Arguments
2016 SkS Weekly Digest #36
Posted on 4 September 2016 by John Hartz
SkS Highlights... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Graphic of the Week... SkS in the News... SkS Spotlights... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...
SkS Highlights
Look for an important announcement by SkS founder, John Cook, on Tuesday of this week.
Toon of the Week
Quote of the Week
"We're leading by example," Obama said in China. "As the world's two largest economies and two largest emitters, our entrance into this agreement continues the momentum of Paris, and should give the rest of the world confidence—whether developed or developing countries—that a low-carbon future is where the world is heading."
U.S. and China Ratify Paris Agreement, Upping Pressure on Other Nations by John H Cushman Jr. InsideClimate News, Sep 3, 2016
Graphic of the Week
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during their meeting in Hangzhou on September 3, 2016, where they ratified the Paris climate agreement. Credit: HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP/Getty Images
SkS in the News
Free Online Course: Making Sense of Climate Science Denial was posted on The Dauly Kos by the blooger, Think critically.
In his Bad Astronomy (Slate) Blog post, Grasping Climate Change, Phil Plait states
And if you hear someone denying climate change, may I humbly suggest searching this very blog for more info with which to give them facts, and links to more information? Other good sources include NASA’s climate siteNOAA’s climate site,Skeptical ScienceDesmogBlog RealClimate, and Climate Central
SkS Spotlights
The United Nations University (UNU) is the academic arm of the United Nations and acts as a global think tank. The mission of the Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) is to carry out cutting edge research on risks and adaptation related to environmental hazards and global change. The institute’s research promotes policies and programmes to reduce these risks, while taking into account the interplay between environmental and societal factors.
Research areas include climate change adaptation incorporating insurance-related approaches, environmentally induced migration and social vulnerability, ecosystem services and environmental deterioration processes, models and tools to analyze vulnerability and risks linked to natural hazards, with a focus on urban space and rural-urban interfaces. Research is always conducted with the underlying goal of connecting solutions to development pathways.
Beyond its research mandate, UNU-EHS is actively engaged in education. It offers the joint Master of Science degree programme “The Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security” with the University of Bonn. UNU-EHS also hosts a number of international PhD projects and courses on global issues of environmental risks and sustainable development. The institute is based in Bonn, Germany.
UNU-EHS is composed of the following academic sections:
- Vulnerability Assessment, Risk Management & Adaptive Planning Section (VARMAP)
- Environmental Vulnerability & Ecosystem Services Section (EVES)
- EduSphere Section
- Environmental Migration, Social Vulnerability & Adaptation Section (EMSVA)
RECENT BLOGS
- 2016•08•18 World Risk Report 2016: The Importance of Infrastructure
- 2016•08•16 5 facts on the World Risk Report
- 2016•08•09 Five years of the World Risk Report
Coming Soon on SkS
- Range anxiety? Today’s electric cars can cover vast majority of daily U.S. driving needs (Jessica Trancik)
- Climate polarization is rising in America; conservative media largely to blame (Dana)
- BBC climate coverage is still nothing to write home about (Geoffrey Suppan)
- Guest Post (John Abraham)
- 2016 SkS Weekly News Roundup #37 (John Hartz)
- 2016 SkS Weekly Digest #37 (John Hartz)
Poster of the Week
SkS Week in Review
- 2016 SkS Weekly News Roundup #36 by John Hartz
- Americans Now More Politically Polarized On Climate Change Than Ever Before, Analysis Finds by Graham Readfearn (DeSmog)
- Coordinator of UK Ocean Acidification Research Attacks The Spectator for 'Willfully Misleading' James Delingpole Column by Graham Readfearn (DeSmog)
- An update on methane emissions from fracking (in the US) by gws
- California has urged President Obama and Congress to tax carbon pollution by Dana Nuccitelli (Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian)
- 2016 SkS Weekly Digest #35 by John Hartz
97 Hours of Consensus: Jason Box
With regard to the poster, it may technically be true in that we do not have any monthly records or proxies for temperature prior to the 17th century; but there were probably warmer months 6-8 thousand years ago, almost certainly warmer months about 110 thousand years ago, and certainly warmer months multiple millions of years ago. Indeed, in the very distant (pre-human) past, for certain periods, average annual temperatures would have been warmer than July 2016. So, the hottest month ever recorded, but that is more a fact about the shortness of the records, and the lack of resolution in the proxies than about the temperature. And while calling attention to the fact that it was the warmest July since 1880 (or 1850 for less reliable records) is worthwhile, the second "Ever", in orange type by emphasizing the time element makes the whole misleading.