This is in response to yet another post from a science-illiterate who is simply too damned lazy, too credulous and way too stupid to simply check things out.
Letter signed by “500 scientists” relies on inaccurate claims about climate science
Analysis of "There is no climate emergency"
Published in clintel.nl, by Alberto Prestininzi, Benoit Rittaud, Christopher Monckton, Fritz Vahrenholt, Guus Berkhou, Ingemar Nordin, Jeffrey Fos, Jim O'Brien, Morten Jodal, Reynald du Berger, Richard Lindzen, Rob Lemeire, Terry Dunleavy, Viv Forbes on 23 Sep. 2019
Six scientists analyzed the letter and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'very low'. ?
A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Biased, Cherry-picking, Inaccurate, Misleading.
https://climatefeedback.org/evaluation/letter...e-science/
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK
SUMMARY
This letter presenting a short list of claims about climate change boasts a list of “500 scientists and professionals” who have co-signed it.
The claims contradict or misrepresent the evidence uncovered by geoscientists, failing to provide support for its conclusions downplaying the threat of climate change. The letter claims, for example, that climate models ignore the benefits of increased CO2 on plant growth. This is false, as many climate models simulate the response of vegetation to increased CO2—and the climate change it causes.
And while some outlets described the co-signers as experts in climate science, most are not. As noted in an analysis below, a significant portion of the co-signers are either engineers or professionals in non-technical fields. Only 10 identified themselves as climate scientists.
Similar letters have sought to establish credibility with large numbers of co-signers in the past, but evidence is what counts in science.
Amber Kerr, Researcher, Agricultural Sustainability Institute, University of California, Davis:
While reviewing the claims related to agriculture, I noted that only 26 out of the 506 signatories (5%) were professionals in biology, ecology, or environmental science. I suspect that the vast majority of signatories had little direct knowledge or understanding of this part of the petition that they signed. This made me curious to delve more deeply into the makeup of the signatory list.
I usually try to steer clear of any ad hominem tactics, and instead evaluate claims solely on their own merits. However, the fact that this group is vocally promoting themselves as “knowledgeable and experienced scientists and professionals in climate and related fields” made me wonder if that claim is actually supported by the signatories’ credentials. In a word, the answer is no.
I categorized all 506 signatories according to their self-identified field of expertise. Only 10 identified as climate scientists, and 4 identified as meteorologists. (Together, that’s 2.8% of the total.) Signatories in totally unrelated academic fields (for example, psychology, philosophy, archaeology, and law) outnumbered climate scientists by two to one.
The most prevalent groups of signatories were geologists (19%) and engineers (21%)— many of whom were implicitly or explicitly involved in fossil energy extraction. Most of the rest were physicists, chemists, and mathematicians. A large fraction of the signatories were not scientists, but rather business executives, writers, activists, and lobbyists (totaling 11.3%).
I also noticed a peculiar omission in the list of signatories: women. Among the 506 names, only 24 were female names (with another 15 that were initials-only or unisex). That means that about 95% of the signers were men. Even for male-heavy fields such as geology and engineering, this is a staggering imbalance. I suspect that the imbalance may have been heightened by the fact that the signers skewed heavily toward the older generation – for example, there were 79 emeritus professors on the list (16% of the total).
Again, I’d prefer to evaluate claims on their own merits. But if the ECD group is going to tout their own credentials, then it needs to be pointed out that a large fraction of their 506 signatories have credentials like “Peter Champness, Radiologist, Australia”; “Patrick Mellett, architect and CEO”; and “Fintan Ryan, Retired Senior Airline Captain” (to say nothing of the dozens and dozens of fossil fuel employees).
Letter signed by “500 scientists” relies on inaccurate claims about climate science
Analysis of "There is no climate emergency"
Published in clintel.nl, by Alberto Prestininzi, Benoit Rittaud, Christopher Monckton, Fritz Vahrenholt, Guus Berkhou, Ingemar Nordin, Jeffrey Fos, Jim O'Brien, Morten Jodal, Reynald du Berger, Richard Lindzen, Rob Lemeire, Terry Dunleavy, Viv Forbes on 23 Sep. 2019
Six scientists analyzed the letter and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'very low'. ?
A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Biased, Cherry-picking, Inaccurate, Misleading.
https://climatefeedback.org/evaluation/letter...e-science/
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK
SUMMARY
This letter presenting a short list of claims about climate change boasts a list of “500 scientists and professionals” who have co-signed it.
The claims contradict or misrepresent the evidence uncovered by geoscientists, failing to provide support for its conclusions downplaying the threat of climate change. The letter claims, for example, that climate models ignore the benefits of increased CO2 on plant growth. This is false, as many climate models simulate the response of vegetation to increased CO2—and the climate change it causes.
And while some outlets described the co-signers as experts in climate science, most are not. As noted in an analysis below, a significant portion of the co-signers are either engineers or professionals in non-technical fields. Only 10 identified themselves as climate scientists.
Similar letters have sought to establish credibility with large numbers of co-signers in the past, but evidence is what counts in science.
Amber Kerr, Researcher, Agricultural Sustainability Institute, University of California, Davis:
While reviewing the claims related to agriculture, I noted that only 26 out of the 506 signatories (5%) were professionals in biology, ecology, or environmental science. I suspect that the vast majority of signatories had little direct knowledge or understanding of this part of the petition that they signed. This made me curious to delve more deeply into the makeup of the signatory list.
I usually try to steer clear of any ad hominem tactics, and instead evaluate claims solely on their own merits. However, the fact that this group is vocally promoting themselves as “knowledgeable and experienced scientists and professionals in climate and related fields” made me wonder if that claim is actually supported by the signatories’ credentials. In a word, the answer is no.
I categorized all 506 signatories according to their self-identified field of expertise. Only 10 identified as climate scientists, and 4 identified as meteorologists. (Together, that’s 2.8% of the total.) Signatories in totally unrelated academic fields (for example, psychology, philosophy, archaeology, and law) outnumbered climate scientists by two to one.
The most prevalent groups of signatories were geologists (19%) and engineers (21%)— many of whom were implicitly or explicitly involved in fossil energy extraction. Most of the rest were physicists, chemists, and mathematicians. A large fraction of the signatories were not scientists, but rather business executives, writers, activists, and lobbyists (totaling 11.3%).
I also noticed a peculiar omission in the list of signatories: women. Among the 506 names, only 24 were female names (with another 15 that were initials-only or unisex). That means that about 95% of the signers were men. Even for male-heavy fields such as geology and engineering, this is a staggering imbalance. I suspect that the imbalance may have been heightened by the fact that the signers skewed heavily toward the older generation – for example, there were 79 emeritus professors on the list (16% of the total).
Again, I’d prefer to evaluate claims on their own merits. But if the ECD group is going to tout their own credentials, then it needs to be pointed out that a large fraction of their 506 signatories have credentials like “Peter Champness, Radiologist, Australia”; “Patrick Mellett, architect and CEO”; and “Fintan Ryan, Retired Senior Airline Captain” (to say nothing of the dozens and dozens of fossil fuel employees).
