Bishop Hill A meeting of the Tyndall advisory board
Nov 30, 2011 BBC #2974 is an email from Prof John Shepherd, a Tyndall advisory board member, to RealClimate's Stefan Rahmstorf. Dated December 2003, it is a response to an email in which Rahmstorf has suggested setting up a website to counter sceptic arguments (perhaps the germ of the idea for RealClimate itself?). That's not the point though. The point will be clear when you read Shepherd's report of a meeting of Tyndall's advisory board.
Many thanks for your very helpful comments. Essentially I agree on all counts, and indeed the "sceptics ask, scientists answer" web-page that you have set up is exactly the sort of thing I had in mind as a possible minimal response that we (Tyndall et al, and even maybe the Royal Society if it wants to get involved) might undrertake. Wherever possible this could/should refer to other reputable sites (incl IPCC, Hadley Centre, the ones you mention, etc etc) rather than duplicating the material. I would envisage that such a site could be maintained by a consortium of the willing, in this case involving (say) Tyndall, Hadley & PIK. We could then asked the RS (et al) to mention it and link to it on some sort of "sound science" page on their own web-site(s) (Rachel, do you think that this might fly ?).
We had an interesting debate on this at the Tyndall Advisory Board last week, and the consensus was very much in line with your views, except for the journalist present (Roger Horobin), who wanted something more pro-active. I am more sympathetic to his view than most of you, I think, but the question is what more would be useful, effective, and not too burdensome ? So far I don't think I have identified anything, but I do think that the sort of web-page mentioned above would be a start, and so I am copying this to Asher Minns, for him to consider and discuss with John & Mike at Tyndall Central.
Reader Comments (53)
From: Philip Eden
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 1999 10:13 AM
>> To: 'mike.hulmeatXYZxyz.ac.uk'
>> Subject: Warming Sceptics
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> Thanks for taking part in the Global Warming thing yesterday
>> morning. I'm sorry the treatment is always so superficial on
>> these occasions, but that I suppose is the level of the public
>> debate.
>>
>> Nevertheless, the item did bring one sceptic out of the
>> woodwork.
>>
>> The gentleman concerned is called Bernard Abrams, his
>> company is called Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
>> and he is based in Cheltenham.
>>
>> Have you come across him? If you know where he's coming
>> from, any vested interests, etc, I would be very grateful ...
>> indeed, I would be interested in any list of sceptics you
>> may have.
>>
>> Do you have, or have you ever thought of producing, a
>> rebuttal document outlining in simple terms the fallacies
>> in the various arguments that the sceptics use? I'm sure
>> weather forecasters, specialists journalists, etc, would
>> be very grateful to lay their hands on something like that.
>>
>> Best wishes
>> Philip Eden
>> Radio 5-Live
Wonder if he got his shabby little list, to create files on us, and our incriminating 'vested interests'. In the true spirit of the Staatssicherheitsdienst, the Służba Bezpieczeństwa, the Státní bezpečnost, etc.
You will all be saddened to learn that Roger Horobin is deceased. Resquiescat in pace:
Roger Horobin -
Collegiate, Manchester, Lancashire, England
Buried by: J H Hindley Chap. or Vicar
20 Jan 1801
Schellnhuber gets around... ... and has even more influence than stated.
he is also the Chair of the Advisory Board of the European Climate Foundation,
http://www.europeanclimate.org/index.php/about-us/advisory-board
"Members of the Advisory Council actively engage in advancing ECF’s mission both by providing strategic advice and through advocacy."
About Us
http://www.europeanclimate.org/index.php/about-us
which boasts of multil millions of Euros funding. and whose stated goal is to lobby in Europe for 90% co2 emission cuts in the EU by 2050...the ECF's media arm, the Energy Strategy Centre also happens to fund The Carbon Brief
They have provided hundreds of grants, for groups lobbying in the EU, like greenpeace and Baroness Bryony Worthington's Sandbag organisation..