Schools' Movie Project on Climate - appeal from Oz for donations to get it underway later this year

With Jo Nova as head of the script, and other distinguished contributors ready to go, this could be a breakthrough in the worldwide search for an antidote to the toxic 'An Inconvenient Truth' which has been force-fed to children, and to their teachers, for far too long.

In England & Wales, they are partly protected by a law against political indoctrination in schools, and by a court judgement making it clear that this odious movie must not be shown without health warnings.

But a full-strength antidote would be better.  Such a thing could hasten the end of the pandemic of fear, of fatuous thinking, and of foolish policy-making still gripping so many countries.  


If they do a decent job of it, it should be shown in every school that used Gore's movie, in order to help repair the damage that would have done to young minds.  A campaigning opportunity for the end of 2010?

Here is an extract from the appeal:

Climate Science: The Movie

....

A suggestion was made during the Monckton Tour that a movie be made, aimed specifically at young people, to give them the real facts. This suggestion has been widely supported and has grown to a proposal to make a series of short movies that could be made into one documentary covering the science, economics and the morality of the “global warming” hypothesis. The bulk of the Australian filming is planned for Lord Monckton’s next visit to Australia in September/October 2010. Some more information about the movie is given in the dedicated web site: http://climatesciencerevealed.com/www.climatesciencerevealed.com/Home.html

The North American Directors for this proposed movie are Susan Kucera and Gawain Bantle of Cinepartners. The budget amounts to about $300,000, which is very low for the quality of product we have planned given it must contain only incontrovertible facts and be professional enough to have credibility yet sassy enough to outdo “An Inconvenient Truth” in its appeal to youth. Joanne Nova, an experienced science communicator, will be the principal script writer and the anchor person. The documentary will feature Lord Monckton, Prof. Ian Plimer, Prof. Peter Ridd, numerous other Australian and overseas experts as well as some teenagers and older “young” people. We will use animated graphics and humour to keep young viewers interested. 

The intention is to distribute this movie to schools and to make it available on the internet.

....

Full text here: http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-planet/2010/07/climate-science-the-movie

Note: I put up a similar post to this a couple of days ago, but deleted it shortly after posting because I got cold feet about the lack of corroboration I could find about the movie project.  I have since received convincing reassurances that it is genuine, and I plan to make a donation myself shortly {if only they'd get rid of that gloomy music on their homepage!). 

Wiping the Floor with Albert Gore: sensible DVDs or videos on climate for use in schools

It is illegal to show Gore's propaganda piece, 'An Inconvenient Truth' in schools in England or Wales, without at the same time pointing out some of its more blatant errors or deceptions (1).  Elsewhere in the world, there may be no such protection afforded to pupils and staff.

If Gore's film has been shown without protection, there are other DVDs and videos which can provide antidotes to the poison, and help children and staff get climate change into a more sensible perspective.  Or, in case you might prefer a different analogy:

'When students are being deluged with global-warming propaganda, they desperately need life preservers. Here are some truth-filled DVDs that will help them stay afloat.'

This quote is from an article by Ed Hiserodt, published in 2008 (2).  I have partially reproduced some of his comments below, in italics, along with the DVDs he found.  Some may no longer be available.  I have added additional links in some cases:

Apocalypse? NO!
... entitled Apocalypse? NO! It is narrated by Lord Christopher Monckton,...
He speaks well to his audience, not attempting to impress with his understated scientific knowledge, but at a level that draws them along. He attacks the IPCC, the propaganda arm of the global-warming religion, for its duplicity and its intentional demonstrable "errors." He rips the IPCC for changing its position on climate change as it became more and more immersed in promoting the position of the environmental activists, and had less to do with any semblance of science. The IPCC's words are shown to be their own worst enemy. Adding to this, the Viscount chalkboards simple mathematical errors he personally found that were "overlooked" by the reputed 2,500 scientists and dozens of governments that supposedly back the IPCC's claims — errors that just happen to favor the alarmist position.
This product is mentioned on the SPPI site, along with some other videos: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/videos/.  But I can find no information there about ordering a copy.  In the meantime, for online viewing see: http://www.vidoosh.tv/play.php?vid=5281

