Did a Secret Climate Deal Launch the Hockey Stick Fakery?

By legal investigator John O'Sullivan

The investigation into the alleged global warming data fraud by Virginia’s Attorney General may soon have a whole new angle. This comes from a previously overlooked connection between discredited tree-ring proxy researcher, Michael Mann and Yale’s now deceased climate professor, Barry Saltzman.

Despite his legacy, outside of climate science few people will have heard of Saltzman. It was only right at the end of his 40-year career that this esteemed analyst produced his greatest achievement: a unified theory of climate that drew worldwide plaudits.

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) and Journal of Climate among others posthumously gave Saltzman the ultimate accolade, “father of modern climate theory” on the publication of his ground breaking ‘Theory of Climate’ (2002).

The AMS tells us, “Barry Saltzman led the revival of the theory that variations of atmospheric CO2 are a significant driver of long-term climate change.”

As Professor of Geophysics, Saltzman served Yale University with distinction from 1968 until his death in 2001. Michael E. Mann’s position in the highly politicized sphere of climatology has since grown to be just as significant-but far more controversial. But we may have stumbled upon a sinister connection between the two researchers.

Bridging the Climate ‘Culture Gap’

Delving into the Prologue of Saltzman’s last and greatest work provides the clue. In his very first pages of ‘Theory of Climate’ Saltzman reveals the importance of certain researchers [Mann] who helped him bridge the climate “cultural gap.” For Saltzman they “have brilliantly and painstakingly been reconstructing the paleoclimatic record.” Saltzman goes on to say, “It is again my hope that this book will help bridge this gap.”

It did: the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change took Saltzman’s unified theory and used it in subsequent Reports as the template to blame the fossil fuel emissions of western nations for changing Earth’s climate.

The “gap” stayed bridged-at least until Climategate when Saltzman’s neat and tidy theory began to unravel. An unsuspecting world merely had to read the leaked emails to see how the Emperor’s Climate Clothes were crudely stitched together by heady tribalism among opportunist cronies.

Climate History Re-written

Tree-ring expert Michael Mann had simply picked up Saltzman’s thread. Mann’s highly dramatic ‘hockey stick’ graph was to dress the scene very nicely for the launch of the 2001 Third Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Overnight Mann re-wrote the paleoclimatic record to the astonishment of solar physicists, geologists and historians worldwide.

Mann No Expert on Tree Proxies

But the deeper we dig the more we uproot our so-called tree-ring expert. In Mann’s lavish 13,465-word online résumé the word ‘tree’ appears only 6 times. By comparison the word ‘ocean’ appears 37 times. Even his doctoral dissertation makes not one reference to trees-its all about oceans. Clearly, our Michael is not a Mann enamored by tree ring research.

It’s in 1996 that this story gets very curious. At that time Mann needed help to “defend” his Ph.D work in a documented but unexplained controversy at Yale. Inexplicably, this ‘controversy’ was peremptorily swept aside and between 1996-98 Mann was named as the Alexander Hollaender Distinguished Postdoctoral Research Fellow (DOE).

Mann’s Ph.D ‘Rushed Through’

All was now well and Yale gave Mann his Ph.D in 1998. One eminent source in my enquiries confirmed Mann’s Ph.D. was, in fact “rushed through.”

Instantly, Mann was then plucked from obscurity and appointed not just a contributing author for Chapters 7,8,12 of the IPCC’s Third Assessment Report (1998-00) but also Lead Author for Chapter 2. And with no track record whatsoever in this field, Mann now with tree ring data thrust into his hand, famously carved out his infamous ‘hockey stick’ graph.

So what miracle had turned this problematic researcher’s life around? If miracles ever happened then for Mann they came in the form of Barry Saltzman. You see, this struggling student’s career was transformed the moment Saltzman became his Ph.D advisor. Only after Saltzman applied his influence was Mann’s lofty credentials “rushed through.” Mann then turns himself into a makeshift tree ring counter and overnight becomes the iconic figure in the IPCC Third Report (2001). The rest is history, as they say.

