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How we know we're not wrong about climate change
For those interested in why the scientific community is so certain about climate change, take a look at this presentation and this book chapter, both by Naomi Oreskes.
She does a great job explaining how science reaches conclusions, and why we can be pretty sure that humans are indeed warming the climate.
Andrew Dessler is an associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University; his research focuses on the physics of climate change, climate feedbacks in particular.
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New group inspires teens to combat climate change
No, Jeff, there’s not a debate about the science of climate change
IBM places big bet on lithium-air batteries
Comments
View as Flat
Biodiversivist Posted 9:33 am
27 Jun 2007
Who needs science?
Common sense is all you need to realize with a high degree of probability that burning a few million years worth of stored carbon while simultaneously scraping the living carpet from the face of the Earth will have some kind of effect on the biosphere.
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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JohnCaley Posted 11:05 am
27 Jun 2007
Fatally Flawed
Unfortunately any climatic observations that are made and verified are eventually interpreted by human experience and finally by human logic.
It is the logic in
"I think this is correct because of such and such human reasoning" that many people challenge, not the fact in this case that global climate change is happening.
Global climate changes are far too rapid for the cause to be anything but "unnatural", unless it is caused by some cosmic influence we know nothing about as yet.
Science is logic, and we all know logic is not well handled by many people.
Just because some goat states his/her logic and a flock of sheep bleat along in unison does not make the logic correct. Reality is the only judge.
Unfortunately Naomi Oreskes takes a very blinkered view that all science is correct.
Her example of plate tectonics is rather curious. The original logical connection that upset the old view was considered incorrect by "the consensus" of geologists, and a bloody scientific war ensued until "the theory of plate tectonics" was finally accepted. (causalities were immaterial)
The evidence always was, the Earth always was, but the logic was different for different people.
The Gristmill posters, think the facts are, and therefore the logic should be the same, consensus should rule.
WRONG ! science rises above this myopic view, however people and scientists only change their logic by being dragged screaming to the gallows.
I do not see any merit in the link story.
It is myopic and fatally flawed in logic.
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Sam Wells Posted 11:15 am
27 Jun 2007
If I was a space alien ...
... I would say "reductio ad absurdum" and zoom off to another more convincing planet.
Onward through the fog
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Steve Bloom Posted 4:07 pm
27 Jun 2007
Cute
Notice the source for the graphic on slide 53 of her presentation. We are amused.
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WWAGD?! Posted 3:07 am
28 Jun 2007
More Sci Less Pop
I have a general rule with these things. The more the advocate relies on PowerPoint slides and "graphics", the more likely he is to be pulling the wool over my eyes.
Also, resorting to grand analogies from the history of science has the same soporific effect.
Turn the hypothesis into a New York Times best seller -- that explains or justifies everything from A.D.D. to the need for wider garages, and I'm gone.
But give me one really convincing, incontrovertible data series...
John Bailo
You Read It Here First
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DogsCatsAndStrays Posted 6:27 am
28 Jun 2007
On Consensus
If you can find something everyone agrees on, it's wrong.
- Mo Udall
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JMG Posted 6:36 am
28 Jun 2007
More on Consensus
Everybody agrees sun's coming up in the East tomorrow.
Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.
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Steve Bloom Posted 12:43 pm
28 Jun 2007
Semi-pointless snark re pointless snark
"The more the advocate relies on PowerPoint slides and 'graphics'"... the more likely she is to be giving a public lecture. Apparently you hadn't noticed that she has a book on the subject as well.
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MarkUK Posted 7:19 am
05 Jul 2007
Skeptics Guide
I've been spending some time on the forum connected to the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe podcast. Recently the conversation goes towards global warming regularly... Most of these people are fairly open to information so any help from locals here would be appreciated to add to the discussion.
Andrew, I hope you don't mind this little post. I have to escape from SciGuy sometimes to be amongst the sane...
http://www.skepchick.org/skepticsguide/viewtopic.php?t=35 ...
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