Climate disinformer Roger Pielke, Jr. out at Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight blog
By Laurence Lewis
28 July 2014 (Daily Kos) – When Nate Silver’s new FiveThirtyEight blog hired climate disinformer Roger Pielke, Jr., there was a fierce backlash from climate scientists and activists. As I wrote, in an extensive post:Climate change is the most important issue humanity has ever faced. On the questions of whether it is happening, whether humans burning fossil fuels are the primary driver, and whether the impacts are happening and will only grow worse, there is no credible debate. The scientific consensus is overwhelming. To promote disinformation and misinformation about climate change is inexcusable and unconscionable, but by hiring Roger Pielke, Jr., that is exactly what Nate Silver is doing. It would be bad enough if Silver had hired Pielke in conjunction with a credible climate scientist, to create the sort of false equivalency that the traditional media so loves to promote, but to have hired Pielke at all undermines the very premise of what Silver claims to be trying to do. It undermines the credibility of Silver’s blog and of Silver himself. The question is whether or not this was a mistake that will be corrected, or whether it tells us something about Silver himself.
When Pielke threatened legal action against two of his critics, climate scientists Michael Mann and Kevin Trenberth, Silver responded:
“Roger is a freelance contributor and his private communications do not represent FiveThirtyEight,” Silver said in a statement to HuffPost. “We had candid conversations with Michael Mann and Kevin Trenberth. We made clear that Roger’s conversations with them did not reflect FiveThirtyEight’s editorial values.”
Pielke then disappeared from FiveThirtyEight for a while, and when he returned began posting about sports. He never again had a post on climate at FiveThirtyEight. Now this: [more]
Climate disinformer Roger Pielke, Jr. out at Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight blog
In a larger context: Isn't it extremely obvious that humans have no intention, let alone the capability, of restraining themselves?
If you look with a macro view, and examine both current and historical trends and activities, I think that the answer to this point is yes, it's very obvious that humanity will not reduce itself, use less, shrink it's footprint or change its ways.
While I do not believe in defeatism, I do believe the situation is hopeless. Collapse of civilization is the only possible "help" there will be for our unchecked abuse and growth on this planet.
But that may not come soon enough.
I've spent the past few months watching documentaries from all over the world. Most try to depict the human and environmental conditions, along with all the suffering and strife now taking place. And most try to paint a picture of hope – somehow, someplace off into the future.
But none, not one – was willing to address the unchecked expansion of humanity and its all out assault on the living biosphere. While it was often mentioned that we are causing manifold problems, none of these films would go so far as to admit that every solution tried and suggested would actually only INCREASE the present problems and issues experienced today.
Their goal in EVERy case was "more humans" and "better living" and "higher standards" while (allegedly) reducing warfare, poverty and conflict. But these noble ideals are actually in opposition to reducing growth and unchecked resource depletion.
Climate scientist are also very guilty of this error. They hope to instill changes withing civilization – but none have been willing to admit that it is civilization itself that must be restrained.
Humanity seems to have only one speed – which is "faster" and one goal, which is "more". This can never be compatible with a finite planet – or human health – or justice – or equity – or democracy – or basic fundamental human rights – or in fact, anything at all except destruction, depletion, competition, war, capitalism, endless growth, technological expansion and ultimately, resource exhaustion and planetary extinction. (continued)
(continued)
Civilization, as we know it today, IS the problem. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING is being done to address this. Past societies collapsed when they exceeded their natural resource limits. Our society has ignored all these warnings and historical facts while exceeding GLOBAL limits.
The climate collapse now underway is considering a joke by many ignorant people (fools). They prefer to pretend that endless growth and endless carbon burning has "no consequences whatsoever, and certainly none that we cannot easily deal with". This is a gigantic delusion of the worst kind. They are actively encouraging us to go on ignoring dire warnings from scientists, ecologists and biology.
This is why it is hopeless. In reality, humans have zero chance of stopping the juggernaught we have unleashed. We have no INTENTIONS of stopping either.
The tiny, few but pitiful efforts to change course and raise awareness are but a drop in an ocean of refusal and disbelief. But it is more then just "climate" denial, it's a denial of civilization itself and the effects it has had on life itself throughout the entire planet (including us).
Nobody seems capable of imagining what life could have been like if we'd had done something else. Nobody wants to give up everything that they have today, they just want more, more and more. And endless SEA of people all demanding, striving and working for MORE.
This can only have one possible outcome. This is why collapse of civilization is inevitable. No planet can support endless desire and greed. Endless growth eventually means "no more", along with oceans full of pollution, air thick with toxic smog, soils unable to sustain life and denuded forests void of life.
Those films I watched – they depicted hungry, desperate people starving for sustanence, all over the world. You can't blame them for killing whatever is left, be it fish or animal, plant or tree, while they struggle to survive and try to feed their families one more day.
There is a cause for this suffering and it's us – the modern world and our governments and institutions and business that has virtually raped the planet blind, exploiting every possible advantage and profit, invading virtually every country on the entire planet with their insatiable greed.
This will not stop. A price tag has been affixed to virtually EVERYTHING. Freedom, travel, food, air, water, soil, health, you, me, every single HUMAN, and the so-called "right to life" itself.
THAT is the problem. And that will not be solved – even in collapse. You will see starving hordes soon, paying whatever price they must, including killing for food, soon. Life has become a commodity, controlled by faceless, unaccountable corporations, hell-bent on owning and controlling it all. You live because they allow it and sell it and because there is still something left to sell. But that won't last forever, they're starting to scrape the bottom now.
What comes next is hell on Earth in an unimaginable horror that no writer can accurately depict. ~Survival Acres~
"there is no credible debate"
There is not likely to be any as long as one contends that it is not necessary, either. I can understand that, of course, seeing as that there has been no successful effort to prove the supposition that a trace gas controls the climate.
Rather than just harp on the theme that climate prophecy just scares the children, here is something to which I think we both feel correct. http://coyoteprime-runningcauseicantfly.blogspot.ca/2014/08/gaias-psychic-scream-why-ecological.html