If my name were Ken Cuccinelli I would want to chase down one or two grant and funding sources; with proof of collusion a case for fraud holds water. That’s treble damages and Virginia’s taxpayers will be sitting $1.5 million better off plus expenses.

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Cap and Scam

By David Harsanyi

Were you aware that Americans have a collective obligation to stop kicking challenges to the next generation and join the White House in supporting "sweeping" and "transformative" legislation? I thought so.

These days, there are few higher callings in Washington than pretending to save the environment. Authoritative "leadership" is sorely needed in this area -- and quickly, before the three-cornered-hat-wearing Visigoths storm Washington's barricades this midterm election.

Reporting for duty are John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, armed with a new cap-and-trade "energy" bill -- christened the Newspeak-esque "American Power Act" -- that is so inclusive it nearly secured the support of a single radical right-winger (as if there were any other kind) in Republican Lindsey Graham, before he had a temper tantrum.

Praising the legislation, President Barack Obama made his customary case, twinning the fictitious economic benefits of statism with freshman-class utopianism, claiming that "we will put Americans to work in new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced -- jobs building solar panels and wind turbines; constructing fuel-efficient cars and buildings; and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to even more jobs, more savings and a cleaner, safer planet in the bargain."

Like most parents, I, too, hope my children one day toil in a nonproductive factory assembling taxpayer-subsidized wind turbines rather than turn to imported Canadian fossil fuels and constructive high-income professions. Unlike profits, you see, dreams never can be outsourced.

We are only in the "discussion draft" phase of the bill -- entailing tons of discussions on how to entice Western Democrats and circumvent Republicans -- which would make efficient energy more expensive, put non-energies on the dole and slap a layer of crony capitalism on the entire energy industry.

And seeing as we never waste a crisis, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has given cap-and-trade supporters another hammer to add to the debate. Though, as Newsweek summed it up, "considering that the Kerry-Lieberman bill contains a little something for everyone, it's likely to pass."

A little something for everyone except you, that is. The fabricated cap-and-trade "market" is a well-documented concoction of rent-seeking corporations that will work diligently with Washington to ensure taxpayers always foot the bill. As the legislation stands now, oil companies would also have to pay emissions allowances -- outside the cap-and-trade market -- which are nothing more than another gas tax.

This bill not only is loaded with obvious costs but also features underlying protectionist expenses that would benefit the usual industries (agriculture and steel) and, of course, unions. For example, the legislation would force nations "that have not taken action to limit emissions to pay a comparable amount" -- in other words, to pay for having the good sense not to engage in slow-motion economic suicide. (Hey, I thought we weren't supposed to impose our values on other nations.)

What do we expect from these countries and ourselves? The bill would mandate we reduce emissions by 83 percent by 2050. Roll up your sleeves, because we all will be doing organic farming. Or, as Pat Michaels of the Cato Institute points out, we "will allow the average American the carbon dioxide emissions of the average citizen back in 1867, a mere 39 years from today."

Though an energy breakthrough could make all this possible -- and that would be wonderful -- solar panels, carbon sequestration and the fertile imaginations of political opportunists who make demands before they have solutions will not.

And remember, these legislators were supposed to be the grown-ups.

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Warmists circling the wagons to defend "hockeystick" Mann

The American Meteorological Society and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research launch defense of embattled Climategate scientist.Dr. Michael Mann, author of the now infamous 'hockey stick' graph and a key player in the Climategate email scandal, has found himself under investigation on many fronts. As the Virginia attorney general launches its own inquiry into the scientist's actions, the American Meteorological Society and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research came to his defense.

In a letter sent to University of Virginia President John Casteen III, the organizations urge the defense of Mann and academic freedom. The groups say they are "extremely concerned" about the Commonwealth of Virginia's investigation and urge Casteen to "do everything within your power to uphold the tenets of academic freedom."

Mann and other climate scientists that were involved with the Climategate scandal have been under investigation by academic and governmental agencies across the globe. The United Nations conducted its own investigation as much of the work of the scientists was done as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Arguably the one scientist to figure more prominently than Mann was Dr. Phil Jones of the University of East Anglia. His university launched an independent review and the British Parliament conducted a review that absolved him of the most serious charges.

