Articles by Coby Beck
Former musician, turned tree planter, turned software engineer. Same old story... I have been blogging about climate change since 2006 at A Few Things Ill Considered.
All Articles
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‘The temperature record is unreliable’–But temperature trends are clear and widely corroborated
(Part of the How to Talk to a Global Warming Skeptic guide)
Objection: The surface temperature record is full of assumptions, corrections, differing equipment and station settings, changing technology, varying altitudes, and more. It is not possible to claim we know what the "global average temperature" is, much less determine any trend. The IPCC graphs only say what the scientists want them to say.
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The Stern report on climate change
While I hold firmly to my conviction that economic concerns are not the only or even the paramount considerations when charting a course through a changing climate, nevertheless: economics can't be ignored.
Thus, it is very good news that a reputable mainstream economist, Sir Nicholas Stern, has presented a detailed cost-benefit analysis of climate change mitigation and adaptation to the British government.
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‘Glaciers have always grown and receded’–A few glaciers melting does not mean global warming
(Part of the How to Talk to a Global Warming Skeptic guide)
Objection: A few glaciers receding today is not proof of global warming. Glaciers have grown and receded differently in many times and places.
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‘One record year is not global warming’–Luckily, there are plenty more years to consider
(Part of the How to Talk to a Global Warming Skeptic guide)
Objection: So 2005 was a record year. Records are set all the time. One really warm year is not global warming.
Answer: This is actually not an unreasonable point -- single years taken by themselves can not establish or refute a trend. So 2005 being the hottest globally averaged temperature on record is not convincing. Then how about:
