ClimateGate III: The Mystery of the Missing Data

The Atlantic ( Blog ) ^ | 01 Dec 2009 03:54 pm | Megan McArdle

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Over the weekend, I came in for some probably deserved criticism from Clive Crook over my initial, somewhat airy, reaction to ClimateGate.  In my defense, he quotes my first post on the topic, not the follow up.  That was early innings, and my initial estimation of the emails that got the most press at the beginning--particularly the "trick" email--hasn't changed all that much.  Sexing up a graph is a bad thing.  But the world is not going to plunge off a cliff because of one overdone graph.  I've become considerably more concerned at items that have subsequently gotten more attention.

Clive says:

Megan McArdle adopts a world-weary tone

similar to The Economist's: this is how science is done in the real world. If I were a scientist, I would resent that. She has criticised the emails and the IPCC response to them, then says she still believes the consensus view on climate change. Well, that was my position at the end of last week, and I suppose it still is. But how do I defend it? There is far more of a problem here for the consensus view than Megan and ordinarily reliable commentators like The Economist acknowledge. I am not a climate scientist. In the end I have to trust the experts. That is what we are asked to do. "Trust us, we're scientists".

He is right:  this is not how science should be done.  Bullying, groupthink, and bad behavior take place, even by scientists who are right--but that is not to say that I approve of it.  And I confess, some of the revelations are making it harder for me to trust this group of scientists about the magnitude of the change, .......

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well,...at least she believes their manners are poor....

And there is the statement:

When trillions of dollars worth of global economic growth are riding on models that are built using your data, it seems sort of elementary to keep a copy of the raw data, and a record of what you did to it.

[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam Me to Planet Gore !

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[Nervous Tick]

This one is BIG, IMHO. For a number of reasons:

1) Megan McArdle is a technojournalist of the same genre as Andrew Rivken (NYT), if not as well known. But Atlantic isn’t exactly a small-town rag, either.

2) She tried to gloss over the Climategate issues; was called on the carpet for that by a fellow journalist; AND SHE RECONSIDERED AND CAME AROUND.

3) If you read this piece all the way through, and are familiar with some of the meat of the stuff that was leaked, she has done a reasonable job of wrapping her leftist-journo brain around the TECHNICAL details — NOT simply the “email sound bytes” — and she GETS IT, for the most part.

I LOVE this statement of hers:

“It is not clear to me that CRU can now reproduce their own data set.”

This is something I have been beating the drum for, for a week now. Not that it isn’t obvious if you think about it —but it’s CRUCIAL. The science that underpins IPCC AR4 is UNREPRODUCIBLE by ANYONE, including the original authors — yet we’re fixin’ to spend trillions of dollars to “fix” the problems it erroneously points out!

I’m also smiling over this admission by Megan:

“...And I confess, some of the revelations are making it harder for me to trust this group of scientists about the magnitude of the change, even though I am still pretty confident about the direction.”

Why is this important? Because there are a certain number of politicians who a) went “all in” for AGW, b) are now having second thoughts for whatever reason, but c) think it not politically wise to go “all out” now. The important idea that “Maybe there is such a thing as AGW... but the MAGNITUDE of its effects may be minor, or even negligible” gives these weasels the cover they need to BACK THE HECK OFF. And that’s always a good thing.

Very interesting! Thanks so much for the post ‘n ping!

FRegards

[steelyourfaith]

Pithy analysis, much appreciated.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks,...I wasn’t sure of her “rank”,...but she is from the AGW school and definitely sees some major problems.

[Nervous Tick]

>> I wasn’t sure of her “rank”

Well, I’m not clear on the techno-journo “pecking order” either, except that Revkin is prolly #1.

But I have seen McArdle mentioned multiple times in the online lit.

The other thing to consider is: do these techno-journos communicate with *each other*? And therefore influence *each other*?

I don’t know the answer to that for sure, but I bet they do!

[SunkenCiv]

...the world is not going to plunge off a cliff because of one overdone graph... Bullying, groupthink, and bad behavior take place, even by scientists who are right--but that is not to say that I approve of it. And I confess, some of the revelations are making it harder for me to trust this group of scientists about the magnitude of the change...