In Mann's case, an investigation by Penn State University largely absolved him of any wrongdoing and some members of Congress have asked for more information about taxpayer funding for his work. Mann has been ridiculed among skeptics of the manmade climate change theory and a parody video of his now infamous phrase 'hide the decline' was a YouTube hit. He has since sued the group that created the video.

The American Meteorological Society's (AMS) stated mission is to promote "development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications." The group has been a supporter of the manmade climate change theory, a position which has not sat well with many of its members. Renowned scientist Dr. William Gray has deplored what he called the 'hijacking' of the organization and many other members have voiced their objections to the group's actions.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) serves as a repository for various scientific research agencies and universities. Other scientists involved in the Climategate email scandal are employees of UCAR and NCAR including Tom Wigley and Kevin Trenberth.

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Despite Spill, Public Still Wants to 'Drill, Baby, Drill!'

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill hasn't stained President Barack Obama nor dimmed the public's desire for offshore energy drilling, according to a new Associated Press-GfK Poll...

...[T]he public still supports the idea of drilling offshore for oil and gas. By 50 percent to 38 percent, more people favor increased coastal drilling for oil and gas than oppose it.

While Republicans favor it by a 3-to-1 margin, Democrats lean toward opposing it, 52 percent to 36 percent. Independents are about evenly split. Groups giving drilling the strongest support include men, middle-aged and older people, whites and residents of rural and suburban areas.

The country is split about evenly over which priority is more important in considering drilling, with 49 percent choosing the need for the U.S. to provide its own energy and 47 percent picking protection of the environment.

Democrats prefer environmental protection by 62 percent to 35 percent. Republicans lean the other way, favoring the need for U.S. energy independence by 68 percent to 28 percent. Independents are about evenly split.

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Another splendid display of Green/Left logic: Caterpillar plague on Isle of Wight supposedly caused by global warming

Since Britain has had an exceptionally COLD year so far, how can the infestation be caused by warming??

Global warming was blamed yesterday for an increase in caterpillar infestations which can cause severe allergic reactions. In the latest outbreak, residents of a street in Newport, Isle of Wight, were forced to stay indoors or wear protective body-suits and face-masks to avoid coming into contact with tiny hairs shed by the brown-tail moth caterpillars.

The insects have set up home in an isolated and overgrown plot next to gardens in the street.

Steve Gardner, who has been dealing with the infestation in West Street, said: "In general, these insects are getting worse in this country because the climate is changing and the summers are getting warmer. Normally, these insects settle in fields where they do not do anyone any harm but if they are close to houses they travel from garden to garden causing problems. As the caterpillar grows it sheds its skin and the tiny hairs float in the air and can cause a severe skin reaction."

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It’ll be easy being green in Australia after $30m "education" campaign

Brainwashing and propaganda are always described by Leftists as "education"

THE government will embark on a $30 million “education’’ campaign on climate change, following the shifting public opinion on its failed emissions trading scheme. The national campaign will run on radio, print, TV and a dedicated website to “educate the community on climate change, including on climate change science,’’ budget papers said.

The government has also pledged an extra $102.7 million to deliver over 600,000 home sustainability assessments, which provide advice on ways to improve energy and water efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Investment in renewable energy will see an injection of $652 million over four years in a future fund, to leverage private investment in large and small scale renewable energy projects, including wind, solar and biomass.

Additional funding worth $178.2 million over two years for the international Climate Change Adaptation Initiative will go towards helping countries in the Pacific and Caribbean to ``better adapt to the impacts of climate change through improved scientific information, planning and assessment and financing of adaptation measures.’’

Treasurer Wayne Swan said the government ``accepts the science of climate change and the need for combined global and domestic action.’’

“As we continue to work to build the necessary domestic and international consensus for carbon markets, we will roll out the most substantial renewable energy plan this country has seen – consistent with our decision to increase the renewable energy target to 20 per cent by 2020,’’ he said.

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