Unstoppable hot air.....

Dennis Avery and Fred Singer have a new book out "Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1500 Years" and Avery is on book tour. David Archer attended Avery's talk last week at the Heartland Institute which is "a nonprofit organization devoted to discovering and promoting free-market solutions to social and economic problems." A precis of the book's argument can be found at the National Center for Policy Analysis, whose "mission is to seek innovative private-sector solutions to public policy problems. By using innovative and unique approaches to these problems, the NCPA encourages individual rights, free enterprise and self-government." You might see a pattern here if you were not such a trusting bunny, but it does not seem that science plays much of a role.

Archer tears the book's thesis to shreds. Eli stuck his nose in

There is an interesting dynamic at work. The denial crowd has become increasingly shrill to deal with the avalanche of science demonstrating the reality and bad effects of global warming. They have ramped up their personal attacks on a bunch of folk who, based on past behavior, would rather just do their science. The scientists, if only to save their good names are starting to emerge from their labs and enter the public arena. They are also beginning to recognize that not every Holiday Inn Climate Scientist is their colleague.
Since the scientists have more credibility, the denialists are trying to drive them out of the public area before they gain more traction. This is going on at Eli's favorite blogs, (look at the posts between Nov 15 and 21) but you have to ask yourself, why there, why this, why now.
The answers may not be pleasing, but they are revealing.

There was a bit of unpleasantness involving Ethon's dinner and Eli. Since this is a family blog we will omit the by play here, including a bon mot which was too strong even for Real Climate. However, Gavin did ask yr humble hare to tone it down and stick to the topic to which we replied

There are at a minimum two topics here. The first is a scientific one, are there 1500 year D-O cycles in the Holocene, or at least the recent Holocene, which for arbitrary purposes we might take as recorded history. If there are, how much are they influencing current climate change.
The second, and in my judgement more important question (and I gather the original poster agrees with me on this) is how and why is this issue being raised in by Singer and Avery. Specific to this thread, why at the Heartland Institute which is a nonprofit organization devoted to discovering and promoting free-market solutions to social and economic problems." Now certain of our friends have been tutt-tutting the participation of scientists in politics, but you can get a good hint of what this is really about take a look at this must see video." (It's about 12 minutes. If you prefer the transcript is here)

It will be interesting to hear the tutt tutters comments on this piece of work especially in view of their objections to the shocking "political" statements of such as Paul Cruitzen and Al Gore on climate change.

Energy & Environment is simply a newsletter reporting on Congressional actions on those issues. It is read by people in the associated industries and by politicians concerned about those issues. For the most part they don't read blorgs or blogs. Perhaps the Real Climate gang should ask to appear.