The Great Global Warming Swindle
Were it not for the fact that The Great Global Warming Swindle DVD runs just barely over an hour, it would have been a difficult choice between this and Apocalypse? NO! It was also produced in England (where the heavy hand of carbon footprinting and carbon reduction is well on its way) and has that crisp dialogue and action you find in professional productions. It probably has the best and most professional graphics of all the available DVDs.
The Great Global Warming Swindle is produced by WAG TV, Channel 4 in England. For ordering information, see: http://www.greatglobalwarmingswindle.co.uk/dvd.html

Global Warming or Global Governance
If you want a DVD that presents the whole picture, including the machinations of American politicians led by Albert Gore, then Global Warming or Global Governance is the quintessential source. The featured scientists, the political commentary, graphics, clarity of presentation — this DVD has it all. Global Warming or Global Governance is, however, made to impart information to adults who already have a basic knowledge of the problem, and it lacks the entertainment qualities of the charming Viscount Monckton or the "upbeatness" of Channel 4's exposé. Were it a case of imparting information to adults rather than to school children, it would be my choice.
Global Warming or Global Governance is available from: http://www.globalwarmingglobalgovernance.com/

Carbon Dioxide and the "Climate Crisis" — Reality or Illusion was written by a father and son team of Ph.D.s, Sherwood and Craig Idso. This is anything but a "home movie"; it has excellent graphics and is broken into convenient segments (e.g., Earth's Climate History, Ice Sheet Disintegration) that make it useful as a research tool. 
To order this 53-minute DVD, see: http://yhst-7134682615375.stores.yahoo.net/carbon-dioxide-and-the-quotclimate-crisisquot--reality-or-illusion.html

An Inconvenient Truth ... or Convenient Fiction? is a thoughtful and well-documented rebuttal of Gore's horror-fiction movie, that was produced and narrated by Dr. Steven Hayward of the Pacific Research Institute. "The problem with Gore and other alarmists is that they distort the science, grossly exaggerate the risk, argue that anyone who disagrees with them is corrupt, and suggest that solutions are easy and cheap. And that's an all too convenient fiction." This is probably the best DVD to show the relative "forcings," i.e., the factors that could and do affect our climate. It is clear from these that carbon dioxide is not the culprit. 
Available from the Pacific Research Institute's online bookstore at http://www.pacificresearch.org/bookstore/an-inconvenient-truthor-convenient-fiction-dvd

Unstoppable Solar Cycles: The Real Story of Greenland demonstrates unassailable points in both the causes and effects of warmer temperatures. First, the DVD shows it is obvious from the stone walls around the fields where Viking cattle grazed that it was once much warmer in Greenland than now. Graves dug then with shovels would practically require dynamite today. I might add that during this period from about 950 A.D. to 1350 A.D. there is no record of ports such as London and cities such as Venice being under 20 feet of water. Unstoppable, at a mere 11 minutes, is a tasty appetizer.
Produced by The Idea Channel, it is available at no charge from info@ideachannel.com.
It can be viewed online here: http://www.nuganics.com.au/2008/05/06/unstoppable-solar-cycles-the-real-story-of-greenland/.


More recently, in 2009, the following documentary film was published:

Not Evil, Just Wrong
Global warming alarmists want Americans to believe that humans are killing the planet. But Not Evil Just Wrong, a new documentary by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, proves that the only threats to America (and the rest of the world) are the flawed science and sky-is-falling rhetoric of Al Gore and his allies in environmental extremism.
Buy it here: http://noteviljustwrong.com/store

A short-lived campaign in the States to get this film shown in every school was launched this year as a counter to 'An Inconvenient Truth' .  More details here: (3).

One commentator has decried the use of either film in schools:

'Diane Katz, the director of Risk, Environment and Energy Policy at the Fraser Institute, said neither movie should be shown in schools.
"I don't think political propaganda belongs in schools, especially the younger grades," Katz said. "Unfortunately, so much of what passes for environmental education has very little to do about facts about the environment and has to do with the government control of our property and every other aspect of our lives. ... I don't think any of that stuff should be school material. No matter what side the filmmakers are coming from, I don't think any of that stuff belongs in the classroom."
Katz criticized school systems that have shown the Gore film.
"It says that whatever curriculum oversight there is, it is pretty poor," Katz said. "Obviously, it is predisposed to this green dogma."
Source: (4)

More DVDs or videos

A site which I have just come across is: http://www.climatedvd.com/  
It allows downloads of the following 6 items, along with instructions on how to create DVDs:

NASA's Jim Hansen at Oregon State University
This is the best case the warmers can make and it's not much: He admits that CO2 follows temperature; that CO2 was 1000ppm in the past & more. Seveal of his long term charts show recent temperatures lower than in the past. The only evidence that CO2 causes warming is that the models don't work without CO2. (Skeptics claim that the models don't work with CO2 either.)
 
