On Monday, NewsBusters asked, "How soon before someone in the media blames the cyclone in Bangladesh on global warming, the war in Iraq, President Bush, or all of the above?"
On Saturday, the Boston Globe's Derrick Z. Jackson came very close.
In his column entitled "Hesitance on the Warming Front," Jackson was quick to blame everything but nature for the planet's most recent natural disaster (emphasis added throughout):AS THE United Nations released the strongest report yet on global warming, a cyclone barreled up the Bay of Bengal. The death toll has already passed 3,000 and is expected to climb to about 10,000. A 4-foot-high storm surge swamped the coast of the sea-level nation. It was a preview for the rise in sea levels in the years ahead.Predicting that global warming will result in a likely increase in tropical cyclone activity, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said, "Coastal areas, especially in heavy populated megadelta regions in South, East and Southeast Asia will be at greatest risk due to increased flooding from the sea. . . . Endemic morbidity and mortality due to diarrheal disease primarily associated with floods and droughts are expected to rise."
Honestly, one has to wonder if Jackson even read the IPCC's most recent synthesis report, as the Summary for Policymakers released last Saturday clearly stated (emphasis added):
There is observational evidence of an increase in intense tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic since about 1970, with limited evidence of increases elsewhere. There is no clear trend in the annual numbers of tropical cyclones. It is difficult to ascertain longer term trends in cyclone activity, particularly prior to 1970.
As you can see, this is another example of journalists either not understanding what they read, or just plain making things up. After all, this report discussed "observational evidence" of increased tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic.
BUT, it admitted: there was limited evidence of increases elsewhere; there are no clear trends in the annual numbers, and; ascertaining longer term trends in activity is difficult.
Not exactly what Jackson presented to his readers, is it?
Speaking of which, somebody should present Jackson with an atlas, for Bangladesh isn't in the North Atlantic.
Was this ignorance, or a willful intent to misinform his readers? Regardless of the answer, that wasn't Jackson's only use of inflammatory hyperbole:
You can easily guess what the Bush administration thought of these developments. It did offer $2.1 million in emergency aid to Bangladesh. But beyond that, the same nation that waged unilateral war on Iraq complained that the European Union's action is unilateral.
In the end, it's all about Iraq, isn't? But there was more:
Awfully tough to point such an accusatory finger, Derrick, when your knowledge of the document in question is clearly suspect.Abroad, the Bangladeshes of the world are clamoring louder than ever for action. IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri said "What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future." It would be easy to assume that one of those two or three years will be wasted by Bush. But if Arnold "Hummer" Schwarzenegger can be moved on the environment, perhaps the White House has a tipping point toward sanity. In dire scenarios of climate change, many islands will be swamped. The White House is the last island of ignorance in a fast-rising sea.
Honestly, is there any integrity left in the journalism industry?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Just what in this whole
November 24, 2007 - 18:18 ET by bigtimerJust what in this whole wide world do these geniuses think they would ever be able to do to stop Mother Nature...even if there was Global Warming out to destroy us all.
Despicable money hungry power grabbin' fools with an agenda.
I am so tired of all of this despicable tripe.
The White House is the last island of ignorance in a fast-rising sea.
Awesome...really really awesome Derrick....
NOT!
writer of article is highly educated
November 24, 2007 - 18:30 ET by tropicalreportFrom his https://bostonglobe.... resume and awards, it is obvious that Mr. Jackson is not an uneducated country bumpkin, so how do you explain the plain oversight of geography? The Bay of Bengal is of course not in the North Atlantic, where a huge disagreement continues about global warming / hurricane linkages. So, Jackson is either oblivious to this debate, too lazy to google it, or simply omitting pertitent information for the purposes of propaganda. From his resume, he is not lazy or ignorant...so that leaves what?
Jackson's Harmless
November 24, 2007 - 19:15 ET by Del DolemonteAs for his resume, let's see-he worked at the liberal-infested cesspool known as Newsday and was a darling of the ultra-leftists at Columbia University.
His time at Harvard is irrelevant-after all, we all know Bush got his MBA there, which makes the institution irrelevant as a bastion of higher learning /sarc/
Let's not forget the latest
November 24, 2007 - 18:39 ET by MrShyLet's not forget the latest news on how mankind is shortening the lifespan of the universe...
We know where the blame REALLY lies.
Apparentlly, the man is so powerful and affects everything everywhere. Maybe he's..... God ????
