The UN's climate change chief, Rajendra Pachauri, has acknowledged a 17-year pause in global temperature rises, confirmed recently by Britain's Met Office, but said it would need to last "30 to 40 years at least" to break the long-term global warming trend. Dr Pachauri, the chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said that open discussion about controversial science and politically incorrect views was an essential part of tackling climate change. --Graham Lloyd,
The Australian, 22 February 2013
In a wide-ranging interview on topics that included this year's record northern summer Arctic ice growth, the US shale-gas revolution, the collapse of renewable energy subsidies across Europe and the faltering European carbon market, Dr Pachauri said no issues should be off-limits for public discussion. "Science only thrives on the basis of questioning," Dr Pachauri said. He said there was "no doubt about it" that it was good for controversial issues to be "thrashed out in the public arena". --Graham Lloyd,
The Australian, 22 February 2013
Five days ago I critiqued a shoddy paper by Brysse et al. 2013 which appeared in the journal Global Environmental Change. Today I received notice from the GEC editor-in chief and executive editor that I have been asked to “step down from the Editorial Board.” Are my critique and the request to step down related? I can’t say. It is interesting timing to be sure. Perhaps it is an odd coincidence. Perhaps not. I did reply by accepting their request and asking the following two questions which might help to clarify the terms of my release: Could you tell me which other members of the editorial board are being asked to step down at this time? And also, could you tell how many others have served on the board 6 years or longer and remain on the board? --
Roger Pielke Jr, 20 February 2013
Changes in global atmospheric CO2 are lagging 11–12 months behind changes in global sea surface temperature and 9.5–10 months behind changes in global air surface temperature. Changes in atmospheric CO2 are not tracking changes in human emissions. --Ole Humlum et al.,
Global and Planetary Change Volume 100, January 2013
A paper published today in The Cryosphere finds Antarctica has been gaining surface ice and snow accumulation over the past 150+ years, and finds acceleration in some areas noting, “a clear increase in accumulation of more than 10% has occurred in high Surface Mass Balance coastal regions and over the highest part of the East Antarctic ice divide since the 1960s.” Furthermore, the paper notes, “Global climate models suggest that Antarctic snowfall should increase in a warming climate and mitigate rises in the sea level.” --
The Hockey Schtick, 20 February 2013
Heavy snow during the 1970s was caused by global cooling, but equally heavy snow in recent years is caused by global warming. --Steven Goddard,
Real Science, 19 February 2013
Carbon emissions are no longer the driving factor setting UK energy policy. The new and dominant issue is cost. --Nick Butler, Financial Times [Registration Required], 21 February 2013
