Posts Tagged ‘climate science’

The Climate Monoliths

What does the rancorous climate change debate have in common with the rancorous debate over a proposed mosque in lower Manhattan? Nothing, really. But I’m going to make some comparisons anyway, because as readers of this blog know, I aim to break down divisions. So there was an excellent NYT op-ed several days ago by…Continue Reading…

The Tribal Outcast

If Judith Curry, a climate researcher at Georgia Tech, ever found herself marooned on an island, where the other inhabitants included a tribe of climate skeptics led by Anthony Watts and another tribe of climate scientists led by Gavin Schmidt (whose enforcer, despite being a physicist, was Joe Romm), she’d probably end up living alone…Continue Reading…

Hold That Bandwagon

I think Tom Yulsman has been covering climate change as long as Andy Revkin (which means several decades). So I’m digging this new radio gig he’s added to his portfolio. (Tom, in addition to being a co-director at the University of Colorado’s Center for Environmental Journalism, is a long-time friend and colleague.) Check out the…Continue Reading…

The Chasm

The robust debate between Gavin Schmidt and Judith Curry (here and here) appears to have run its course. It’s been a fairly technical discussion and mostly civil. And immensely frustrating, it seems, for both of them. Taking stock of the exchange, Gavin makes this observation: When smart and informed people see basically the same information…Continue Reading…

Gavin's Perspective

UPDATE: Gavin Schmidt has won kudos from skeptics in the comments below, who appreciate his participation in the thread and his responses to their questions. There are two high-profile protagonists in the climate science community that are increasingly squaring off: Judith Curry and Gavin Schmidt. In an interview here yesterday, Curry elaborated on her most…Continue Reading…

The Curry Agonistes

UPDATE: As with many of her previous appearances at this site, Judith Curry is an active participant in the comment thread below. Judith Curry, a climate scientist at Georgia Tech, has a knack for setting off tremors in the climate blogosphere. There was a lot of rumbling last week after Curry got into a rather…Continue Reading…

A Crossroads for Climate Advocates

One of the most civil and smartest voices in the climate blogosphere belongs to a blog commenter named Paul Kelly. I don’t know who he is. But I’ve always enjoyed reading his contributions to threads, which I’ve mostly seen at Stoat’s or Bart Verheggen’s place. And it is at one of Bart’s recent threads that…Continue Reading…

The (Unclear) Case for Climate Impacts

An extraordinary op-ed by four climate scientists, headlined “The Science Behind Climate Science,” asserts: The urgent need to act cannot be overstated. Climate change caused by humans is already affecting our lives and livelihoods “” with extreme storms, unusual floods and droughts, intense heat waves, rising seas and many changes in biological systems “” as climate scientists…Continue Reading…

It Would be Nice

The previous thread on climate skeptics is a marvel in many ways, but I find myself looking for a segue into more productive territory. Fortunately, one commenter has laid out a path: It would be nice if all sides of this discussion would recognize that there are rational reasons for skepticism as well as for…Continue Reading…

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

That’s the clever tagline to an excellent cover story on climate skeptics in the new issue of Skeptic magazine. Alas, the actual article, which aims to distinguish between “Climate Skeptics” and “Climate Deniers,” is available only on newstands or by subscription. But because I’ve been trying to puzzle out the distinction myself of late, I’m…Continue Reading…