Climate Reality Project II

On nature news, you can read comments, observations and opinions about the "telethon" among others by Bob Ward, Judith Curry and klimazwiebel authors Hans and Werner. Here's our comment: 
"We want to present three observations on the basis of our selected viewing of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. First, we address the political and scientific legitimization of the message; second, we criticize the form of representation, and finally we discuss the dilemma of the global – local nexus."

Live!!! ClimateRealityProject! 24 Hours of Global Climate Reality!

Dear klimazwiebeln,
whenever your time today allows, check in on the internet and watch
The ClimateRealityProject
This project is founded and chaired by Al Gore. It would be great to have short summaries, your observations and your comments on whatever you watched during the next 24 hours. This is a great opportunity to hear and watch a (hegemonic?) version of global climate discourse.

The past is now

I guess that every generation has considered itself to live in a special moment in the history of mankind, and probably out generation is no exception. From the Millennium fears 1000 years ago, to the dawning of the nuclear age and climate change, and the last economic bubbles - and bursts- one has the impression that present  time  will be different from any other times in the past.

Rückspiegel: "Der Klimawissenschaftler als Prophet" (2000)

Im Oktober 2000 hatte Hans von Storch den Sprachwissenschaftler Martin Döring und mich eingeladen, auf der 5. Deutschen Klimatagung in Hamburg einen Vortrag zu halten. Wir waren dort als Kulturwissenschaftler wahre Exoten, und unser Ansatz zumindest damals recht ungewöhnlich: wir versuchten, den Klimawissenschaften einen (linguistischen und ethnologischen) Spiegel vorzuhalten und so eine dialogische Perspektive in den Klimadiskurs einzubringen. "Wir wollen nicht nur die Menschen "da draußen" abholen, wo sie sind, sondern auch die Wissenschaftler", so lautete die kleine Provokation in unserem Vortrag: "Der Klimawissenschaftler als Prophet". Ob das je gelungen ist? Der Vortrag bietet vielleicht eine gute Gelegenheit, einmal über eine längere Zeitspanne die Entwicklung der Klimadebatte und der Klimaforschung zu reflektieren. Zumal hier auf der klimazwiebel, die, wenn ich mir das so überlege, einen ihrer Anfänge in solchen Debatten hatte (nur dass man damals noch nicht wusste, was ein blog ist!).

Das Projekt "CLIMATE VOTE PROJECT"

Ich bekam diese Mail, und ich denke, einige der Leser von der Klimazwiebel hätten Lust, den Ansatz zu diskutieren:

Erst kürzlich startete die Klimaschutzinitiative CLIMATE VOTE PROJECT mit dem Launch der Internetseite www.climatevoteproject.org.

Rasmussen: US belief on GHG and solar effects

Quoted from a recent Rasmussen  Report on a survey among "likely US voters":

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% of Likely U.S. Voters think it’s at least somewhat likely that the level of activity on the sun ... has an impact on the long-term heating and cooling of the earth’s atmosphere. Just 22% feel that it’s unlikely solar activity influences the atmosphere’s long-term temperature.
These findings include 29% who say it’s Very Likely that solar activity has a long-term impact impacts and only six percent (6%) who believe it’s Not At All Likely. Seventeen percent (17%) are not sure.
Still, 44% of voters thinks human activity has a bigger impact on the long-term heating and cooling of the Earth’s atmosphere than solar activity does. Thirty-seven percent (37%) disagree and believe solar activity has a greater impact. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure.

I was surprised to read that there seem to be just two positions - it is either the sun or GHG; no space for other causes, including internal variability. I had believed that the "skeptics" in the US were only able to persuade large parts of the public that the GHG-explanation of the warming is false or a "hoax", but it seems that they have achieved more, namely that many accept "the sun" as a better explanation.

Interview zur Bürgerkriegsstudie in nature

Andreas Frey von der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung befragte mich zu der in Nature erschienenen Studie von Hsiang, Meng und Cane: „Civil conflicts are associated with the global climate“ - daraus wurde ein Artikel in der Ausgabe am 28.8.2011 auf Seite 53

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Posting by Frederik Schenk

Spencer-Paper leads to Resignation of the publishing Editor-in-Chief

Some days ago, Prof. Wagner, editor-in-chief of the journal Remote Sensing, took the responsibility for having published the paper of Roy Spencer and resigned from his position:

“After having become aware of the situation, and studying the various pro and contra arguments, I agree with the critics of the paper. Therefore, I would like to take the responsibility for this editorial decision and, as a result, step down as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Remote Sensing.”

Rasmussen Report

A new Rasmussen Report finds:

"With hurricane season in full swing, Americans have mixed views on whether global warming is behind extreme weather conditions.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% of American Adults believe global warming is creating climate changes that lead to more extreme weather events. Forty-three percent (43%) disagree with that assessment, while 16% are not sure.
The latest findings show little change from January of last year. However, the number of Americans who feel global warming is linked to extreme weather is down 14 points from early June 2008 when 55% felt that way.

Still, separate polling shows that 59% say global warming it at least a somewhat serious problem. Just 37% do not think climate change is a serious issue. These findings have remained fairly consistent for years now."

Transdisciplinary analysis

An analysis of the "climate problem" by a theoretical sociologist, a theoretical physicist and a climate researcher:

von Storch, H., A. Bunde and N. Stehr, 2011: The Physical Sciences and Climate Politics In J.S. Dyzek, D. Schlosberg, and R. B. Norgaard (eds): The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society. Oxford University Press. Oxford UK, 113-128

Two major conclusions about the science of climate, and the knowledge about climate may be drawn: