Climate change not as bad... but still all our fault

in #politics7 years ago (edited)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/09/18/immediacy-threat-climate-change-exaggerated-faulty-models/

What the story tells you,

 New research by British scientists reveals the world is being polluted and warming up less quickly than 10-year-old forecasts predicted, giving countries more time to get a grip on their carbon output. 

But this doesn't tell you that they basically have to make the same confession every time they bother to review historical data. That is to say, they have to confess that their models are wildly inaccurate every time they review the models against collated data.

The article continues,

 Experts now say there is a two-in-three chance of keeping global temperatures within 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the ultimate goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. 

There are a number of problems with this statement. But, primarily, 1) it assumes we can and should stop climate change altogether, including any natural cycles; and 2) it steps back the claim from fire and brimstone catastrophe to a conciliatory "see, you don't have to give up everything, just a little discomfort, and we'll be OK."

Finally, the article takes a further conciliatory tone in order to save face for human-caused climate change priests,

 They also condemned the “overreaction” to the US’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, announced by Donald Trump in June, saying it is unlikely to make a significant difference.

Which is meant to soften the attack on Trump in an attempt to make his return to the fold less embarrassing.