Weather and Climate, Past, Present and Future
George H. Taylor

Science & Context in the Global Warming Debate
Bob Carter

Climate Catastrophe Cancelled
Friends of Science

What is Normal? A Critique of Catastrophic Man-Made Global Warming Theory
Warren Meyer

Searching For Climate Change 
John Christy


Further finds

Carbon Truth DVDs downloadable from: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5208611/
We now have a 2 disc DVD compilation set of the best Carbon Truth material available. You can download the DVDs via bittorrent and burn straight to disc from the file. This will be a powerful tool for waking people up to the GW/CC scam. 
Part I: The Science of Climate Fraud
Part II: The Economics and Politics of Climate Fraud


The Carbon Truth site itself offers 45 videos for download, or viewing online: http://carbontruthaction.ning.com/video
Not all of these are by scientists, or even by sceptics.  For example there is an Obama speech in Copenhagen, and the notorious 'The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See'  - which is a painful display of how not to do risk/cost benefit analysis.


Youtube videos.
A lot are out there,  Here are three for starters, and each link will show not only the video mentioned, but also show a list of others in the same subject area.

Bob Carter: 'Climate Change - Is CO2 the cause? - Pt 1 of 4'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOLkze-9GcI&feature=related
This series of 4 short (8 to 10 mins or so each) would be an excellent 'compare and contrast' focus for senior pupils who have also studied 'An Inconvenient Truth'.

Don't Panic - Flaws In Catastrophic Global Warming Forecasts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctRvtxnNqU8
(good discussion of positive feedback in climate models)

Freeman Dyson on Global Warming (1 of 2) Bogus Climate Models
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTSxubKfTBU&feature=related
(an extremely distinguished physicist shares his views on climate models)


I would very much welcome reviews of any of the above, or details of any difficulties in obtaining them, and for information about others which I have missed.

References
(1) 'In order for the film to be shown, the Government must first amend their Guidance Notes to Teachers to make clear that 1.) The Film is a political work and promotes only one side of the argument. 2.) If teachers present the Film without making this plain they may be in breach of section 406 of the Education Act 1996 and guilty of political indoctrination. 3.) Nine inaccuracies have to be specifically drawn to the attention of school children.'
More details here: http://www.newparty.co.uk/articles/inaccuracies-gore.html
(2) http://www.thenewamerican.com/reviews/movies/506
(3) http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15431779
(4) http://climaterealists.com/index.php?id=5487

Note added 25 April 2016.  I've not been good at updating this post with new videos.  But here is one by David Evans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gDErDwXqhc

Why Would You Believe This? (5 of 8) 'The effects of climate change [due to man] are already being felt in Asia and Africa.'

'The effects of climate change are already being felt in Asia and Africa.' 

Of course, taking this literally, it is banal and unobjectionable.  Everywhere, all the time, the 'effects of climate change' are taking place, and being 'felt' by something or other.  Our climate has never been fixed anywhere, over any time period.

But of course, the sentence is a piece of spin, in the context of climate alarmism (1), perhaps designed in the hope that our compassion will distract us from the faulty logic.  While Asia and Africa have long been locations of awful earthquakes, famines, floods, and droughts, they are growing in economic strength to help deal with them.  Countries like India and China are surging ahead with economic development thanks in some part to burning hydrocarbons in the form of oil, gas, and coal.

Much of Africa and many parts of Asia remain burdened by feeble property rights, religious politicking, ruthless elites in power, and widespread corruption.  These, combined with anti-development urges of self-styled 'environmentalists', are the sources of harm most capable of reform by human action.  When faced with a variable, and often threatening, climate, it is better to be rich enough to respond, react, and protect, than to be poor and relatively helpless.

I present below some counter-examples, showing that relatively warm spells, such as the one we are in, have been more beneficial than relatively cool ones (such as during the Little Ice Age) in Asia and Africa, and some quotations to show that some commentators and some politicians there have not been fooled by the powerful and pernicious PR of the IPCC.

