Going against the herd

Russ Steele

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Given the rising of hysteria over global warming, it is a brave person that stands up to a gathering herd by questioning the assumptions used by the herd to support their emotional commitment to anthropogenic global warming.

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Bob Prechter, an expert in observing social behavior, thinks social herding is leading to some social hysteria over global warming.

.“The fact remains that there is powerful evidence of herding at the social level on the global warming issue. Commentary on the subject is even selling theater tickets. And like all past social trends that were ending, there is a rush to extrapolate. The temperature data from which modelers at NASA derive their extrapolation are scant, the projection is extreme and their tone is strident. When any writers, including scientists, extrapolate 29 years’ worth of temperature data to predict an imminent apocalypse of Biblical proportions in an environment of waxing social focus, rising panic and calls for government obstruction, one must acknowledge the likelihood of social-psychological forces behind such a report and investigate whether the data support the prediction.”

“It’s fine to describe chemistry. It’s fine to offer a theory of atmospheric and temperature change. But there seems to be a degree of statistical selectivity behind this specific prediction from NASA.”

One of these brave persons going against the herd is Anthony Watts, a retired TV meteorologist from Chico, who is now under attack by herd leaders for questioning the underlying data NASA uses to calculate global warming. Anthony started a project to survey the weather stations in the US Historical Climatology Network to see if they were of the “high quality” claimed by NASA. Details on his blog “Watt’s Up With That”  and at “Climate Audit”, here and here.

No matter how hard Anthony tries to keep the discussion civil on the climate change blogs, he is continually attacked by leaders of the herd, many with strong connections to NASA.  You can find examples at http://tamino.wordpress.com/ and http://rabett.blogspot.com. (edited)

Bob Prechter continues his analysis of global warming social herding.

“Global warming advocates told me that doubting man-made global warming was akin to denying evolution, but the global warming movement has not a little taste of old-time religion in its accompanying admonition of humanity: Man is evil; he is destroying the earth; he is ‘fouling his own nest,’ as one scientist on the web says. Scientists are usually good at their fields but not necessarily at recognizing their own political, moral and economic biases.”

Some times it is difficult to accept the truth when it undermines your religious beliefs. 

I am one of Anthony’s volunteers and support his efforts to survey the USHCN stations to determine if they meet the standards established by the National Weather Service and meet the criteria set by NASA for a “high quality” station. Anthony and his volunteers are not supporting, or denying global warming, we are only surveying the quality of the stations used by NASA to measure it. So, why is NASA so worried, why are the herd's leaders attacking Anthony?

Comments

[George Rebane]

Paraphrasing Uncle Joe from the 30s - one mind wasted is a tragedy, a million minds wasted is just a statistic.

Keep pushing against the herd Russ!

gjr

[papertiger]

A year ago, I took one look at climate change science and immediately thought "load of crap". But what do I know? Everybody and their brother is saying we are having climate change, so I entertained the notion for a while. Studied up on the other planets.
It use to be that I thought the global warming on Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto, where a good indication that there might be some global warming on Earth. Not any more.
After seeing your's and Anthony's work on surfacestation.org, combined with various other facts such as global cooling of the Southern Hemisphere, combined with unseasonable mild weather over all of the UK, and living through the same here in Sacramento this summer, I tend to think that my original opinion is correct.
AGW is total and complete BS.
It is physicly unsettling to me, to hear otherwise reputable sources using phrases such as "There is no doubt that the world has warmed, but the evidence of whether man has any role in it...".
I find myself fighting the urge to scream at them.
I do not concede that there has been any unusual warming on Earth.
When the scientists are using the thermometers you and Anthony have highlighted, to decide that the world has heated up over the last couple decades, there is absolute no reason to believe there was any heating at all.
You got em corralled.
Don't give the herd any room to stampede is my thinking.