"MY end justifies THAT mean." - Shakespeare (not really)
shy guy
November 24, 2007 - 18:48 ET by botgit's worse than you think. A high level source tells me that the Greys started watching the universe 5 billion years ago, so with the time loss etc. the end is Tuesday.
GoHunter08
botg... haha....
November 24, 2007 - 18:57 ET by MrShyWell, the reference to "tin foil hats", as often applied to these folks, didn't just materialize out of thin air.
And as the saying goes about cliches.... "They're cliche's for a reason."
:p
"MY end justifies THAT mean." - Shakespeare (not really)
Important!!!
November 25, 2007 - 03:26 ET by UnsaneDon't EVER forget...
Most Leftists are NOT, I repeat NOT, atheists.
They wish to substitute God (with a personality cult, a collective humankind, etc.). There IS a difference
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
Boston Globe, The Pravda of Papers
November 24, 2007 - 18:52 ET by Lame CherryIn looking at the lack of readership the Boston Globe has, and getting less, along with how cowardly their typers are in never bothering to answer an email, this paper is honestly nothing but a communist front publication kept in print loosing money to spin the kook ideas in America which originate in Putin's Bolshevik Russia.
The one question comrade D Z (man is that begging for Dizzy Jackson) Jackson is the Boston Globe is made of newspapers which is acid washed polluting forest destroying..........when is DZ Jackson going to call for the abolishment of newspapers.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
""Coastal areas, especially
November 24, 2007 - 19:04 ET by Sonny Lykos""Coastal areas, especially in heavy populated megadelta regions in South, East and Southeast Asia will be at greatest risk due to increased flooding from the sea. . . . Endemic morbidity and mortality due to diarrheal disease primarily associated with floods and droughts are expected to rise.""
Yep! Just like all of the hurricanes and tropical depressions that were predicted to hit the Florida coast this season.
And it didn't happen, unless I've been in a coma for the last several months.
Save that thought
November 24, 2007 - 19:08 ET by 10ksnookerLet's wait a few years and see, what's it going to cost the world, nothing at all. Any bets? My bet is on the sun, who currently is snoozing away.
Bangladesh - 1970 cyclone
November 24, 2007 - 20:24 ET by Gary HallIt is, of course, interesting to note that back in 1970, when the average world temperature was about 1 degree F lower than at present, Bangladesh was hit with a massvie cyclone which killed somewhere between 350,000 and 500,000 people.
And another dandy. "...He talked of children wearing protective clothing for ultraviolet radiation in Punta Arenas, Chile, under the hole in the ozone layer. "
All things being considered, warm air tempertures result in the repair of the ozone hole, and colder temperatures cause the hole to enlarge. Derrick Z. Jackson may need to make a choice here. (;~>
I swear sometimes I think
November 24, 2007 - 20:50 ET by mlongI swear sometimes I think the left views Bush as some sort of James Bond villain..with Earthquake machines to cause tidal waves,Weather machines to cause Hurricanes and Typhoons.Secret demolition Teams that blow up Levees and Bridges,Computer hackers to rig elections and his Secret army that brought down the Twin Towers using remote controlled jet liners...all he needs is a Cat to sit on his lap at the Oval office and their view of him is complete. LOL!!!!
"I was in favor of Illegal licenses before I was
against them but before I was for them but after I was against them but
before I was for them......" Hillary Clinton
What's the big deal?
November 24, 2007 - 21:11 ET by drillanwrGeorge Harrison and Ravi Shankar can just have another big relief concert for Bangladesh, turn it into a multi-disc CD, sell a ba-zillion copies and donate the proceeds to those poor folks ... (gee, it worked so well in 1971.)
Oh! Wait! I forgot ... George Bush and Global Warming killed Harrison a couple years ago.
When will this evil end??!!??
BDS has taken over many in
November 24, 2007 - 21:46 ET by Richard RomanoBDS has taken over many in the MSM. Dennis Prager has said that the only thing left for the leftists to accuse President Bush of is child molestation.
They don't realize that they are contributing to the terrorists' cause, and the useful idiots who support them. They are undermining our ability to fight murderous Islamic sadists...what a sad time in our history. Someday, the MSM will have to foot the bill for the evil that they helped foster.
This is Bush's fault too
November 24, 2007 - 22:16 ET by drillanwrWe MUST make a law to prohibit telescopes, and stop people from looking up at the night sky.
