We've finally found someone willing to debate me: Tim Ball, a retired professor from the University of Winnipeg. The debate will be online Monday, Dec. 17, at 2 p.m. CST.
You will be able to listen online through BlogTalkRadio's service. In fact, you can even call in during the show (see the BlogTalkRadio web site for details). You can also post questions on SciGuy Eric Berger's website.
I realize that these types of events don't do much to move the climate debate forward. I'm mainly doing this to test my own ability to answer the skeptic's questions and see how I fare in this type of activity.
For those who miss it live, it will be archived in mp3 format.
On ‘climategate’
What to make of the new climate poll
‘Copenhagen Diagnosis’ offers a grim update to the IPCC’s climate science
Comments
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Laurence Aurbach Posted 7:32 am
14 Dec 2007
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tim_Ball
http://www.desmogblog.com/search/node/tim+ball
And some recent legal activities:
Winnipeg bred global warming denier Tim Ball avoids embarrassment at Peoples Court
AllPoliticsNow, 03 October 2007
Tim Ball, of University of Winnipeg fame, dropped his libel lawsuit against Professor Dan Johnson and the Calgary Herald this summer. ... Ball was claiming damages over a letter to the editor Professor Johnson had printed in the Calgary Herald. The letter pointed out that Tim Ball's credentials attached to a Calgary Herald op-ed piece were false and that his past work showed no "evidence of research regarding climate and atmosphere". Ball was not a professor of Climatology at all.
... Tim Ball's concern, as stated in his claim, was that his earning potential on the speakers tour would be impacted. He's given over 600 public presentations in the last 10 years. It seems like all Ball does is write articles (still printed by our media, for some reason) and travel around telling people C02 isn't causing global warming.
Ped Shed Blog
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Sam Wells Posted 8:33 am
14 Dec 2007
One thing that might tip his argument is the subject of water vapor, both a cause and effect of climate change. Water - as solid, liquid, and gas - isn't handled in the models very well. For example, Arctic sea ice isn't predicted with much skill. However, being a stratospheric scientist I'm sure you can handle upper layer cooling just fine, Dr. D.
-sammie
Onward through the fog
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markbahner Posted 12:14 pm
14 Dec 2007
I've already written I'd be happy to debate you. You simply don't want to debate me, because you know you'd lose.
Mark Bahner
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Biodiversivist Posted 2:03 pm
14 Dec 2007
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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GreyFlcn Posted 6:47 pm
14 Dec 2007
Perhaps he's looking for someone with higher credentials than "internet troll".
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Andrew Dessler Posted 6:41 am
15 Dec 2007
You're right. When I wrote: "We've finally found someone willing to debate me", I was mistaken. I should have written: "We've finally found someone competent willing to debate me".
Thanks for the opportunity to correct this!
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markbahner Posted 7:40 am
15 Dec 2007
So you choose Tim Ball as a person equal to your level of competence. Well, for once you and I agree. Your level of competence in climate debate is equivalent to Tim Ball.
P.S. Given your area of research interest, you really ought to help Eli Rabett out on the relationship between enthalpy and temperature in the atmosphere. He and Tim Lambert are under the impression that they can be easily and accurately be related by the equation delta H = m x Cp x delta T. Or do you agree with them? Do you agree that these assertions are false?
"Surface air temperature alone is inadequate to monitor trends of surface heating and cooling. The SI units for temperature are degrees Kelvin (or Celsius), and the SI units for heat are Joules. The surface air temperature can go up while the enthalpy goes down or remains the same. The surface air temperature can go down while the enthalpy goes up or remains the same. The surface air temperature can remain the same while the enthalpy goes down or up."
Mark Bahner
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EliRabett Posted 11:09 am
15 Dec 2007
Ball has been less than forthright, and you should have examples of this to hand, e.g. you mean like when you. . . .
You also have to start by establishing how serious the issue is because for sure, Ball will try and trivialize it.
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katakanadian Posted 3:20 pm
15 Dec 2007
I can't seem to play the accompanying audio but from a previous speech I have downloaded that he claims a 4000 year old white spruce was found 700km north of the tree line which thus demonstrates a much warmer past. However according to his own graphic of the tree line it could easily be 700km north but only a short distance east of the treeline e.g. in a favourable spot not far removed from current forest. We don't know because the exact location is not given.
Keep demanding peer-reviewed evidence to support his claims.
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jsflescher Posted 9:23 pm
16 Dec 2007
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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JohnMashey Posted 6:17 am
18 Dec 2007
Of course, he also labeled Andrew and alarmist and Tim a realist...
-John Mashey
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