Asia

Floods

'In the case of mean river discharge, the empirical observations go doubly against climate alarmist predictions, i.e., most rivers show no change, while most of those that do change exhibit decreases.  In the case of maximum river discharge, the empirical observations go doubly against climate alarmist predictions, i.e., most rivers show no change, while most of those that do change exhibit decreases, indicative of less flooding.  In the case of minimum river discharge, the empirical observations go doubly against climate alarmist predictions, i.e., most rivers show no change, while most of those that do change exhibit increases, indicative of less drought.'   Source: (2).

Droughts

'nearly every major famine in India [over the period of their study] coincided with a period of reduced monsoon rainfall'


'noting two particularly devastating famines ... occurred at the beginning of the Little Ice Age '


'...marine sediments ...and a pollen record from the western Himalaya ... also indicate a weaker monsoon during the Little Ice Age and a relatively stronger monsoon during the Medieval Warm Period."'  Source: (3).

In other words, a continued gentle warming does not necessarily mean increased droughts in India and other parts of Asia.

Let us turn to Indian politics.  It seem the government there has benefitted from sounder scientific advice than that which has a strangehold in the West.  This observation from 2008 serves as an illustration:

'India has issued a report challenging global warming fears. This is dramatic. The Indian Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change said that India would rather save its people from poverty than global warming, and would not cut growth in order to cut gases.  Referring to claimed changes in climate attributed to human activity, the report declares: "No firm link between the documented charges described below and warming due to an anthropogenic climate change has yet been established." '   Source: (4).

In China, researchers there are exposing the IPCC-promoted hockey-stick as wrong (we already know from hundreds of studies that it is wrong just about everywhere, and statistically unsound as well, but we also recall the major role given to it by Gore and others wishing to profit from the IPCC lead):

'During the last 500 years, apparent climate fluctuations were experienced, including two cold phases from the 1470s to the 1710s and the 1790s to the 1860s, two warm phases from the 1720s to the 1780s, and after the 1870s. The temperature variations prior to the 1500s show two anomalous warm peaks, around 300 and between approximately 1100 and 1200, that exceed the warm level of the last decades of the 20th century.'  Source: (5).

Africa

Floods

'In Africa's Namib Desert, the greatest floods of the past two millennia occurred during its coldest period, the Little Ice Age, with nothing to compare to them during what climate alarmists typically describe as the warmest portion of the past two millennia, i.e., the latter part of the 20th century.  These real-world observations are the exact opposite of what they predict about floods and global warming.'   Source: (6).

Droughts

Here is but one of several studies reported on at the CO2 Science site:

'Equatorial east Africa was significantly drier than today during the Medieval Warm Period from AD 1000 to 1270, while it was relatively wet during the Little Ice Age from AD 1270 to 1850.  However, this latter period was interrupted by three periods of prolonged dryness: 1390-1420, 1560-1625 and 1760-1840.  These "episodes of persistent aridity," in the words of the authors, were "more severe than any recorded drought of the twentieth century."  In addition, they discovered that "all three severe drought events of the past 700 years were broadly coeval with phases of high solar radiation, and the intervening periods of increased moisture were coeval with phases of low solar radiation." '  Source: (7).

From the false invention of the hockey-stick plot with its message of unprecedented temperatures, to Gore's fatuous blaming of the melting snows of Kilimanjaro on man-made global warming, the attempts to portray Africa as a victim of industrialisation elsewhere have failed miserably.  It has not gone un-noticed, as illustrated by the remarks of a Professor Alexander:

'Let me make one point abundantly clear. Since the establishment of the IPCC in 1988 not a single person in South Africa has died as a result of provable climate change. But thousands have died from poverty-related starvation, malnutrition and disease. How dare those who call themselves scientists deliberately suppress this information? How dare they ignore the suffering of all these people? How dare they steadfastly refuse to participate in multidisciplinary studies where their alarmist theories can be demonstrated to be without foundation?


Also, there is also no statistically believable evidence of linkages between climate change, and increases in the occurrence and magnitude of floods, droughts and threats to water supplies.


Climate alarmist tactics are obstructing the right of these people to progress towards the normal lives that those in the western nations enjoy.'    Source: (8).

For summaries and links to many more scientific papers on topics such as desertification or other climate-related disasters in Africa or Asia, see the CO2 Science site: (9).

