Sunday 28 September 2014

The Carbon brief

The website The Carbon Brief claims that it:

reports on the latest developments and media coverage of climate science and energy policy, with a particular focus on the UK. We produce news coverage, analysis and fact checks, and publish a daily and weekly email briefing. 

Its latest article, Your questions on climate sensitivity answered, strangely tells us that the value of the Climate Sensitivity, the expected rise in mean temperature of the earth’s surface given a doubling of CO2 concentration from the level immediately prior to the industrial revolution (and assuming other things are equal), doesn’t actually matter—despite saying that Climate Sensitivity is “at the heart of climate science”.

I wrote about Climate Sensitivity here, noting the astonishingly wide—uselessly wide—range of estimates. Recent studies have produced estimates at, or beneath, the lower range as stipulated by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is unsurprising, since there has been no global warming since the mid- to late-1990s, but clearly something The Carbon Brief would rather ignore.

I made the following comment beneath the article, which attracted many ‘likes’ before it was deleted:

Why did you neglect to mention that the IPCC reduced its lower bound on climate sensitivity in its last report, and no longer feels able to offer a central estimate?

Despite the billions spent on research, climate scientists are no closer to "pinning down" this quantity "at the heart of climate science" after 25 years. Some might rate that a conspicuous failure.

I think the first sentence is a pretty reasonable question for a site that would inform members of the public with an air of authority. The second sentence is a factual observation, which many members of the public might find surprising, and some concerning; even, a “conspicuous failure”. Scientific study is meant to deliver increasing precision in our understanding of nature, of course.

According to The Carbon Brief’s comments policy, "vigorous debate is fine”. Really? I wonder why they would delete my post? Could it point to inconvenient truths?