Saudia Arabia’s announcement that the CRU email hack will have a "huge impact" on the Copenhagen summit is unsurprising. But it doesn't change the science.
Saudia Arabia’s announcement that the CRU email hack will have a “huge impact” on the Copenhagen summit is unsurprising but deeply unsavoury.
Al-Sabban, the Saudis’ lead spokesman on this, is now saying:
“It appears from the details of the scandal that there is no relationship whatsoever between human activity and climate change”.
But let’s remind ourselves of the long and deep history of Saudi Arabia’s support for the denial of man-made climate change; the concrete actions that they have taken to prevent timely action; and their pitiful failure to take any action themselves over the greatest of all threats to our species and our living world.
Climate-deniers don’t like to focus on the role of the likes of Saudi Arabia and Exxon in backing them up. They prefer to talk about things like the minutiae of the programmer’s code used in working on the CRU data. For example, on last night’s Newsnight (11’45”) in which the new ‘Harry’ programmer’s code controversy is presented.
As has been shown expertly here and here, there is no smoking gun at all; just a vague suggestion that the way that the CRU data has been worked with has not been as flawless as the way that NASA’s has been. For more, watch this video:
Does this cast any doubt at all on their fundamental findings, or suggest any kind of conspiracy? The answer is simple: No.
The bottom line is this: There are many people out there, some of them just wilful contrarians, some of them directly profiting from the continuation of the fossil-fuel-economy, who are desperate to do whatever they can to try to hold off the moment when they have to change. CRU is one of the messengers saying that change in the way we live is necessary, if manmade climate change is not to overwhelm us. At the end of the day, the mad furore around this hack is simply a new case of a very old phenomenon: shooting the messenger.
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33 Responses to “Shooting CRU, the climate change messenger”
Anon E Mouse
Rupert Read – So you deny that last Sunday morning on the Andrew Marr show Caroline Lucas agreed that the planet had cooled for the last decade?
Simple question Rupert. Did she agree it had cooled. Yes or No.
*Sigh* btw – Everything King Midas touched turned to gold and was not misrepresented as you suggest – what exactly are your educational achievements?
You are evidently a bit like Walter Mitty, my dear Rupert – everything you touch gets (I suppose) misrepresented. Now that’s more accurate….
Rupert Read
[Sigh…]
As I’ve explained before, what Caroline allowed was the fact that 1998 is the warmest year on record. It is ludicrous beyond words or reason to pretend that that means that the planet has been on a cooling trajectory since then. Depending on which figures you take, between 5 and 7 of the warmest years on record have been during the last 10 years. That is terrifying.
It’s simple: The planet is heating up, and will continue to do so, unless we stop polluting it. Caroline says that every day, and it really is quite pathetic for you to pretend that she has said anything different. I can’t think what you hope to gain by it, other than what is perhaps your real goal: wasting the time of people like me, and casting tiny shadows of doubt that may undermine people’s commitment to action. Hoping that your hot air will get in the way of us doing something to stop the planet burning.
…Anyway, enough of words. I’m off to London for the climate march now. Time for action. ‘Deeds, not words.’
Lynda Edwards
It was Andrew Marr who asked Caroline her comments on the fact there has been no appreciable global warming in the last ten years. Caroline emphasised we are looking at long-term trends and not merely the last ten years.
A few years ago I attended a talk by someone who had data collected by scientists which showed global temperatures had increased since the time of the Industrial Revolution – which says a huge amount about our present way of life doesn’t it?
Anyway, if the overall global warming melts the polar ice caps what is going to happen to the Gulf Stream? Our own climate may well cool a little but the global temperature will still be rising…..
Adrian Windisch
Sad that people with little knowledge of science assume that they must know more than scientists. As though global warming means that every year there must be an increase, when its about long term trends. http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/climate-change-skepticism-science-logic.html is good on this.
Anon E Mouse
Rupert Read – the planet is not burning. It is more than pathetic to suggest that it is. Grow up. This is not a James Bond movie you know.
Once again you are denying the truth because you are afraid of it and you are twisting the situation to suit your position. That is both deceitful and dishonest and you should be ashamed of yourself for doing it.
Stop telling lies and behave like an adult. I do not deny that the planet is increasing in temperature (not in the last ten years though) and I accept I do not know why.
Neither do you Rupert Read – no one does but I do not like it when people such as yourself make statements that are simply not true. Then you smear and make up stories about peoples characters instead of addressing the issues and I find that behavior disgraceful – especially when I am being effectively pilloried by those very comments.
I have voted for the greens on more than one occasion but never again after seeing the dishonest position you are allowed to adopt and promote on blogs like these, seemingly with impunity.
Finally do not accuse me of having a goal to “waste the time of people like me (you)”. Define “people like me” Rupert. I have no interest in people like you who fabricate stories to act as a vehicle for their self promotion – you are not important to me.
However I will not stand for anyone suggesting that my comments are anything but honest in any forum, private or otherwise, so do not not make any comments about anything I have said that are factually inaccurate Rupert.
My comments are my opinion – I am freely entitled to hold them and anyone should be free to challenge them which is fine.
What is not fine is to suggest that I am acting in a dishonest manner just because I do not share your minority view. Tread carefully Rupert Read.