Readers wishing to study a set of climate deceits re Asia and Africa (and elsewhere), could gain much from the 'IPCC Corner' at the Global Warming Policy Foundation site (10), where the following topics are currently listed:

African crop yields   Amazon rainforest   Disappearing mountain ice   
Dutch sea level error   Himalayan glaciers  NGO reports   
Trends in disaster losses   IPCC's Bangladesh Problem
IPCC and the Stern Review Scandal

For climate-related deception in general, Pierre Gosselin currently has listed 70 links to various ‘gates’ and other scandals, including several specific to Asia or Africa: (11).

Review
Once again, the sentence we have examined in context, is seen to be misleading in the light of the evidence we have shown, and does not give support for alarm and extravagant actions that in all likelihood would makes things worse for countries in Asia and Africa by crippling their economic development.

It is easy to imagine such sentences being used every week in schools throughout the world, encouraging sympathy, alarm, and dismay in children.  And with what justification?  I have not yet found any.

References
(1) http://climatelessons.blogspot.com/2010/06/schools-low-carbon-day-concerned.html
(2) http://www.co2science.org/articles/V5/N2/C1.php
(3) http://www.co2science.org/articles/V11/N16/C2.php
(4) http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/india-challenges-global-warming-fears-2008-07-25
(5) http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/07/04/new-chinese-study-in-grl-disputes-the-hockey-stick-conclusions/
(6) http://www.co2science.org/articles/V8/N5/C2.php
(7) http://www.co2science.org/articles/V3/N4/C1.php
(8) http://anhonestclimatedebate.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/climate-alarmism-is-a-runaway-fire-by-professor-will-alexander/
(9) http://www.co2science.org
(10) http://www.thegwpf.org
(11) http://pgosselin.wordpress.com/climate-scandals/

Don't let your children near St Thomas University, Mrs Worthington...

There must be many youngsters fired up at school about climate, and keen to study something linked to it at university.  It is such a broad area, and now such a prosperous one, that many different subjects and even some 'disciplines' offer courses.  But some will be unsatisfactory.  Some will be unscientific.  Some will be biased and politicised beyond the pale.

A Professor Abraham of St Thomas University in the States published a snide, superficial, supercilious, and super-silly online presentation that presumably reflected his teaching style, his integrity, and his grasp of climate science.

The C3 site describes him as the 'Bozo of St Thomas':
 http://www.c3headlines.com/2010/07/the-bozo-of-st-thomas-university-professor-ignominiously-confirms-the-lying-of-global-warming-alarmi.html

Viscount Monckton, whose earlier presentation was the target of Abraham's, has replied at length.  After first giving Abraham a month to explain himself and respond to Monckton's concerns.  Answer was there none.

You can reach the offending presentation (83 minutes, with soundtrack and slides) and get Monckton's detailed response in a pdf file via here:
 http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/07/12/a-detailed-rebuttal-to-abraham-from-monckton/

Or you can get the rebuttal directly from the SPPI site here: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/reprint/response_to_john_abraham.html

Monckton's response would be a good gift for a senior school pupil looking for a suitable university and a suitable degree.  It will encourage them to be very careful where they go, as well as show them how a civilised man debates.

Who knows how many Abraham-clones there are in the UK alone?

"Throughout my school life we have had talks on climate change, and what we can do to prevent it. People my age are terrified of what might happen to our planet" Quote from a 15-year old.

The least forgiveable harm produced by the political success of the IPCC is, in my opinion, the harm it has done, and will still do, to children.

Adults discussing theories about climate and speculating about disasters is one thing.

But pushing speculations as facts, 'facts' that will scare children, is quite another.

I suppose that many, perhaps most, of the people campaigning in and around schools about the climate have no wish to 'scare children witless', to quote from (3), but it is hard to see how their vivid preoccupation with doom-laden speculations can do anything else.  Some will see through them (in due course), some will ignore them, some will be scared by them.

Here are some recent reports of some that were scared, from three countries:

New Zealand.  Source: (1).

'Today's children are worried about more than just their homework and peer pressure - they are also worried about terrorism and climate change and whether there will be a future for their own children.
...
Auckland University Researcher Fiona Pienaar interviewed children aged 8-12 for her PhD to find out what stressed them out and how they coped.'
...
'Global warming and how a natural disaster would affect their lives were two other issues for children.


"I'm worried about the environment and the global warming, the ice and how it's going. I write it down in my little notebook ... I'm thinking people should actually stop the global warming before it's too late for their children," said one child.
...
'"The future, if we have children, would there be a future for them?" asked one child.'

'Ms Pienaar said that in the past children tended to think of themselves as immortal but these days things have changed. They are far more exposed to the media and their parents' stress issues, which has led to a greater awareness of potentially stressful world issues.'

