Tuesday, November 24, 2009

On so-called "Climategate"

I know many of my more-conservative (or more-partisan) friends may disagree with me, but I do not think the leaked e-mails from major climate scientists tell us much about Global Warming or Climate Change or whatever you want to call it. Rather, I think it is reminder to us that you should NEVER say anything on e-mail (or Twitter or Facebook or AOLIM or...) that you don't want on the front page of the New York Times. Even "private" communications on the Web can be hacked and published.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/

For those who see this as a smoking gun, imagine how badly you would look if your private conversations with your buddies were published out of context for all to read. I am guessing you'd look more cutthroat than you want to be viewed, because your friends know when you are joking or exaggerating for effect.

4 comments:

CRCHAIR said...

I agree but...

The problem is that the Left has made this an all or nothing issue. Either you believe that "global warming is true and we must do everything in our power to stop it or we will be catastrophic consequences" or you don't and "obviously don't care about the planet or your fellow man." There is no room on that side for people who want to do more to protect the global environment, but who don't think it should be the number one priority. The Right has its own issues that are like this too, but that doesn't make it correct.

Jaltus said...

The real issue is that, speaking as a former scientist, those guys basically had their careers ended by those e-mails. While fudging data is fine (removing blips, ignoring obviously bad data) one cannot ignore trending data or smooth out a graph that is trending in the opposite direction.

The real issue is not Global Warming, the real issue is that those guys should be fired.

BH said...

I do disagree nomad. This is proof that idealism has been driving the science. This and example of cooking the books that only wall street could rival.

Nomad said...

As always, I have no problem being disagreed with. :-) But so far I have yet to see an excerpt which is a smoking gun of "widespread manipulation and distortion" as some are saying. If that changes, I am open to hear it.