Spiking the oceans with iron or other nutrients to stimulate algal growth and thereby combat global warming just might not be such a hot idea after all.
Posted inFeature Article, Policy & Politics
E-mail Exchanges with Skeptical Reader End up Printed Verbatim Online
When he set about to reply to a reader’s seemingly clear-cut inquiry criticizing his October 3 climate change news story, Louisville, Ky., reporter James Bruggers had no idea his entire e-mail dialog would end up verbatim in an interest group’s newsletter.
Posted inClimate Science
Why a ‘Gulf Stream’ Shut Down and a New European Ice Age are Unlikely
Some in the news media may be overplaying the extent of the risk that Northern Europe might soon plunge into a new Ice Age. They risk going beyond where the best science can now take them. “Britain could be heading for a climate like Alaska,” the BBC reported back in 2003. It painted a stark […]
Posted inFeature Article
On Covering Controversial Science and Public Policy
Journalists, scientists, and academics looking for a respected veteran reporter’s insights on coverage of controversial science issues can turn to, where else, the Web for the perspective of freelance science writer Cristine Russell.
Posted inClimate Science, Feature Article
‘Objectivity’ As a Goal? No: Accuracy and Fairness
I agree with the essence of Professor Phil Meyer’s essay on objectivity in the launch issue of the Yale Forum, except that I’ve always argued that objectivity ultimately is impossible. It goes out the window as soon as we choose which story to write and how we frame it (which used to be called “finding […]
Posted inClimate Science
Lawrence Livermore Scientist Ben Santer Sees Benefits in ‘Proactive’ Approach to News Media
Physical and atmospheric scientist Benjamin D. Santer, of Lawrence Livermore, says he is taking a new “proactive” approach in dealing with news media. Prior to having participated in several face-to-face workshops involving climate scientists and journalists over the past few years, Santer says his standard “mode of operation” had been to:
Posted inClimate Science
Perspectives (Differing Ones, Of Course) on One-Quarter Degree F
It was the quarter-degree F recalculation shot heard around the world. And it was enough to tumble 1998 from its status as the U.S.’s hottest year and elevate in its place …
Posted inAnalysis
Upcoming Critique of Oreskes Findings on ‘Consensus’ Unlikely to Prove Convincing
The climate change blog world has been abuzz about a pending study said by some to challenge a widely-cited 2004 analysis suggesting a strong scientific “consensus” on anthropogenic climate change. But whether and where the much-ballyhooed analysis sees the light of day in a peer-reviewed form appears very much in doubt.
Posted inEnergy, Feature Article, Jobs & Economy
Top News Executives Focus on Climate Science (Pt.1 of 2)
Eighteen top news executives, representing some of the nation’s leading metropolitan daily newspapers and other news organizations, met all day September 5, 2007 at Stanford University with nine leading climate scientists and researchers. Their goal: to better understand the physical science underlying many scientists’ growing concerns … and to explore the energy and economic implications […]
Posted inFeature Article, Policy & Politics
Call it Climate Change. Strike That. Let’s Call it Global Warming. Strike THAT. Let’s Call It … (Pt.1 of 2)
Go back to May 1997, about seven months before the Kyoto Protocols were negotiated. The Cooler Heads Coalition established its web site, www.globalwarming.org. It was a savvy move for a group that’s skeptical about the risks of rising temperatures. Even it recognized how universal the term “global warming” was becoming.
Posted inFeature Article, Weather Extremes
Profile of The Weather Channel’s Heidi Cullen
One quick look at her resume alerts you that Heidi Cullen isn’t your “normal” journalist who took college courses, let’s be honest here, in large part to avoid dicey courses dealing with things like statistics, coefficients, and math generally. Cullen, in fact, is perhaps even more comfortable with issues involving engineering and paleoclimatology than she […]
Posted inFeature Article, Policy & Politics
Newsweek’s ‘Hoax’ Cover Story Raises Ire of Deniers, … and also Criticism from Within
“Hoax” is a potent accusation, a four-letter grenade of a word. In the public discussion of anthropogenic climate change, prominent conservatives such as Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) and radio commentator Rush Limbaugh have used it to convey profound suspicion about the motives of those who say manmade global warming is happening and worthy of action.