'When children have those concerns it can be very distracting and I don't think it's surprising that we have increasing behaviour problems, increasing diagnosis of childhood anxiety disorders and childhood depression.'


USA.  Source: (2).

'An article by Johanna Sorrentino at Education.com (titled "Get Your Kids Global Warming Savvy") reveals survey results "of more than 1,000 middle school students across the country [that] found that kids fear global warming more than war, terrorism or the health care crisis." Not only does this statement suggest the US has a non-existent "health care crisis" but it demonstrates the dangerous power of misinformation in education. Sorrentino's article is full of the very misinformation that leads to the unwarranted fear children have about "global warming."'

The source article, by Bob Webster, goes on to explain why, and he also recommends a book for children on climate:
'... parents who want to provide a good education about global warming and climate change (and how teachers are misleading students), there is an excellent book for "kids [who] fear global warming more than war, terrorism or the health care crisis." It is The Sky's Not Falling - Why It's OK to Chill about Global Warming (for children and adults) by Holly Fretwell .... Well organized, this book presents a fairly comprehensive view of climate change and global warming designed to calm any fears children may have from gross exaggerations they may have heard at school, on TV, or in other media. While the book is written for children, it is excellent for adults whose education failed to prepare them to understand why the notion that humans can cause "climate change" is absurd.'


UK. Source: (3).

'Today, it is not the mushroom cloud that threatens to suffocate children psychologically but carbon emissions. The new bogeyman is climate change: submerger of nations, polluter of skies, slayer of polar bears.'

Here is one 15 year old quoted in the article:

'Throughout my school life we have had talks on climate change, and what we can do to prevent it. People my age are terrified of what might happen to our planet; it has been drilled into our brains at school, home and even on TV. We watch the news and see earthquakes, flooding, tsunamis, and we hope that by the time we are our parents’ ages we will not be having to cope with these routinely.'

Some more disturbing quotes are in the article, but here is one by the journalist who wrote it:

 'Teaching children about man-made climate change — which is very real and threatens our wellbeing — and persuading them to adopt green habits is essential, but it can be done without scaring them witless.'

Note the casual and confident assertion that 'man -made climate change ... is very real and threatens our wellbeing'.  Not surprising, since this is the establishment view.  But shocking, all the same.  Can the journalist argue a case to defend her assertions, or would she resort to appealing to the 'authority' of the IPCC?  I suspect she has acquired her opinion because there is a lot of it about, like some kind of 'flu.

Not all journalists have caught the infection, thank goodness.  Here is a recent piece in the Washington Times which is sensible about climate change: (4).

But it is not just passive exposure to the media and their parents.  There is a widespread and generously funded level of deliberate pushing of climate change concerns on to children.  I am accumulating lists of sites that produce propaganda aimed at children, or entice them into climate-related networking groups, or 'action groups', or provide materials and project ideas for parents and teachers to push the IPCC line on climate.  I plan to publish my 'list so far', in the near future.  In the meantime, there is an illustrated list of 16 'climate propaganda' sites here (5), and of these, at least 4 are specifically aimed at children.  And, to end on a postive note, here is a UK link to Amazon for the book mentioned earlier (6).  I have this book, and I thoroughly recommend it. [Note added 16 July: the book has several technical errors which would need to be corrected before it was good enough to give to youngsters, but it is an excellent source of perspective and ideas for teachers.]

References
(1) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10639763
(2) http://climaterealists.com/index.php?id=3671
(3) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article7066030.ece
(4) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/8/climate-change-a-collective-flight-from-reality/
(5) http://nigguraths.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/climate-change-propaganda-websites/#more-92
(6) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skys-Not-Falling-Global-Warming/dp/0976726947/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278688433&sr=1-1

Why Would You Believe This? (4 of 8) . 'And that's not to mention the 30% of species at risk of extinction [due to impact of humans on CO2 levels].'

They really do want to scare the horses, as well as the children.  The source site for this quote has now closed down.  See earlier posts, e.g. (1) & (2), for the context of this extract from their reasons for worrying children about climate:

'And that's not to mention the 30% of species at risk of extinction.'

Julian Simon had the measure of this particular sleight of hand 26 years ago (3).  Take the upper end of a speculative range of values, and report it as if it were a fact.  Not only that, decouple it further to suggest that the '30%' applies to all species, and not merely to a subset deemed at particular risk.