Mankind 'shortening the universe's life'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11/21/scicosmos121.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox
The Universe's life span
November 25, 2007 - 10:06 ET by ThisnThatDrill, this has got to be the stupidest thing yet. Written by an idot. Proposed by academics that should get different careers. Here's one quote from that article: "...the 'quantum Zeno effect,' which suggests that if an 'observer' makes repeated, quick observations of a microscopic object undergoing change, the object can stop changing - just as a watched kettle never boils."
Did this person actually say that the entire theory is based on a folksy saying? And he expects people not to laugh? They're all looney out there -- every last one of 'em.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
}}---> Watched pot
November 25, 2007 - 10:10 ET by Cool ArrowI thought Ben Franklin meant you won't see it boil unless you take it down off the wall, fill it, and apply heat. Watching it hang there won't accomplish anything.
But on a cellular level, splitting off into Dodder cells has got to be embarrassing if you know you're being watched.
on the take
November 24, 2007 - 22:19 ET by dboIt's not humanly possible for one person to be that stupid. Let' face it. He's on Hansen's payroll and getting some of the ketchup money through the back door.
Not humanly possible
November 25, 2007 - 10:08 ET by ThisnThatYes it is possible for one person to be that stupid, if you're name is D. Jackson of the Globe. I'm really surprised he didn't turn the argument into a racist rant, because that's his real MO. This person is as dumb as dirt; yet the Globe keeps letting him babble on.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
In answer to your question
November 25, 2007 - 00:39 ET by well99"Honestly, is there any integrity left in the journalism industry?"
No.They gave it up to instill their political bias on their dwindling readers.Now it is so blatant.They do not even try to hide it.
Not More Hurricane Propaganda
November 25, 2007 - 03:05 ET by PopularTechHurricanes - Calmer Weather: The Spin on Greenhouse Hurricanes (Robert C. Balling Jr., Ph.D. Professor of Climatology)
Hurricanes - Counting Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Back to 1900 (PDF) (Christopher W. Landsea Ph.D. Atmospheric Science)
QUOTE (Christopher W. Landsee)
"Researchers cannot assume that the Atlantic tropical cyclone database presents a complete depiction of frequency of events before the advent of satellite imagery in the mid-1960s. Moreover, newly available advanced tools and techniques are also contributing toward monitoring about one additional Atlantic tropical cyclone per year since 2002. Thus large, long-term ‘trends’ in tropical cyclone frequency are primarily manifestations of increased monitoring capabilities and likely not related to any real change in the climate in which they develop."
Hurricanes - Experts: Global Warming Didn't Cause Katrina (NewsMax)
Hurricanes - Global Warming Increases Wind Shear, Reduces Hurricanes, Climate Model Shows (Science Daily)
Hurricanes - Global Warming and Hurricanes (PDF) (William M. Gray, M.S. Meteorology, Ph.D. Geophysical Sciences)
QUOTE (William M. Gray)
"Global hurricane frequency and/or intensity has not been observed to undergo any significant trends as a result of the global warming of the last 30 years for frequency and for the last 20 years for intensity"
Hurricanes - Global warming 'not linked' to typhoons (The Daily Telegraph, UK)
Hurricanes - Hurricanes and Climate Change: Assessing the Linkages Following the 2006 Season (PDF) (William M. Gray, M.S. Meteorology, Ph.D. Geophysical Sciences)
Hurricanes - Hurricanes and Hot Air (William M. Gray, M.S. Meteorology, Ph.D. Geophysical Sciences)
Hurricanes - Hurricane Center: Global Warming Equals Fewer Storms (NewsMax)
Hurricanes - Hurricane Hysteria (Patrick J. Michaels, Ph.D. Ecological Climatology)
Hurricanes - Link between climate change and tropical cyclone intensity: more research necessary (World Meteorological Organization)
QUOTE (World Meteorological Organization - 2006)
"A consensus of 125 of the world’s leading tropical cyclone researchers and forecasters says that no firm link can yet be drawn between human-induced climate change and variations in the intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones."
Hurricanes - Monster Hurricanes: Study Questions Linkage Between Severe Hurricanes And Global Warming (Science Daily)
Hurricanes - Record year for hurricanes part of a natural cycle (USA Today)
Hurricanes - Recent Hurricanes Not Caused by Warming, Scientists Conclude (The Heartland Institute)
Hurricanes - Scientist doubts warming-hurricane link (United Press International)
Hurricanes - Scientists: Early Tropical Storm Not Due to Global Warming (FOXNews)
QUOTE (FOXNews)
"Eighteen tropical storms and four hurricanes have formed in May since 1851, and six storms have formed before the June 1 start since 1951."
