I want to direct eevryones attentions to this website I stumbled across a few weeks ago http://www.chinadialogue.net/copenhagen . It has good coverage of the COP 15 proceedings and very informative articles on China's environmental situation.

Best,

Matt

I think the criticisms took the following themes: 1) I am a “renewable energy elite,” carrying the water for the climate change movement; 2) the Maldives story is fiction and I fell for it; 3) I gave the significance of ClimateGate short shrift.

1 — Real or Hyped?

Obviously, this is a question that could be open to much debate: is global climate changing? is it changing in a way that is inconsistent with Earth’s history? are human beings primarily responsible? are GHG emissions the problem? This piece could not and did not plumb those depths.

I think all of those debates are worth having, but for this piece I was focusing on the facts: this conference is happening and the goal is to institute global regimes to counteract manmade climate change drivers.

I was surprised to be accused of being involved in some sort of global conspiracy to perpetuate the climate change agenda. Some critics pointed to use of the phrase “climate change deniers” as a pejorative or as passing normative judgment. It is no more intended to be so than was the phrase “climate change honks.”

Also, the premise of the piece was that climate change negotiations would fail. No pep rally. No press release. Sorry, folks, I think I played this one pretty much down the middle.

2 — Mixed-up in Maldives

A lot of comments attacked the Maldives story as fiction or based on junk science. Fair enough, what my piece intended to point out was that at least Maldives is bringing a vivid manifestation of climate change to the world. “My country is going to disappear” is a much more compelling story than “well, according to tree ring data…”

Evidence of the rhetorical boost that the climate change movement could use was provided by back-to-back pieces on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday on December 5 when a spokesmen for the Center for Climate Change Communication gave a very humdrum heard-it-all-before preview of Copenhagen and a UCS rep was battered by Superfreakonomics author Steven Leavitt.

The critics of my piece may be right about the fate of Maldives — maybe it is all fiction. I don’t know – I have not read ALL of the science to answer one question specifically – and my piece does not pass judgment on that. What it does, in the context of “environmental politics,” is to assert that if the United States were going to Copenhagen and planning to announce that within a hundred years it would be wiped from the map, there would be much more pressure and urgency around this issue. That is UNDENIABLE in my opinion and I stand by the assertion.

3 — Underselling Climategate

Many people made simple comments: “Climategate will not go away,” and others had very complex arguments as to why this is a repudiation of the whole of climate change science. This piece did not engage that question — in the least. In fact, the premise – which I stand by – was that at the negotiating table next week, the issues revealed or called into question by the emails will have no effect whatsoever. They may provide CONVENIENT COVER for reluctant participants, but they will not fundamentally change anyone’s substantive position.

To the question itself, I actually agree that Climategate “will not go away.” I have not “read all the emails,” as asked in one comment, but I have read a lot of them and they are certainly damaging.

I don’t think anyone should be surprised to find that professionals, academics and researchers in an industry are heavily personally invested in their chosen field and its perpetuation. Ranchers extol the merits of beef, dairy farmers will tell you all the ways in which milk is great, and environmental researchers are interested in grants and other resources continuing to be made available and so they will tell you – although I am sure most believe it to their bones as well – how significant an issue climate change has become.

I actually think that in spite of the “hit” that individuals have taken and will take from this, and the blow to the climate change cause that this is likely to land, it may be a good thing in the long run. If I am a scientist, I want skeptics casting a wary eye at my work. I want them lifting up every rock. I want everyone to understand every quantum of data, every method employed and every assumption made. Because, if they do, and I have done my work, they are relegated to rhetoric to refute my conclusions.

I have been studying the science of climate and its link to solar activity for years now and I am afraid that all of this Fascist name calling 'CLIMATE DENYER' will do more harm than good.

FACT] The 11 year small sun cycle has been broken and the sunspot activity has not returned.

FACT] This means it is being influenced by a larger cycle which is now taking precedence.

FACT] As of today there is still NO SUN SPOT ACTIVITY.

FACT] There has been 20 Glaciations in 2 million years that pre-date Automobiles and Industrialisation.

FACT] The Ordovician Period was actually an Ice Age period and the CO2 levels were 15 times greater than present. So no matter where the CO2 came from either Volcanic or Cars it is not related to average world temperature in any way shape or form that could be considered the main driver or a cause for panic.

What this means is that whilst we should be preparing for failed crops to protect the most vulnerable people on Earth from starving to death, we have a bunch of WARMISTS brain-washed by propaganda about to hand a bunch of thieves an open ended Cabon Tax that will not even reduce carbon. What a world!

Climate-Gate will not dissappear because the Independent Media will keep exposing what amounts to the largest attempted FRAUD in human history. It is not ignorance or fumbling, it can only be the result of deliberate falsification of evidence in order to defraud every person on this Earth. Who to thank? A:Our now quite exposed 'loving' World Government which is waiting in the wings for international funding to consecrate it as a Fascist Un-Elected world power to run a feudal type system. No conspiracy, all of your world leaders are anouncing a New World Order…YES, THEY are actually saying this. Is it a conspiracy to listen to what they are saying? And I must say it is very timely for this to all coincide with the global financial crash.

Journalists beware….You are fighting against a tide of people waking up to the deceptions of the 20th century and unless you start talking sense you are in danger of being washed away with the World Government…..of which Climate-Gate seems to be a well needed abortion for Fascism.

Here is Monckton’s article “Caught Green Handed”

Good read, if you have the time- (I did….now I’m behind)

http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/originals/Monckton-Caught%20Green-Handed%20Climategate%20Scandal.pdf

What does this emotional argument have to do with science? Nothing. It is just a stick to quiet any legitimate questioning of a very suspect global powergrab.

If I told you that I had pychic visions that aliens would attack earth and enslave every woman and child in every 3rd world country in 10 years and only if you were to divert all the money of the major nations to my personal research into defeating the aliens, thereby making me the wealthiest person in the history of human history, would you go along? If you don't then you obviously hate poor minority women and children. You must want to see the aliens kill everyone. And how dare you question the psychic vision I had, are you calling me a liar?