at the frontline of the "climate wars"

In a 2/17/12 interview with the UK's Guardian,"The inside story on climate scientists under siege," Dr. Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University recounts daily life in the "climate wars."

Excerpt: "Across America, this is the third successive year of weird weather. The US department of agriculture has just revised its plant hardiness map, reflecting warming trends. That is going to reinforce scientists' efforts to cut through the disinformation campaign. I think increasingly the campaign to deny the reality of climate change is going to come up against that brick wall of the evidence being so plain to people whether they are hunters, fishermen, gardeners."

Regional Conferences: Good Jobs Green Jobs ~ February - May 2012

According its website, this 5th "Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference," consisting of 4 US regional conferences between February and May 2012 (in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Detroit), provides an opportunity to build coalitions to move us towards "a cleaner, greener and more prosperous economy." Sponsors include: BlueGreen Alliance, United Steelworkers, Union of Concerned Scientists, NRDC, SEIU, and the Sierra Club; it is also affiliated with the Apollo Alliance Project.

NOAA: understanding climate

The online "Climate Watch Magazine" is an excellent source of climate info from NOAA (US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration). Here are articles, images, and a series of recently posted videos (2/15/12) including "Climate Change Communication: Focusing on Public Engagement" featuring presentation by climate communication scholar, Dr. Matthew Nesbit of American University.

Heartland Institute Exposed: leaked documents show funding of climate disinformation ~ media storm ensues

Some are calling this incident "Denier-gate. "The Heartland Institute has long had a reputation of spreading climate misinformation. DeSmogBlog is a well established blog with a stated mission "to clear the PR pollution that is clouding the science on climate change." On 2/14/12 DeSmogBlog posted this article along with PDFs of the "leaked" documents: "Heartland Institute Exposed: Internal Documents Unmask Heart of Climate Denial Machine"

Bill McKibben's guest appearance on The Colbert Report:

Watch the 2/13/12 episode of (the inimitable) Stephen Colbert's "Colbert Report" featuring an interview with author and climate activist Bill McKibben. Discussion includes the Keystone XL Pipline Project.

Bloomberg Opinion: rethink the "clean energy" back door approach to US climate policy

As we find President Obama and others less frequently uttering the words "climate change" (see this 1/28 post), University professor and contributor to Bloomberg's "Business Class" opinion page, Dr. Severin Borenstein (U. of California, Berkeley) presents a compelling argument for bringing climate back to the political agenda in "Making the Wrong Case for Renewable Energy."

Excerpt from this 2/13/12 piece: "What once was bipartisan agreement on the need to reduce greenhouse gases has been recast as a political food fight. Advocates of renewable energy feel cornered by the gridlock in Congress and waning interest in climate change. But arguing that renewable energy is the best way to address economic or security concerns isn’t the way to prevail. It just focuses the debate on issues where fossil fuels are almost sure to win."

Communication Colloquium ~ US National Academy of Sciences: 21 - 22 May 2012

At the historic National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, DC, a colloquium, "The Science of Science Communication." See this impressive "List of Speakers."

PRI: The US presidential race to ignore climate change

From Public Radio International (PRI) "The World" news magazine (2/7/12): "The Presidential Politics of Ignoring Climate Change"

Investors Business Daily: skewing the science

Investors Business Daily (IBD), a national US newspaper (& hotbed of climate denialism) has made yet another contribution to anti-science ideology. The journal Nature has just published a satellite data analysis by a research team led by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder (2/8/12), "Recent contributions of glaciers and ice caps to sea level rise" (behind paywall). In a press release (2/8/12), "CU-Boulder study shows global glaciers, ice caps shedding billions of tons of mass annually," the team's John Wahr explained, "The measurements are important because the melting of the world’s glaciers and ice caps, along with Greenland and Antarctica, pose the greatest threat to sea level increases in the future." But according to IBD (2/9/12): "Study Confirms Hima-Lyin’ About Climate Change"

IBD allows comments either at the editorial page or here.

Der Spiegel: some climate nonsense

Germany's Der Spiegel , one of Europe's largest news magazines, has just published an interview with Fritz Vahrenholt about his forthcoming book, "Die Kalte Sonne" (The Cold Sun). Originally appearing in German in the 2/6/12 edition of Der Spiegel, this article is available in English at Spiegel Online International: "I Feel Duped on Climate Change"

Bill McKibben: investment in climate denial

Bill McKibben (author & president/co-founder of 350.org) describes a "carbon bubble" in the Guardian 2/7/12 (& on TomDispatch.com): "Why the energy industry is so invested in climate change denial"

UK's Catholic Herald Today: raising false climate arguments

In his opinion piece, "Is the ‘anthropogenic global warming’ consensus on the point of collapse?" Dr. William Oddie mocks human-caused climate change and quotes from the infamous Wall Street Journal 1/27/12 piece (see my 2/1/12 posting).

Shifting Public Opinion on Climate: new research

The following is an excerpt from the abstract of a new study published in the journal Climatic Change, "Shifting public opinion on climate change: an empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the U.S., 2002–2010" (behind paywall) by Robert J. Brulle, Jason Carmichael and J. Craig Jenkins.

"[Data] from 74 separate surveys over a 9-year period are used to ... [measure] public concern.... We examine five factors that should account for changes in levels of concern: 1) extreme weather events, 2) public access to accurate scientific information, 3) media coverage, 4) elite cues, and 5) movement/countermovement advocacy. [Our] analysis indicates that elite cues and ... economic factors have the largest effect on the level of public concern about climate change."

