On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:32:25 +0100 someone who may be Terry Fields
wrote this:-
This paper is published by the American Physics Society. There are 41
references for you look up, if you wish, at the end of the paper, and
more mentioned in the text. No Wikipedia here.
http://www.aps.org/units/fps/newslet...7/monckton.cfm
Ah, the forum/newsletter article by Christopher Monckton. Note that
it is not a (peer-reviewed) scientific paper but is rather a forum
posting. There is nothing wrong with making forum postings, they are
a way of putting across one's ideas to others, but one should check
a posting carefully before relying on it.
Note also what it says at the top of the article, which is referred
to below, as well as what it says at the bottom, "The Forum on
Physics and Society is a place for discussion and disagreement on
scientific and policy matters. Our newsletter publishes a
combination of non-peer-reviewed technical articles, policy
analyses, and opinion. All articles and editorials published in the
newsletter solely represent the views of their authors and do not
necessarily represent the views of the Forum Executive Committee."
Having said that, let's see what Gristmill has to say on this
"paper".
"The American Physical Society denies the so-called consensus"
"Objection: The American Physical Society with tens of thousands of
member scientists no longer believes that the science of global
warming is conclusive. So what about that so called consensus?
"Answer: The APS has not reversed its position on climate change:
" Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are
changing the atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth's climate.
Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide as well as methane, nitrous
oxide and other gases. They are emitted from fossil fuel combustion
and a range of industrial and agricultural processes.
" The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring.
If no mitigating actions are taken, significant disruptions in the
Earth's physical and ecological systems, social systems, security
and human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of
greenhouse gases beginning now.
"This statement was reaffirmed on July 22, 2008 in response to a
controversy prompted by the publication of an article by amateur
climate skeptic Christopher Monckton. That article was published in
the APS Forum on Physics and Society Newsletter, not a scientific
journal, and is not peer reviewed science, nor is Monckton a
scientist. The material Monckton presented has been thoroughly
refuted by many working climatologists and the apparent
embarrassment of the APS over how this happened has prompted them to
preface that article with the following disclaimer:
" The following article has not undergone any scientific peer
review, since that is not normal procedure for American Physical
Society newsletters. The American Physical Society reaffirms the
following position on climate change, adopted by its governing body,
the APS Council, on November 18, 2007: 'Emissions of greenhouse
gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that
affect the Earth's climate'.
"So, what about that consensus? Far from a skeptical institution,
the American Physical Society is well in agreement with the IPCC
consensus statement and their statement agrees with all the other
endorsements from all the other major scientific institutions and
national science academies from around the world. The consensus of
scientific opinion on anthropogenic global warming is alive and
well."
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/9/17/114958/077
For more robustly expressed views on this "paper" see
http://climateprogress.org/2008/07/18/american-physical-society-reaffirms-it-is-incontrovertible-human-emissions-are-warming-the-globe-and-must-be-cut-beginning-now/
"Physicists forced to reaffirm that human-caused global warming is
'incontrovertible'
"The Drudge headline blared 'Group Repping 50,000 Physicists Opens
Global Warming Debate…' The link was to a story 'Myth of Consensus
Explodes: APS Opens Global Warming Debate.' Since it was a denier
website, I ignored it. Then I got forwarded an e-mail from one of
the top journalists in the country titled 'This may be important'
with the same opening paragraph as the denier article:
" The American Physical Society, an organization representing
nearly 50,000 physicists, has reversed its stance on climate change
and is now proclaiming that many of its members disbelieve in
human-induced global warming. The APS is also sponsoring public
debate on the validity of global warming science. The leadership of
the society had previously called the evidence for global warming
'incontrovertible.'
"Now you can be just as sure that any denier talk point is wrong
without studying it in detail as you can be sure that a perpetual
motion machine is not, in fact, perpetual without studying it in
detail. But as a former American Physical Society Congressional
science fellow, I feel obliged to point out that the obvious way to
figure out what the American Physical Society believes is to go to
their website,
www.aps.org, and see what they say:" [snip]
and
http://climateprogress.org/2008/07/19/american-physical-society-stomps-on-monckton-disinformation-thank-you-climate-progress-readers/
"The country’s largest organization of physicists is working fast to
restore its good name, which was damaged by one ignorant editor of a
non-peer-reviewed newsletter. That editor, Jeff Marque, published a
previously-debunked analysis by failed conservative politician and
non-scientist Lord Monckton.
"The Council of the American Physical Society quickly responded to
the uproar over this disinformation by adding a new disclaimer to
the Monckton article:" [snip]
"There is no need to waste any further time here debunking
Monckton’s 'sleight-of-hand to fool the unwary,' as RealClimate put
it. As the APS makes clear, just because somebody uses a lot of
numbers and formulas, that doesn’t make their analysis either
scientific or credible.
and
http://climateprogress.org/2008/07/20/irony-gate-viscount-monckton-a-british-peer-says-his-paper-was-peer-reviewed-by-a-scientist-how-droll/
"Should you be interested in learning more about TVMOB [The Viscount
Monckton of Brenchley], go to the Science & Public Policy Institute
website where he is Chief Policy Adviser. You will learn he has
astonishing scientific credentials such as a 'Nobel prize pin,'
because he commented on the IPCC Fourth assessment report. This has
'earned him the status of Nobel Peace Laureate. His Nobel prize pin,
made of gold recovered from a physics experiment, was presented to
him by the Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of
Rochester, New York.' Also 'his limpid analysis of the
climate-feedback factor was published on the famous climate blog of
Roger Pielke, Sr.' I kid you not.
"Monty Python is alive and well. Oh, and TVMOB knows how to use the
words 'primo' and 'secundo' and 'tertio.' Some of us can only dream
of such scientific achievements.
"Finally, if his writing has made you a fan of TVMOB, you can go to
'HouseOfNames.com' and purchase products labeled with the Monckton
family crest, including mouse pads."
--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54