The ‘30%’ figure was promoted in the IPCC's 2007 Summary Report for Policy Makers, where it was the upper end of a range.  For a summary of some of their scare stories from 2007, see (4), which has this, with my emphasis added:

'The report says that around 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the plant and animal species assessed are likely to be at increased risk of extinction if global average temperatures exceed 1.5 degree C to 2.5 degree C over late 20th century levels.'

So not only is this a speculation about the impact on a subset of species, it presumes a further speculation about temperatures.  Both speculations are so flimsy that the whole phrase is worthless except as a piece of propaganda designed for the mass media.

The low levels of scientific and statistical competence in the mass media allow such things to pass unchallenged in the news, and of course the juxtaposition with talk of man-made CO2 invites the public to more misleading conclusions.  First of all, species have always died out, and one might argue pedantically that 100% are ‘at risk of extinction’ – it is part and parcel of evolution, and of the vulnerability of any lifeform.  Why would this be worse under warming, given that conditions would be generally more favourable for life?  Especially if ambient CO2 levels increase, since more CO2 would provide an appreciable surge in plant growth wherever there was no other constraint such as insufficient mineral availability.

Both the species estimates and the temperature projections are based on computer models.  Computer models of these poorly underststood and complex systems are merely vehicles for exploring conjectures in limited ways.  In particular, they provide neither evidence nor data, merely speculations.  Apparently the species extinction models referred to by the IPCC took no account of acclimatisation nor of the more favourable growing environment produced by increased ambient CO2 levels.  This is eerily reminiscent of the absurd doom-laden talk in the 1970s by the notorious scaremongerer Paul Ehrlich, who also took no account of human ingenuity and of the benefits of certain trends such as increased availability of energy supplies and other resources.  His mental model of the world seems to view it as some kind of petri-dish, lacking in intelligent life.

As for the models used to support the 2007 assertions on extinctions, here is a recent expert opinion on them, with my emphasis added (5):

'The two researchers - Kathy Willis from the UK's Long-Term Ecology Laboratory of Oxford University's Centre for the Environment, and Shonil Bhagwat from Norway's University of Bergen - raise a warning flag about the older models, stating "their coarse spatial scales fail to capture topography or 'microclimatic buffering' and they often do not consider the full acclimation capacity of plants and animals," citing the analysis of Botkin et al. (2007) in this regard.'

This article concludes, my emphasis added:

‘Clearly, the panic-evoking extinction-predicting paradigms of the past are rapidly giving way to the realization they bear little resemblance to reality. Earth's plant and animal species are not slip-sliding away - even slowly - into the netherworld of extinction that is preached from the pulpit of climate alarmism as being caused by CO2-induced global warming.’ 

 The CO2 Science site (6) has a lot more useful stuff on species extinctions, as does the SPPI site (7).

The casual throwing around of scary but phoney numbers, and their replication through mass media in support of their cause, is all part of the modus operandi of the IPCC.  Their touting of the '40%' fantasy fact about the Amazon being but one of many, and one which by itself could account for a great many species extinctions.  Here it is refuted (8):

'The IPCC is under scrutiny for various data inaccuracies, including its claim -- based on a flawed World Wildlife Fund study -- that up to 40% of the Amazonian forests could react drastically and be replaced by savannas from even a slight reduction in rainfall.  "Our results certainly do not indicate such extreme sensitivity to reductions in rainfall," said Sangram Ganguly, an author on the new study, from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute affiliated with NASA Ames Research Center in California.
"The way that the WWF report calculated this 40% was totally wrong, while [the new] calculations are by far more reliable and correct," said Dr. Jose Marengo, a Brazilian National Institute for Space Research climate scientist and member of the IPCC.'


So, what are we to make of the '30%'?  My inclination is to read it bearing in mind the above reservations about models, and taking due note of this statement (9):

'The attitude toward scientific fact reporting by environmental scientists may be best summarized by Stanford biology professor, Stephen Schneider’s statement, “We need to get loads of media coverage, so we have to offer up scary scenarios and make dramatic statements. Each of us has to decide on the right balance between effectiveness and honesty”.'

Along with some examples where honesty seemed to count for very little:

'In ten years all important animal life in the sea will be extinct. Large areas of coastline will have to be evacuated because of the stench of dead fish.'

