ABOUT the beginning of 2007, maintaining a sceptical stance on human-induced global warming became a lonely, uphill battle in Australia.
The notion that the science was settled had gathered broad popular support and was making inroads in unexpected quarters. Industrialists and financiers with no science qualifications to speak of began to pose as prophets. Otherwise quite rational people decided there were so many true believers that somehow they must be right. Even Paddy McGuinness conceded, in a Quadrant editorial, that on balance the anthropogenic greenhouse gas hypothesis seemed likelier than not.
What a difference the intervening 15 months has made. In recent weeks, articles by NASA's Roy Spencer and Bjorn Lomborg and an interview with the Institute of Public Affairs' Jennifer Marohasy have undermined that confident Anglosphere consensus. On Amazon.com's bestseller list this week, the three top books on climate are by sceptics: Spencer, Lomborg and Fred Singer.
Read more here: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23597729-7583,00.html
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from The Australian, by Christopher Pearson, 'A Cool Idea to Warm To', April 26, 2008.
"Phil Chapman was clearly talking about Cycle 24 sunpots at high solar latitude so Karoly talks about total sunspots including the few low latitude spots of cycle 23 to say "it's just wrong"."
Right. The fact that a few small cycle 23 sunspots continue to pop up once in a while simply means that it will take that much longer before the official switchover from 23 to 24 occurs. And the trend, although it's not guaranteed, is that the longer a solar cycle is, the weaker the next solar cycle will be.
The few lonely 23 sunspots that have appeared, as well as the 2 tiny cycle 24 sunspots, have been hardly enough to move the TSI index at all. The sun is taking a nice nap at the moment, an it looks like it will continue a while longer.
"Perhaps we should licence denialists and make them wear location bracelets."
You know there's not much point in having me call you people left wing fascists when you make it so apparent without my having to say anything.
"I see NASA JPL has just confirmed the PDO phase shift."
Which is very interesting. The shift has only just happened - well maybe 8 months ago - and the temperature trend line for the last 10 years is flat. If this shift is indeed decadal, give or take a few years, then we should see quite a few scurrying AGWers. Of course if they blame the coming downturn on the PDO, then they have to accept the fact that the favorite time period that they use as proof of AGW was also an outcome of PDO. Calling us denialists will become a great joke when we see the levels of denying reality that the AGWers are going to contort themselves through.
oooo - oooo - as usual if you can't win on the science threaten to sue. Dream on. Just watch the counter-suit against denialists.
Perhaps we should licence denialists and make them wear location bracelets. Especially after http://www.desmogblog.com/a-few-scientists-who-wont-deny-being-deniers