NSF: Climate Trash Talkers Got No Game!

In sports, we have all seen or heard of players who before a big game talk lots of smack and then fail to deliver the goods when it counts.  In climate science there has been much trash talk by those that do not accept the overwhelming evidence that humans are now driving climate change.  Much of this trash talk has been centered around stolen email messages from the Climate Research Unit regarding the hockey stick temperature reconstruction that Drs. Mann, Bradley, and Hughes published in 1998/99.  The email hack was inappropriately dubbed by the press as Climategate.  The trash talkers use these emails (taken out of context) in an attempt to prove that there is a vast global conspiracy to fool billions of people.  Sounds crazy but even those running for President believe this absurdity.

Every investigation of the stolen emails has exonerated the scientists involved.  Now, the National Science Foundation’s Inspector General has also told the trash talkers: You Got No Game!

Ask U.VA to Protect Its Scientists from the Political Witch Hunt

Please read this Washington Post editorial and consider sending a message to University of Virigina officials.  I sent the letter posted here to President Teresa Sullivan, Carol Wood (Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs), Richard Kast (Associate General Counsel), and Susan Harris (Secretary to the Board of Visitors).  Academic freedom is at stake and we do not want another climategate false controversy which is what I see coming.

Long Island: Hurricanes & Global Warming

This program aired on Science Is Appealing, channel 115 on Cablevision TV.  Watch me and Ross Dickman (meteorologist in charge of the NWS New York City Office) as we speak about the dangers that hurricanes pose for Long Island.  Around the 16 minute mark I explain how global warming due to human activities is increasing the hurricane risk to Long Islanders.

YouTube direct link.

SkepticalScience.com Helps Students Debunk Climate Myths

I teach MET295 – Global Climate Change to first and second year community college students.  MET295 is a three credit lecture course that serves as a science elective for the general student population.  Basic high school algebra is the only prerequisite.  (See the course outline.)

I used John Cook’s SkepticalScience.com as the student resource for this summer’s research papers.  As you will see from the two example papers highlighted on this blog, information found at SkepticalScience.com is accessible to the typical college student and likely to the general public.

Spencer & Braswell 2011: Proof that global warming is exaggerated? Or just bad science?

This guest post by Michael Ashley (which includes opinions from the Climate Science Rapid Response Team matchmakers) examines the peer-reviewed article by Spencer & Braswell, published on 25 July 2011, and reported in the press as “blow[ing] a gaping hole in global warming alarmism”.

If true, this would make the article one of the most important published in the last decade.

LED Me Tell You About My Light-er Electric Bill

In an earlier post, I showed how a new energy-efficient refrigerator was saving me hundreds of dollars per year.  This post will highlight how a set of LED bulbs with a high initial price tag will not take too long to pay for themselves and then will begin to save me money.