Hurricanes - The Deadliest, Costliest and Most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones From 1851 to 2006 (PDF) (Christopher W. Landsea Ph.D. Atmospheric Science)
Hurricanes - Tropical Cyclone Data Tape For the North Atlantic Basin, 1886-1983 (NOAA)
QUOTE (NOAA)
"...until organized reconnaissance began in 1944, the two major sources of information on tropical cyclones were land stations and ships at sea. Undoubtedly, during this early period some storms went undetected."
Hurricanes - Warming not behind hurricane activity: forecaster (Reuters)
Hurricanes - What Hurricane Season? (2006) (Steve Milloy, B.A. Natural Sciences, M.S. Health Sciences)
Peer-Reviewed Papers:
Can We Detect Trends in Extreme Tropical Cyclones?
(Science, Vol. 313. no. 5786, pp. 452 - 454, 28 July 2006)
- Christopher W. Landsea, Bruce A. Harper, Karl Hoarau, John A. Knaff
Causes of the Unusually Destructive 2004 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season
(Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Volume 87, Issue 10, October 2006)
- Philip J. Klotzbach, William M. Gray
Comments on "Impacts of CO2-Induced Warming on Simulated Hurricane Intensity and
Precipitation: Sensitivity to the Choice of Climate Model and Convective Scheme"
(Journal of Climate, Volume 18, Issue 23, December 2005)
- Patrick J. Michaels, Paul C. Knappenberger, Christopher Landsea
Counting Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Back to 1900
(EOS, Transactions American Geophysical Union, Vol. 88, No. 18, Page 197, 2007)
- Christopher W. Landsea
Hurricanes and Global Warming
(Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Volume 86, Issue 11, November 2005)
- R. A. Pielke Jr., C. Landsea, M. Mayfield, J. Laver, and R. Pasch
Meteorology: Are there trends in hurricane destruction?
(Nature 438, E11, 22 December 2005)
- Roger A. Pielke, Jr
Sea-surface temperatures and tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin
(Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 22, No. 33, L09708, 2006)
- Patrick J. Michaels, Paul C. Knappenberger, Robert E. Davis
Tropical Cyclones and Global Climate Change: A Post-IPCC Assessment
(Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Volume 79, Issue 1, January 1998)
- A. Henderson-Sellers, H. Zhang, G. Berz, K. Emanuel, W. Gray, C. Landsea, G. Holland, J. Lighthill, S.-L. Shieh, P. Webster, K. McGuffie
The Anti "Man-Made" Global Warming Resource
}}---> Great, Poptech
November 25, 2007 - 03:36 ET by Cool ArrowNow you've got it both ways.
Al says hurricane frequency and magnitude is linked to AGW, and when it doesn't correlate, it's the proverbial hot potatoe.
You're confusing him with facts when his mind is already made up.
popular tech, YOUR reference admits AGW is real:
November 25, 2007 - 03:18 ET by professor truthThanks for helping me make the case that AGW is real and denialism is a scientifically dead corpse. And here is the link from YOUR previous post:
"A consensus of 125 of the world’s leading tropical cyclone
researchers and forecasters says that no firm link can yet be drawn
between human-induced climate change and variations in the intensity
and frequency of tropical cyclones."
'no firm link between HUMAN-INDUCED climate change and variations in the intensity and frequency.......
CONCLUSIONS: these researchers and forecasters accept AGW as a GIVEN, and I completely agree. Some reputable hurricane experts have a dissenting opinion like MIT's Kerry Emmanuel.
Consensus
November 25, 2007 - 03:24 ET by UnsaneI counter your redundancy with redundancy.
Consensus is the creature of parliaments and politics, NOT science.
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
}}---> Cut him slack, Unsane
November 25, 2007 - 03:38 ET by Cool ArrowHe's gotta go back to school Monday and act like he's teaching.
Where does he
November 25, 2007 - 04:09 ET by well99Where does he teach?Indoctrination U. ?
}}---> Maybe Well
November 25, 2007 - 04:20 ET by Cool ArrowI was thinking maybe Hogwarts
The sad truth is this
November 25, 2007 - 04:28 ET by NL207The sad truth is this ignoramus is being supplied with your tax dollars to corrupt innocent you minds with leftwing ideology in the California public school system.
