Convenient Truths: New IPCC Report Downgrades (But Doesn't Dismiss) Human Climate Impact
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 12.19.06
Many climate change skeptics are hailing an article from last week's UK Telegraph, which proclaims "UN downgrades man's impact on the climate," as the "smoking gun" which supports their disbelief: Sen. James Inhofe, for instance, claims that the preview of the report (which will be published in February) proves his assertion that "Predictions of man-made catastrophic global warming are simply unsustainable." As DeSmog Blog notes, though, that reading of the article requires some cherry-picking, as it also reports that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "says there can be little doubt that humans are responsible for warming the planet," and that their downgrading of human impact by 25%, as well as their lowering of sea level estimates, represents "...a refinement due to better data on how climate works rather than a reduction in the risk posed by global warming":
One leading UK climate scientist, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity surrounding the report before it is published, said: "The bottom line is that the climate is still warming while our greenhouse gas emissions have accelerated, so we are storing up problems for ourselves in the future."The article also notes significant rises in carbon emissions over the past five years, enough to sustain recent severe weather patterns, including the 2003 British heat wave.
While we won't celebrate the reinforcement of the climate crisis as a reality, we will be (or even are) celebrating the holidays, and believe integrating one's commitment to lessening his/her carbon footprint into the holiday festivities doesn't have to dampen the spirit of the season in the least. While many elements of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa merriment are fiercely-guarded traditions, the celebration can still go on as planned with a lighter impact on the climate. For instance,
- Many of the favorite dishes for the holiday meal can be made with locally-grown and produced ingredients. See how many food miles (and carbon emissions) you can deduct from that traditional ham, turkey or goose.
- Having more warm bodies in the house means you can probably turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees, and lower your carbon emissions and heating bill
- You shouldn't have any trouble running full loads in the dishwasher (which saves energy). Avoid the drying cycle, and save even more.
- When you're wrapping that eco-friendly gift you found on Treehugger's Green Gift Guide 2006, make sure you're using paper with as much post-consumer recycled content as possible, or other recycled materials.
Get those cameras rolling, and enter your contest video here.
The Telegraph article doesn't really seem to be a big worry. It's a lowering of the estimate of potential harm, not a denial of the process. Furthermore, scientists have recently released new original research indicating that sea levels are actually rising faster than expected. The concrete kinda trumps the hypothetical, at least for people who don't live in Fairyland.
This appears to be an aggregation of existing studies, not original research, and the quality of the editing behind it should of course be subject to scrutiny.
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Writer's note: You're right, Rob -- ithe article is not a worry. The worry is the spin being used to portray it as something it isn't... but we should expect that, I suppose.
I had to write about this in response to a letter in the newspaper by the Local Vocal Yokel who seemed to think that this report proved him right. I had to uncover the facts behind this to debunk it, and it proved pretty easy, here's an edited version:
A few articles by a journalist in the Telegraph seem to have validated the theories of the sceptic in the UK. Unfortunately for them, that journalist just happens to be Christopher Walter Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, former Co-editor of (failed daily newspaper) Today, policy advisor to Margaret Thatcher and director of his own puzzle company. A man who has a proven history of miscalculation and underestimation. His puzzle game 'Eternity' lost him agreat deal of money when he calculated that "even with quite sophisticated software, it would take one million billion years to solve a 209-piece puzzle". Said 209 piece puzzle was solved in just about 18 months by mere humans, with a cost to Mr Monckton of £1m in prize money and ended further sales of his game. He had to put his Aberdeenshire country pile on the market to pay for his losses.
His lack of scientific knowledge and understanding can also be traced back for decades. Monckton said "Aids could have been stopped at source if lobby groups hadn't captured the topic." His solution to this problem (presented to the Thatcher government) was compulsory HIV tests for the entire population and all visitors, and enforced lifetime quarantine for all carriers of the desease.
Conspiricy theorists may also have noticed the large advertisment for ExxonMobile on the same page as Monckton's article. Another "inconvenient truth" uncovered?