“I just laid an egg and I’m resting,” said Henny-Penny, founder
of The Holy Order of The Sky is Falling and its recording
secretary. “While you’re resting,” I replied, “Let me give you some
news.”
Ms. H-P: You mean you’ve
stopped being skeptical about all the Himalayan glaciers melting by
2035?
Me: On the
contrary, a new independent investigation cited that claim in the
2007 report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
as one of several errors. It also called for “fundamental reform”
of the IPCC.
Ms. H-P: What are a few
little errors when the 2007 consensus of the IPCC report is that
climate change is “unequivocal” and “probably caused by
humans”?
Me: Bear in mind
that the writers of IPCC reports are appointed by their respective
governments and reflect the views of those governments, many of
which have a political agenda. That is, they want a massive
redistribution of wealth and resources from industrialized
countries to non-industrialized ones.
Ms. H-P: The IPCC Chairman,
Rajendra Pachauri, says the errors were minor.
Me: He’s the guy
with the unruly comb-over, right? Maybe it’s folk wisdom, but
behind an untidy appearance may lay an untidy mind. The
InterAcademy Council, a group of national scientific academies
called, for a limit of one six-year term for the IPCC leader plus a
strong conflict-of-interest policy. That’s indirect criticism of
Mr. Comb-Over’s eight years as the head of the IPCC and his desire
to stay in that position for another four, through 2014 when the
next IPCC report is due. It also reflects on his several contracts
to advise energy and financial companies. He says there’s no
conflict and that he donates the money he receives from them to a
think tank he heads. No conflict?
Ms. H-P: The next IPCC
Conference on Climate Change will be in Cancun in December and this
time we must come up with a global agreement to curb greenhouse
gas.
Me: Good luck. The
last one in Copenhagen laid — if you’ll excuse me —an
egg.
Ms. H-P: You skeptics will
never be satisfied. What is it you want this time?
Me: One scientist
who participated in two IPCC reports told the investigators that
his doubts about man-made global warming were ignored. Others with
doubts about the melting glaciers who reviewed the 2007 report
before it was published were also ignored. The 2007 report also
didn’t have a clear way to measure the “uncertainty” often
expressed by scientists. For example, the report expresses “high
confidence” that rain-fed agriculture would drop by 50 percent by
2020. The investigation concluded this assertion was based on weak
evidence.
And so it goes.
Mr. Comb-Over claims he initiated the InterAcademy Council
investigation. The fact is that the Himalayan glaciers statement
was so far off base scientifically that when the report came out it
caused a great deal of criticism, if not outright ridicule, and
Pachauri found himself issuing a statement of “regret” about the
blooper, and agreeing to an outside investigation.
Since this and other errors happened on his watch, it’s
time for him to resign so that — as Washington politicians say
when caught out — he can spend more time with his
family.
Ms. H-P: Nevertheless, the
last few years have been warmer than normal.
Me: To which I can
only say, so what? Furthermore, this year your Global Hysterics
friends have no cause of joy because the wild fire season has been
much tamer than expected and the hurricanes have pooped out to
tropical storms.
