Pat Michaels: leaked emails a ‘mushroom cloud’
by Hawes Spencer
published 4:52pm Saturday Nov 21, 2009
published 4:52pm Saturday Nov 21, 2009
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A cache of leaked emails that show some leading global warming theory proponents acting less than nobly has caught the attention not only of the New York Times but also of the Charlottesville-based scientist often slammed by the errant emailers. “This is not a smoking gun; this is a mushroom cloud,” UVA’s state climatologist Pat Michaels says in the Times story.
Michael Mann, of hockey graph fame, is quoted in the article and used to be at U.Va. It’s a shame that U.Va. spends money on things such as public policy schools instead of improving their science departments and keeping good faculty members.
Oh, and isn’t Pat Michaels the former state climatologist?
You’re right he is former state climatologist.
“Patrick J. Michaels is Senior Fellow in Environmental Studies at The Cato Institute in Washington D.C….
In the Preface to Climate of Extremes former Virginia State Climatologist Michaels describes how he and other state climatologists were stripped of their titles, and jobs, and told by their governors to “shut up” about the global warming hoax.”
http://rightofmiddle.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/climate-of-extremes-patrick-j-michaels/
Michaels wasn’t “stripped of his title,” because he never had it in the first place. He was appointed “acting state climatologist” by Governor Dalton in 1977 (wrongly, as it turns out), but that expired with Dalton’s governorship. Dalton had intended to appoint Michaels as “state climatologist” in 1980, but dropped the ball and never did it, and didn’t have the authority to do so anyhow. Nonetheless, Michaels continued to claim to be state climatologist for 26 years, in which period he would have noticed that he had never again been reappointed by a single subsequent governor. He was told to “shut up” about claiming to hold a position that he did not hold, and likely never had held. To claim to speak for a state when one does not is a pretty serious problem.
It doesn’t surprise me that the state government and U.Va. didn’t follow an actual protocol in naming Michaels state climatologist and having him use the title for 25 years - that’s the informal way things in Virginia were run. Of course, this informality made it easy to strip him of the title when public attention to his contrarian views and actions became increasingly embarrassing.
I guess U.Va. and/or the state has decided to avoid such problems in the future by not naming a state climatologist. Jerry Stenger is listed as “Director Of The AASC-Designated State Climatology Office” by U.Va.
What’s sad about this is– that it will distract us from taking the bold action necessary to save the world. It’s easy to sit here in the Northern Hemisphere, and hem and haw about whether global warming is happening, but go to Africa, or Asia, or Geenland, and ask the people there what they think. My guess is, that if you hacked into the e-mails of the climate change skeptics, you’d find the same venomous feelings toward their adversaries. Once again we see the great divide, that seems to be leading our country to a huge waste of time and money on uncivil debate, while the problems that will negatively impact all of us worsen.
“In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes
Stolen e-mails reveal venomous feelings toward skeptics”
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 22, 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/21/AR2009112102186.html
Either that or you could go to people places where it has been too cold for too long and see that they can start producing food again. (you know just like they did when the world was warmer from all the Co2 that the horse drawn popemobiles emitted.)
I think what we need is transparency and sunlight. The chack the facts and trecheck them. Dispell the rumors with facts as to why they are wrong.
Then you will have something to talk about.
(like the report last week that says if you do nothing the world will rice by ONE DEGREE by 2050, but if you encat the kyoto protocols it will only rise by FOUR TENS OF ONE DEGREE) (and half of that is probably from lost production as the proptocols cripple econoimes)
The debate is not closed.
If imposing economically disastrous legislation like Cap and Trade is the bold action we need to take then count this country out. We know saving Mother Earth leaves such a warm fuzzy feeling inside all of us but spare us the pork-barrel spending. The only result of the would-be legislation is going to be money changing hands inside the beltway, the politicians making deals behind closed doors, and greedy lawyers that are writing this thing. It reeks of corruption. Meanwhile it’s going to cost us billions out of pocket, and do nothing to save the environment. If somebody really wants to save the world then tell the Chicoms and the Soviets to clean up their mess. They are home of the top 7 out of 10 dirtiest places in the world.
wanna save the world? Well here is the problem… people are so busy trying to blame everyone else for everything that is wrong.
It is a complicated issue. We are so busy worrying about recycling a plastic bottle when if you bury it in the ground it will NEVER HURT ANYTHING meanwhile just 16 ships pollute more than all the worlds cars combined…
read it and weep folks… then go hug a tree….
http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/news-how-16-ships-pollute-as-much-as-all-of-world-s-cars-r-1258932642
Exactly, why is it so difficult to prioritize what would make the most difference, even if there is tremendous resistance, at least we would know the truth, and face what it will take to make a dent in this problem.
We could start on the local level; when pursuing long term infrastructure projects for our area such as roads, or new dams and pipelines; we need a carbon footprint analysis for all alternatives being considered. Has anyone figured this out for the difference in building a dam and uphill electricity powered pipeline, killing 54,000 mature trees, vs. dredging, repairing the dam at Ragged Mt, and using a gravitiy fed pipeline we already own. And how about looking at conservation as the best way to stop polluting the environment, and other low cost ways to increase our water supply that were thrown out, because the Nature Conservancy pushed everyone on the dam/pipeline scheme. Maybe we could ask the NC to conduct this analysis, since they seem to be the wealthiest and most powerful environmental organization in Virginia.
Why not start solving this problem, in our own community, and not with the small stuff, like bags and bottles, but with the big stuff like killing tens of thousands of trees and building unneeded dams and pipelines ?
Whether Michaels had the “title” of state climatologist or not, he was de facto state climatologist. He spoke and wrote many times in Virginia’s Climate Advisory. He made a large contribution. He was professional. The only reason we’re talking about Michaels is his position on global warming. Anyone remember the 1977 edition that documented the 1977 all-time record drought locally? So when the ‘02 drought came, Michaels knew about ‘77 and therefore downplayed the severity of ‘02 drought. But nobody was listening this time because the office under Hayden was so wrong when they had predicted the ‘77 drought would drag on but ended abruptly a few weeks later. Isn’t climatology the study of the history of weather? Why bother studying if you don’t use the knowledge.
The fanatic effort by a blogger and city councilman spearheaded the ‘06 campaign to dethrone Michaels. Their methods of smear and personal attacks instead of civil debate reveal that they themselves on some level doubt the global warming faith. That’s why they scream at you and call you names instead of explaining how your logic is flawed. Where’s the diversity of ideas? Where’s the scientific method? It once lived at the Office of State Climatology, aka Patrick Michaels.
Nice try at smear and personal attack there Blair, but even you admit he didn’t have a title. No dethroning to be done in that case. Just stopping the public from being mislead by someone with an agenda and a fake cloak of authority.
I think that Michaels is wrong about global warming, but why suggest that he had a “fake cloak of authority”? Everyone thought that he was in fact state climatologist. himself included. If U.Va. got rid of everyone who was hired through bureaucratically irregular means, then they would lose lots of employees, faculty members, and administrators.