Vouchers
November 25, 2007 - 04:41 ET by UnsaneIndeed, Professor Guilt is a walking advertisement for voucher programs...
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
Cool
November 25, 2007 - 04:31 ET by well99I think your right.Can you imagine going to one of his classes.Scary.
}}---> Real world
November 25, 2007 - 04:38 ET by Cool ArrowImagine how easy it would be if you could grade your own accomplishments in terms of how many units you pushed downstream regardless of the quality. Wouldn't have to answer for all the defective units as that would be "the parents' fault"
That's what happens when the government gets you by the throat and taxes you out of shopping in superior markets.
He could teach about the elasticity of latex in a Math class and wouldn't be anything you could do about it.
He's laughing all the way to his double taxpayer funded retirement.
The shame
November 25, 2007 - 05:44 ET by well99Is in the education system.Some teachers are more interested in pushing a poltical agenda then given students a real education.
Your argument is this:
November 25, 2007 - 04:39 ET by NL207Your argument is this: because there is some miniscule effect caused by humans on this planet, therefore there is a crisis requiring massive government intervention. This is defective reasoning.
By definition, the planetary climate system drawn as an envelope around the earth which includes the humans living on its surface. As a consequnce, humans are part of the system. Anything they do contributes to the outcome of the system. However, the measurements that have been made to date suggest that humans are contributing a factor so small to the overall results that it has only been possible to measure this contribution accurately since the advent of space flight.
The AGW alarmists have been resorting to all sorts of wild feedback schemes to project a greater impact by humans on the climate for the future. The experience thus far continues to suggest human impact with remain negligible. Dedicated Communists like yourself look to these asinine schemes for justification to take political actions you want to take anyway.
I don't care what the "models" run by those horses' asses over at realclimate.org say. Sound empirical science, that is, science based on measurement of the real system, says they are wrong. Models are not the real system. These models do not correctly emulate the real system over all know intervals. Therefore they are defective.
The Computer Illiterate is back
November 25, 2007 - 08:44 ET by PopularTechHELLO - The WMO created the IPCC! No kidding they think AGW is real. Now go tell Gore to edit his propaganda movie and remove the Katrina reference.
BTW. Have you figured out how to remove all the malware off your PC yet? Or do you believe it just all appeared "randomly" like in the climate models? Maybe you can apply chaos theory to how your computer works since it is what your eco-religion is based on.
The Anti "Man-Made" Global Warming Resource
-
November 25, 2007 - 13:47 ET by dahliatraversHELLO - The WMO created the IPCC! No kidding they think AGW is real.
lol
Dammit, we need to ask Al Gore. That would settle it.
The State Of Our Educaton System
November 25, 2007 - 05:13 ET by theworminatorAs a professor you seem inadequately educated.
Being we're on hurricanes
November 25, 2007 - 10:00 ET by danboBeing we're on hurricanes and tropical cyclones again. And the mis information. Thought you might find it interesting.
I've been doing a bit of research on hurricanes. (Atlantic.) Extrapolating data from the previous 10 years (not including 07) and the 60's.
During the last ten years, the average speed of the weakest tropical storm was 38 kts. Not including tropical depressions, sub tropical storm or sub tropical depressions. 55.3% of tropical storms and hurricanes were classified hurricanes. Source of data NHC archives.
In the 60's the average speed for the weakest storm was 44.5 kts. With 69.4% of TS/hurricanes being hurricanes. (If I had restricted the search to the NHC archives I would have missed a number of TS's. Other sources had a great deal of more data than the NHC on tropical storms in the 60's.)
Further there was only 1 tropical depression for the entire decade of the 60's. But 22 for the last 10 years. Not to mention the 5 sub tropical systems in the last 10 years. 0 in the 60's.
If I was less than honest (like a large number of warmers) I could say there is strong evidence that weaker storms are forming today than in the 60's. However we're really seeing a shift what we record and follow.
Though, I'm not completed yet, I've begun looking at the max speeds of all systems and have noted a number of storms that last less than a day in the last 10 years. Including one storm that was identified via satellite, but had dissipated before a plane got to it. And a number of storms identified after the season was closed, during a review of the data.
I'm driving north today into the sleet. So I won't be around for a while. But have a great week.
"There is a clear attempt to establish truth not by scientific methods but by perpetual repetition."
- Richard S. Lindzen, Ph.D. Professor of Meteorology, MIT