Conference: Culture, Politics & Climate Change - University of Colorado Boulder, 13 - 15 September 2012

Culture, Politics, and Climate Change, an international conference will be hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder.

Climate Change Conference: Seattle, 12-13 July 2012

The 4th International Conference on Climate Change affiliated with The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses & sponsored by the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group will be held at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Conference on Climate Adaptation, Tucson, 29-31 May 2012

Adaptation Futures: 2012 International Conference on Climate Adaptation will be held in Tucson, Arizona. Co-hosted & convened by the University of Arizona & by UNEP’s Programme of Research on Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation (PROVIA). This conference will focus on adaptation to climate variability & change.

Student Conference: Indigenous Peoples & Climate Change, University of Oregon, 23 - 24 May 2012

The website for The Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Conference at the University of Oregon (Eugene, OR) states: "Students researching any aspect of climate change and indigenous peoples anywhere in the Americas are invited ... [to this,] a student-focused conference.... The goals of this conference are to promote student research, provide professional experience for students, and generate dialogue about the critical issues facing indigenous peoples related to climate change."

Dr. Peter Gleick: stop cherry picking climate data

See Forbes.com for the latest from Dr. Peter Gleick (of the Pacific Institute & regular contributor to Forbes, 2/5/12): "'Global Warming Has Stopped'? How to Fool People Using 'Cherry-Picked' Climate Data"

NASA's Dr. James Hansen: Who supports biz-as-usual foot soldiers?

From Climate Progress (1/28/12), a reposting of statement by Dr. Hansen, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (1/27/12): "Cowards in Our Democracy" (Part 1)

An excerpt: "The public has the right to know who is supporting the foot soldiers for business-as-usual and to learn about the web of support for the propaganda machine that serves to keep the public addicted to fossil fuels and destroys the future of their children."

Dr. Hansen's "Cowards in Our Democracies: Part 2" (1/28/12).

Forbes: More Myths from Michaels

In yet another response to the infamous Wall Street Journal piece, "No Need to Panic about Global Warming" (see below 2/1/12 posting), Forbes.com has published the delusions of legendary climate crank (and regular Forbes contributor) Patrick Michaels (2/3/12): "What Happens When You Rub Two Climatologists Together?"

For background on Patrick Michaels, see:

 DeSmogBlog.com: "Disinformation Database - Patrick Michaels"

 ExxonSecrets.org: "Factsheet: Patrick J. Michaels"

YouTube: AGU panel event on climate science communication

From the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting (12/7/11): Insightful remarks from diverse speakers, "Climate Science Communication Panel." Opening remarks by AGU President Dr. Michael McPhaden; Panelists: Meteorologist Dan Satterfield, John Cook (SkepticalScience.com), and Dr. Anthony Strawa (Catholic Coalition on Climate Change) (runs 43 min.).

Misleading on the Science

In "Met Office in the Media," the UK's National Weather Service office responds to a recent article in The Daily Mail (Mail on Sunday), "Forget global warming - it's Cycle 25 we need to worry about (and if NASA scientists are right the Thames will be freezing over again)"

To the Wall Street Journal: check with climate scientists on climate

Today (2/1/12) the Wall Street Journal published a letter by Dr. Kevin Trenberth (Climate Analysis Section National Center for Atmospheric Research) and other climate researchers, "Check With Climate Scientists for Views on Climate." This Trenberth letter was in response to the Wall Street Journal opinion piece (1/27/12), "No Need to Panic about Global Warming."

USA Today: fossil fuels and ocean acidification

In "Study: Man-made ocean acidity threatens sea life," (1/23/12) Wendy Koch at USA Today explains recent findings published in the journal Nature Climate Change (on a topic that receives little media coverage), "Detecting regional anthropogenic trends in ocean acidification against natural variability" (1/22/12).

Washington Post Op-ed: Maxwell Boykoff on climate change rhetoric

Dr.Maxwell Boykoff (U of Colorado at Boulder) remarks on changing climate rhetoric (1/27/12): "A dangerous shift in Obama's 'climate change' rhetoric." Excerpt: "[W]hat do we lose when global warming and climate change get repackaged as clean energy? We wind up missing a thorough understanding of the breadth of the problem and the range of possible solutions."

Michigan Forum: cures for climate confusion

The University of Michigan's Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise and the Union of Concerned Scientists recently joined forces (in Ann Arbor) to host both a workshop and Town Hall discussion aimed at increasing public understanding of climate change.

Bud Ward (Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media) has posted (1/25/12) a synopsis of key messages and insights: Better Understanding and Improving Climate Communications

Event details including video of Town Hall event

Naomi Oreskes: the verdict is in

LA Times (1/22/12): excellent op-ed by climate science historian Naomi Oreskes, "The verdict is in on climate change: when it comes to climate change, open-mindedness is the wrong approach"

Video of a 2010 presentation by Dr. Oreskes (posted 2/16/12): "Answering Climate Change Skeptics"

Gavin Schmidt: climate expert - expert communicator

MAJOR CONGRATS to Dr. Gavin Schmidt for being recognized as the top climate/science communicator for 2011 by two science organizations, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and Earthsky. Dr. Schmidt is a climate scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and co-founder of RealClimate.org.