How Climate Science Works

When I was an undergraduate in physics, and later in engineering, we had this quaint process where we would conduct experiments and generate data, and from these results generate conclusions.

Climate science works differently.  First, political types and activists write the management summary in as alarming and as headlines-grabbing terms as they can, largely without the help or concurrence of the majority of the scientists involved in the study.  Then, they spend months modifying the underlying data, models, and scientific analysis to fit this management summary.

The summary of the most recent IPCC climate survey has already been released.  The body of the study, with the actual facts and models and stuff, has not been released (won't be for months) and carries this warning on the last draft:

"Changes (other than
grammatical or minor editorial changes) made after acceptance by the
Working Group or the Panel shall be those necessary to ensure
consistency with the Summary for Policymakers or the Overview Chapter.
"

4 Comments

  1. Matt:

    In other words, "if the facts turn out not to sufficiently fit the scaremongering, we'll just lie about the facts".

  2. Mesa EconoGuy:

    Another reason to love the Aussies:

    “In an interview with The Age last month, Mr Evans acknowledged that last September's visit by former US vice-president Al Gore to promote his Oscar-winning global-warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth had helped generate a lot of publicity on climate change.
    But he described Mr Gore's film as "bullshit from beginning to end".”

    http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/greenhouse-sceptics-to-congregate/2007/02/27/1172338625822.html

  3. clickster:

    The IPCC is already making changes, quietly of course:

    "Errors covertly corrected by the I.P.C.C. after publication And Uncorrected Errors by Al Gore"

    by Lord Monckton of Brenchley, March 2007

    http://ff.org/centers/csspp/pdf/20070226_monckton.pdf

  4. Jack Harris:

    Like a well known talk show host said recently, "The global warming idea and subsequent carbon footprint neutralization is the biggest scam that has ever been put on the American people."