Climate change - the POLITICAL debate.

Climate change - the POLITICAL debate.

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kerplunk

7,064 posts

206 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
quotequote all
When asked about the publication of skeptical papers Boehmer-Christiansen [editor of Energy & Environment journal] said, "I'm following my political agenda -- a bit, anyway. But isn't that the right of the editor?"

discuss


turbobloke

103,968 posts

260 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
quotequote all
Papers should be published on scientific merit only, as determined by independent disinterested open peer review. The job of a journal Editor is to secure high standards of science in their publication not follow a political agenda. Or at least it should be.


LongQ

Original Poster:

13,864 posts

233 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
quotequote all
kerplunk said:
When asked about the publication of skeptical papers Boehmer-Christiansen [editor of Energy & Environment journal] said, "I'm following my political agenda -- a bit, anyway. But isn't that the right of the editor?"

discuss
Good grief kp, for an uninvolved party you seem to have some interestingly obscure quotes readily at hand.

The link to the quote in Wikipedia seems to be broken so difficult to discuss in relation to the context of the comment. However this link

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/...

suggests that B-C's inclinations are not exactly hidden and that, as an editor, she seeks at least in part to provide an outlet for papers that offer some scope fo balance in the world of climate science related studies.

Without such publications and the opportunities that publication of the papers offer the 'real' scientists to make constructive criticism, the message would be extremely one sided. That would be both boring to the public and for practical purposes the end of funding requirements by governments. I doubt CRU et al would be happy about that.

That the editor of the journal, acting as editor and observer of politics in science rather than as a Climate Scientist, should admit to some political leanings in line with their research background is hardly a surprise. That the editors of other publications admit no such interests, publically (as far as I am aware) is disappointing and perhaps somewhat misleading.

Papers should be selected on merit and to reflect broadly competing views in order to advance scientific discovery and debate and, a long way down the road, maybe public policy. That it seems to require an outlying journal to enable comparison of work from researchers with different scientific opinions and methods is unfortunate for science and most particularly for the 'peer review' process as a 'standard' fit for public policy decision influence rather than merely a means of dealing with internal academic politics and egos as it had been for a century or so until academia became big business.

turbobloke's comment immediately after your post is entirely correct in my opinion, no matter how unlikely it is to be clearly observable in the money quest that is modern academic 'research'.

turbobloke

103,968 posts

260 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
quotequote all
LongQ said:
...no matter how unlikely it is to be clearly observable in the money quest that is modern academic 'research'.
That's on the money in both senses.

If concerted attempts to keep science that could do damage to the cause over the past 20 to 30 years had been absent, there would be far fewer junkscience rentapaper publications, something almost exclusively the privilege of mate's rates for The Team, and we would have seen more papers in certain journals demonstrating the many evident failings of a tax gas approach, given that their authors were forced to publish eslewhere due to the broken peer review process.

In recent times this has become less of an issue following Climategate 1 and 2 and with nature kicking sand in the bully's face. The nonscience of manmadeup warming is in freefall and rentapapers along with other weak publications pushing the cause are nowadays visibly hammered within hours of appearance then slowly cut to pieces over the following months. The only prop keeping the edifice from falling over completely, given the total failure of the junkscience compared to the success of political patronage, is the apparent need to let certain political and pseudoscientific players retire or die if possible before the inevitable happens. They'll miss most or all of the ridicule and anger they should be facing now, but there's no point expecting life to be fair.

Lost_BMW

12,955 posts

176 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
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turbobloke said:
Talking of mathematicians and politics, this is lucid thought from a sometimes troubled but top level mathematician:

"Then gradually I began to intellectually reject some of the delusionally influenced lines of thinking which had been characteristic of my orientation. This began, most recognizably, with the rejection of politically-oriented thinking as essentially a hopeless waste of intellectual effort."

Obviously not somebody in any way linked to Royal Sorcery 'thinking'.
From a 'Beautiful Mind' to a banal cabal...

Lost_BMW

12,955 posts

176 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
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Pointman said:
@LostBMW, have some ammo mate.

"In conclusion and moving back to conversations with young people, I always agree with them in the end that the Polar bear situation is terrible but what I’m really thinking is terrible, is just how successful propaganda can be."

http://thepointman.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/polar-...

Pointman
Cheers - spent a bit of the little free time I had this afternoon copying stuff from the many saved files/links to gas-threatened ice bears (or not, you know... the blighters that have increased c.5 times in my life time!)

jurbie

2,343 posts

201 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
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Try to use Delingpoles rather good line about Polar Bears not being in decline but rather an infestation.

Lost_BMW

12,955 posts

176 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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jurbie said:
Try to use Delingpoles rather good line about Polar Bears not being in decline but rather an infestation.
Got that! Had heard it at the time and thought it a witty line, just right to annoy the angst ridden greenista.

I wonder if we could do an Earth Sponsorship Scheme, e.g. feed Mucas Laughingstock to polar bears in return for a guaranteed planting of 100,000 trees, or chop Chris Whonne into slathers in windymill blades in return for the closure of one coal fired station? Just a thought...

dickymint

24,357 posts

258 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
^^^ of course the response will be 'because the ice is melting it's driving the bears into town to dine out and prosper'.

nelly1

5,630 posts

231 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
Here's a good one...

Baseball Announcer Blames Global Warming For The Increase In Major League Home Runs...

Apparently 'Climactic changes' are making the air thinner...

silly

Lost_BMW

12,955 posts

176 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
nelly1 said:
Here's a good one...

Baseball Announcer Blames Global Warming For The Increase In Major League Home Runs...

Apparently 'Climactic changes' are making the air thinner...

silly
Was his special (scientific) adviser once Ed Milliband?


But, in any event, what a fatuous prick.

Pesty

42,655 posts

256 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
counrty file now.

climate change pete bogs are our best hope against it.

"The heath lands are are best though battered shield against climate change"

"these heath lands are Our battle gorund in the fight against climate change"

Shar2

2,220 posts

213 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
Pesty said:
counrty file now.

climate change pete bogs are our best hope against it.

"The heath lands are are best though battered shield against climate change"

"these heath lands are Our battle gorund in the fight against climate change"
But they're locking in billions of tons of harmful greenhouse gases, don't you know. rolleyes

Uh oh! they've got a climate scientist on now.

dickymint

24,357 posts

258 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
Pesty said:
counrty file now.

climate change pete bogs are our best hope against it.

"The heath lands are are best though battered shield against climate change"

"these heath lands are Our battle gorund in the fight against climate change"
Wifey switched the channel as apparently "I started twitching"!!!

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

255 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
rofl

turbobloke

103,968 posts

260 months

Monday 30th April 2012
quotequote all
Believers in a spin as windfarms cause warming?!

Click

IainT

10,040 posts

238 months

Monday 30th April 2012
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dickymint said:
Wifey switched the channel as apparently "I started twitching"!!!
I just change channel before it comes on to avoid having to shout at the TV lest the neighbours put in a call to have me sectioned!

Diderot

7,323 posts

192 months

Monday 30th April 2012
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turbobloke said:
Believers in a spin as windfarms cause warming?!

Click
rofl

IainT

10,040 posts

238 months

Monday 30th April 2012
quotequote all
The UN has a good History of making good predictions of doom.

dickymint

24,357 posts

258 months

Monday 30th April 2012
quotequote all
Just now on Sky News - Matt Ridley just roasted Mariah McCaffery (CEO of Renewable UK) on the costs and efficiency of wind turbines. Hopefully front page news tomorrow.
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