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Sampling bias might be distorting view of upheaval due to global warming
Phys.Org ^ | February 13, 2018 | by Bob Yirka

Posted on 02/13/2018 8:06:08 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

A small team of researchers from The University of Melbourne, the Georg Eckert Institute and Freie Universität has found problems with research related to assessing the propensity for war amid environmental changes due to global warming. In their paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the group argues that much of current research on the topic suffers from several bias flaws. Cullen Hendrix with the University of Denver outlines the arguments by the research team in the same journal issue and suggests future research efforts will have to be refocused if they are to be useful in predicting future conflicts based on global warming projections.

As the planet heats up, some areas are going to become hotter and drier, and if that leads to a reduction in resources available to the people living in those areas, the result is likely to be bloodshed. Some people inside and out of the science community have even gone so far as to suggest that we have already seen examples - famine and war in Darfur, or on a larger scale, the ongoing Syrian civil war. But, the researchers with this effort point out, making predictions regarding future conflicts must be based on unbiased research efforts, something that has not been done very well so far.

The team combed through over 100 papers published from 1990 to 2017 meant to offer insights into the link between global warming and warfare and report finding substantial bias. They found, for example, that much of the research was focused on headline-making conflicts rather than small-scale affairs. They also noted that most of the conflicts occurred in areas where people spoke English, making it easier for the researchers, but leaving out many areas that likely should have studied but did not. They also found that many of the studies focused on areas that were already experiencing conflict, such as Syria and Sudan. But, perhaps most strikingly, they found that areas of study were often not even those that have been deemed more likely to be geographically impacted by a warming planet.

They conclude by suggesting biased research in such a context could lead to "reproduction of colonial stereotypes"—a reference to English-speaking countries that were once part of the British empire.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: globalwarming; hoax; propaganda; socialism

1 posted on 02/13/2018 8:06:08 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

\o/


2 posted on 02/13/2018 8:07:53 AM PST by butlerweave
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Speaking of statistics and sampling, I am willing to bet a substantial portion of my income that if you sampled all articles related to global warming/climate change, all of those that state or infer that it is man-made either propose that it could (or is) associated with something negative, or detrimental to something positive FAR more often than the reverse.


3 posted on 02/13/2018 8:09:56 AM PST by z3n
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Fake sampling, of course. Big bucks are on the line when government grants hang in the balance.


4 posted on 02/13/2018 8:12:08 AM PST by txrefugee
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I used to eat dry dog food to impress my friends back in grade school. I’ve been a nail biter my whole adult life. I’ll eat almost anything and actually ended up in the emergency room for eating a poisonous mushroom. It was this one:
https://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/360/flashcards/855360/png/untitled1326932504081.png

I bring that up only to mention that I’m 64, with no health insurance, and I rarely get ill (every few years). And when I do, it’s usually pretty minor.

Maybe it’s all that dirt I eat.


5 posted on 02/13/2018 8:12:09 AM PST by robroys woman (So you're not confused, I'm male.)
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To: robroys woman

http://drchristianson.com/how-ordinary-mushrooms-can-be-your-personal-superfood/?inf_contact_key=4140fc2d07bfcb869f932b88ac3d16159fddec8fdad0078c13d751eba64cc70a


6 posted on 02/13/2018 8:16:48 AM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra (Don't touch that thing! Don't let anybody touch that thing!I'm a doctor and I won't touch that thing)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
"....from The University of Melbourne"

That's as much as I needed to hear.
7 posted on 02/13/2018 8:26:31 AM PST by indthkr
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
"geographically impacted" by climate change.

Wow. Now "climate change" can actually move places from one location to another on the planet's surface.

That's it. It's official. Climate change can literally do anything...

8 posted on 02/13/2018 8:31:59 AM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: robroys woman

Amanita Muscara. That’s a bad one.


9 posted on 02/13/2018 8:33:38 AM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Who knew that Warmists are biased?!


10 posted on 02/13/2018 8:58:08 AM PST by aquila48
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To: z3n

When have you EVER seen a story about a potential positive effect of global warming? It’s destruction and doomsday 24/7.


11 posted on 02/13/2018 9:02:02 AM PST by aquila48
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

bkmk


12 posted on 02/13/2018 9:05:24 AM PST by sauropod (I am His and He is mine.)
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra

I used to hunt “coral” mushrooms by Mt. St. Helens before it blew. I also pulled four massive puffer mushrooms out of my yard this year. 8” in diameter. I cut them up like steaks and mixed them in food like tofu. They were excellent.

It’s interesting. My wife gets ill quite a bit and gets VERY ill. She hates mushrooms and won’t touch seafood (another favorite of mine).

Maybe she and I need to have a discussion.


13 posted on 02/13/2018 9:32:48 AM PST by robroys woman (So you're not confused, I'm male.)
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To: WayneS

I found out the poison is in the orange. If you only eat the white, it’s fine. That’s why the lady who said they were harmless and eats them all the time never gets sick. She only eats the stem.

I did get really high, but was pretty sick the next day.


14 posted on 02/13/2018 9:34:06 AM PST by robroys woman (So you're not confused, I'm male.)
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