Thanks Ernest.

[Marine_Uncle]

This is all getting to be a bunch of bull shit. I worked with and participated for many years in the development of state of the art weapon systems, then later in the design of large scale integrated circuits. If we played games like this we would never had seen the end products developed.
Within this process, scientist within the world of transistor development just to name one sub set discipline where required to make first case evaluations and experiments. The chemistry the physics, the electrical engineering aspects all had to be carefully worked out.
Take it down to a more simple level in some respects, building operating system... they taint that simple to design to encompass the whole spectrum of needs the system may be required to deliver on a given hardware platform.
My point. This group of elitist clowns given sufficient funds over many years, directed their PH candidates, whoever, to perform very very shoddy and misleading work.
They fudged the God Damn data to make it look like the planet was somehow heating and pointing the blame on human interaction.
The type of public disclosure of this criminal offense is not being addressed to any degree by the world press.
It is being treated at best as some local crime where a few people somehow did some minor offense.
The way the so called press is dithering about on this issue just shows there is no real desire to show this grave criminal offense by many in diverse backgrounds has created a hoax that literally effects all people everywhere, as being what it is.
Crimes against human mankind have been committed and no one wants to take the lead in seeing it stopped then those involved in the whole grand scheme brought to justice.

[Publius6961]

BUMP!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Amen,...Hallelujah,...Damn well said...there ought to be some action...

Think a lot more here ought to hear what you are saying!

All of us that worked in technical fields,...engineering ,...science etc...there is a DAMN SACRED TRUST...that when you render an opinion...it ought to be the very best that your training can arrive at....

These clowns were not doing that....they were rendering an opinion bought and paid for by those who had an Agenda to gain profits and power by pushing world opinion a certain way!

Both should be punished!...

Still the meeting goes on in Copenhagen!

[xcamel]

FReepmail me to get on or off

Ping me if you find one I've missed.

---

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Further developments in the Global Scam:

News From Copenhagen: Denmark Rife With CO2 Fraud

[Just mythoughts]

Amen,...Hallelujah,...Damn well said...there ought to be some action... Think a lot more here ought to hear what you are saying! All of us that worked in technical fields,...engineering ,...science etc...there is a DAMN SACRED TRUST...that when you render an opinion...it ought to be the very best that your training can arrive at.... These clowns were not doing that....they were rendering an opinion bought and paid for by those who had an Agenda to gain profits and power by pushing world opinion a certain way! Both should be punished!... Still the meeting goes on in Copenhagen!

I can understand the sentiment regarding what this bunch have done to the 'honor and trust' in the world of science. However, they are mere hirelings of a political mindset that intends to use US as their 'hockey' puck.

Under the Clintons it was Maddie Albright that said the US policy was 'equalize all nations'. And the left around this globe have worked for generations to fulfill that goal. Climate terror was one of those like divine creations that could touch the heart and mind if preached in a religious manner that could not be argued against. The image is about 'saving' Mother Earth and people mainly US will be required to sacrifice.

This began as a political operation buying and funding the willing intellectuals to present an unarguable case in a religious sense.

[VOA]

bump

[steelyourfaith]

That's well stated too.

This AGW business has been so offensive on so many levels, and the perversion of the scientific method by these prostitute "scientists" is certainly one.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Publius6961.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Ernest.

[Landru]

"All of us that worked in technical fields,...engineering ,...science etc...there is a DAMN SACRED TRUST...that when you render an opinion...it ought to be the very best that your training can arrive at..."

LOL!!!!!!!!
That's because if [we] couldn't "fix it", make it work for our customer?
[We] didn't have a job.
Either that or whatever it is [we] designed, might just kill or maim us. LOL

"These clowns were not doing that...they were rendering an opinion bought and paid for by those who had an Agenda to gain profits and power by pushing world opinion a certain way!"

These 'clowns' attempted nothing less than hijacking the entire planet & every single nation, man, woman and child on it. No less.

For that alone, all responsible must have their own fair trial and for those found guilty?
They be hung by the neck with a short piece of rope from a sour apple tree until dead.

And I've never been more serious. ;^)