—Paul Ehrlich, (Earth Day 1970) (10)


'Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, believes that in 25 years, somewhere between 75 and 80 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct.'
• Sen. Gaylord Nelson (Earth Day 1970) (11)


And perhaps, if you think the '30%' still has a shred of credibility, consider this 'data' pushed by the WWF in 1996, and roundly rebutted here (12):

'How does WWF arrive at the number 5O,OOO species extinctions per year? It can be no coincidence that this same number is the upper limit suggested by Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University. Wilson states that while only l.5 million species have been described, it is reasonable to believe that there are over 3O times that many, i.e. 5O million. Then a computer model, based on island biogeography theory, is used to generate the number 5O,OOO. There is no list of Latin names for these species. It is, in fact, a preposterous combination of extrapolation and pulling numbers from the air.'

This is all part of a long and ignoble tradition amongst political campaigners who wrap themselves in the sheep's clothing of concern for the environment (13):

'In the 45 years since the publication of Silent Spring, it is very obvious that many environmental scientists choose effectiveness in generating media attention over honesty. Today the ability to obtain government funding for environmental studies clouds their judgment even more.'

I referred to Julian Simon at the start of this post, and I expect to do so again in this series.  But for now, I'll conclude with the title of his 1984 article (3), followed by an extract from it:

'Truth Almost Extinct in Tales of Imperiled Species.'

'... this pure conjecture about upper limit of present  species extinction is increased and used by Mr. Myers and WWF scientist Thomas Lovejoy as the basis for the "projections" quoted  in the fundraising letter and elsewhere.  Mr. Lovejoy--by  converting what was an estimated upper limit into a present best-estimate--says that government inaction is "likely to lead" to the extinction of between 14 and 20 percent of all species before the  year 2000.  This comes to about 40,000 species lost per year, or  about one million from 1980 to 2000. In brief, this extinction rate is nothing but pure guesswork.  The forecast is a thousand times greater than the present--yet it has been published in newspapers and understood as a scientific statement.'

Simon spotted their tricks back then. His insight was not enough to stop them at their game, neither back then nor now.  We are faced with campaigners less concerned about the truth, than about the impact of their statements in the media, and upon their sources of funding.

References
(1) http://climatelessons.blogspot.com/2010/06/schools-low-carbon-day-concerned.html
(2) http://climatelessons.blogspot.com/2010/06/schools-low-carbon-day-hoax-scam.html
(3) Article by Julian Simon reproduced in this link (need to scroll down to find it): http://www.skepticfiles.org/skeptic/az_mar92.htm
(4) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119122043.htm
(5) Idsos article: http://www.co2science.org/articles/V13/N24/EDIT.php
(6) http://www.co2science.org/subject/e/extinctionmodel.php
(7) http://sppiblog.org/tag/species-endangerment
(8) Amazongate reference http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311175039.htm
(9) Schneider quote and more on Schneider: http://www.john-daly.com/schneidr.htm
(10) Ehrlich's and others' quotes: http://pushback.com/issues/environment/ecofreak-quotes/
(11) Gaylord Nelson's and others' quotes: http://www.ihatethemedia.com/earth-day-predictions-of-1970-the-reason-you-should-not-believe-earth-day-predictions-of-2009
(12) http://www.nafi.com.au/library/viewarticle.php3?id=37
(13) http://www.netrightnation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1252273:four-decades-of-deceit&catid=1:nrn-blog&Itemid=7

This should scare 'em - life underwater, War of the Worlds, floods, damaged planet

How long are the good people of England going to tolerate the pushing of this ignorant and frightening nonsense on to their children?

'Climate change forms the focus for South Hill Park’s Big Day Out on Saturday.....

The theme sees the festival imagine what the world would be like if we lived underwater and as part of this, Reading’s Global Café will present its take on the topic while a children’s procession at 5.30pm will feature a large crustacean created by their own hands. It will be inspired by H G Wells’ War Of The Worlds.

There will also be a special performance by Sound Interventions, who will present Drift, an outdoor show which imagines, in an abstract way, what our environmental crimes might soon be doing to planet earth.

Drift will be a procession staged on top of a flood, will use recycled instruments and include a fire show....

There’s a strong family focus to the event, especially during daylight hours, with the festival’s daytime activities climaxing in a children’s parade at 5.30pm.'

See: http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/entertainment/days_out/s/2073907_are_you_ready_to_enjoy_bracknells_big_day_out 

Hat tip: http://tomnelson.blogspot.com/