MIT Climate Scientist Dr. Richard Lindzen: Believing CO2 controls the climate ‘is pretty close to believing in magic’

Via: http://merionwest.com/2017/04/25/richard-lindzen-thoughts-on-the-public-discourse-over-climate-change/

Richard Lindzen is the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Image via MIT.edu

MIT atmospheric science professor Richard Lindzen suggests that many claims regarding climate change are exaggerated and unnecessarily alarmist.

Introduction:

For over 30 years, I have been giving talks on the science of climate change. When, however, I speak to a non-expert audience, and attempt to explain such matters as climate sensitivity, the relation of global mean temperature anomaly to extreme weather, that warming has decreased profoundly for the past 18 years, etc., it is obvious that the audience’s eyes are glazing over. Although I have presented evidence as to why the issue is not a catastrophe and may likely be beneficial, the response is puzzlement. I am typically asked how this is possible. After all, 97% of scientists agree, several of the hottest years on record have occurred during the past 18 years, all sorts of extremes have become more common, polar bears are disappearing, as is arctic ice, etc. In brief, there is overwhelming evidence of warming, etc. I tended to be surprised that anyone could get away with such sophistry or even downright dishonesty, but it is, unfortunately, the case that this was not evident to many of my listeners. I will try in this brief article to explain why such claims are, in fact, evidence of the dishonesty of the alarmist position.

The 97% meme:

This claim is actually a come-down from the 1988 claim on the cover of Newsweek that all scientists agree. In either case, the claim is meant to satisfy the non-expert that he or she has no need to understand the science. Mere agreement with the 97% will indicate that one is a supporter of science and superior to anyone denying disaster. This actually satisfies a psychological need for many people. The claim is made by a number of individuals and there are a number of ways in which the claim is presented. A thorough debunking has been given in the Wall Street Journal by Bast and Spencer. One of the dodges is to poll scientists as to whether they agree that CO2 levels in the atmosphere have increased, that the Earth has been warming (albeit only a little) and that man has played some part. This is, indeed, something almost all of us can agree on, but which has no …

Exclusive Video: People’s Climate March hostile to skeptics – Attempts to take down signs, deny access

WASHINGTON DC — The People’s Climate March in Washington DC today turned into a hostile environment for climate skeptics. Attempts to deny media credentials, block vehicle access and multiple attacks on banners by the marchers, were frequent throughout the day. (Also see: Skeptics Attend People’s Climate March With New Report & Billboards – Denied Media Credentials) & see new skeptical “Talking Points” report here. )

Watch Exclusive Video of marchers attempting to prevent skeptical banner from being seen.

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The People’s Climate March initially officially rejected climate skeptics’ media credentials, despite the group being being pre-registered for media passes and meeting all requirements. March organizers informed us that we were “not a credible” news outlet and were therefore being denied media credentials which would have granted us access to speaker and VIP areas of the march. Prior to being told we were rejected, the organizers had given no indication that there was any kind of issue. After submitting our registration for media passes, we received regular media updates throughout the week.

But a few hours later, The People’s Climate March reversed their decision and issued media credentials for us at the march…sort of. We went to the main media tent and asked why we were not allowed to be credentialed. We saw on the media list that our entry on it  had a huge red line through it, implying that we had been approved, but then red lined out and rejected.

After hearing that “space was limited” and “I only work here” and “not sure” why you can’t get credentials, we were directed to one of the heads of credentialing who finally approved our passes. I asked “ Do you really want another Berkeley” style incident here?

But even though we finally received our press passed, we had already missed most of the VIP area media availability, so the passes came a bit too late to have a full access to the attendees. 

When we were finally allowed into the VIP area, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse recognized me from time as a former Sen. Inhofe staff as the Director of Communications for the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee and from the film “Merchants of Doubt” which smears climate skeptics (and which Whitehouse had a special screening on Capitol Hill).

I had a rousing interview with Whitehouse, but immediately after that, a whisper campaign in the VIP area

Analysis: It’s not just droughts, but nearly all extreme weather is declining or at or near record lows

Climate Depot Special Report

The federal government has just released yet another key piece of scientific data that counters the man-made global warming narrative. The federal U.S. Drought Monitor report shows that droughts in the U.S. are at record lows in 2017. See: Feds: U.S. drought reaches record low in 2017 as rain reigns – Sees lowest levels of drought ever monitored

Former Vice President Al Gore has made extreme weather warnings a staple of his climate change activist. See: Al Gore on the Weather: ‘Every night on the news now, practically, is like a nature hike through the book of Revelations’

Below is a complete rundown of the very latest on extreme weather conditions: Update data from the 2016 Climate Depot report: Skeptics Deliver Consensus Busting ‘State of the Climate Report’ to UN Summit

Extreme Weather: Scientist to Congress in 2017: ‘No evidence’ that hurricanes, floods, droughts, tornadoes are increasing – Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. of University of Colorado

Tornadoes: NOAA Tornado data revealing 2016 as ‘one of the quietest years since records began in 1954’ and below average for 5th year in a row

Hurricanes: 1) Inconvenient NOAA report: ‘It is premature to conclude (AGW has) already had a detectable impact on’ hurricanes & 2) NOAA: U.S. Completes Record 11 Straight Years Without Major (Cat 3+) Hurricane Strike & 3) 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers reveal the lack of connection between hurricanes & ‘global warming’

Floods: ‘Floods are not increasing’: Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. slams ‘global warming’ link to floods & extreme weather – How does media ‘get away with this?’ – Pielke Jr. on how extreme weather is NOT getting worse: ‘Flood