Category Archives: Uncategorized

Tropical cyclones and climate change

Posted on August 30, 2020 by

Michael Shellenberger has a recent Forbes article on [w]hy Deaths From Hurricanes And Other Natural Disasters Are Lower Than Ever. The article is based quite strongly on the work of a friend of this blog. The basic argument being that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 64 Comments

Outgoing longwave radiation

Posted on April 30, 2020 by

Something that often strikes me is that when I think I understand something quite well, there often turns out to be an aspect that I haven’t understood particularly well. I sometimes think that this is can be an important thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Global warming, Greenhouse effect, Philosophy for Bloggers, The philosophy of science, The scientific method, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 37 Comments

A physicist for president?

Posted on March 19, 2020 by

Jim Al’Khalili has an article in Scientific American called [a] physicist for president? Jim is a physicist, so he’s probably being somewhat provactive. Also, he’s mostly arguing for someone who applies the scientific method to thinking and decision-making and is … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, physicists, Politics, Scientists, The scientific method, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 51 Comments

Debate about communicating tipping points

Posted on February 23, 2020 by

The new book about Contemporary Climate Change Debates, that I discussed in this post, includes a debate about whether or not ‘tipping point[s]’ [are] helpful for describing and communicating possible climate futures? James Annan suggests that the answer is “no”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Climate sensitivity, Global warming, Policy, The philosophy of science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 340 Comments

feedbacks, runaway, and tipping points

Posted on February 1, 2020 by

There’s been some discussion on Twitter about feedbacks, runaways, and tipping points. The issue is that some seem to confuse these and sometimes imply that we could cross thresholds where we’ll undergo a runaway. I thought I would briefly try … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Climate sensitivity, Global warming, Severe Events, The scientific method, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 213 Comments

Slow travel

Posted on January 26, 2020 by

If you’ve been following my Twitter threads, you should be aware that I’m just back from a trip to Austria that I decided to do via train. The meeting was for a collaboration that developed after I spent some time … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 36 Comments

Jens’ Bayesian Models

Posted on December 22, 2019 by

[W] Hello. How’s everything? [J] Things are good, thanks 🙂 Busy December, but that’s par for the course. I hope you’re well also. [W] I have the flu, but hope to survive against all odds. That’s you: https://oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-jens-koed-madsen/ [J] Ah, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

IAMs – Open Thread

Posted on September 21, 2019 by

There’s been an interesting debate about IAMs. IAMs are Integrated Assessment Models that are used to develop mitigation pathways. In this article, Kevin Anderson argues that IAMs are simply the wrong tools for the job, while Jessica Jewel clarifies the … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbon tax, Climate change, economics, GRRRROWTH, Philosophy for Bloggers, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 103 Comments

It’s dangerous!

Posted on July 24, 2019 by

There’s a recent Nature Climate Change article by Shinichiro Asayam, Rob Bellamy, Oliver Geden, Warren Pearce and Mike Hulme. It’s called Why setting a climate deadline is dangerous. The basic idea is that the rise in political rhetoric that sets … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 126 Comments

J R Oppenheimer Asks: Can Science Provide Better Models for Democracy?

Posted on May 31, 2019 by

I came across a collection of 1950’s vintage essays by Robert Oppenheimer that’s been lurking quietly unattended in my book collection for who knows how long. Reading essays by scientifically accomplished people from long ago is always an eye-opener. Bits … Continue reading →

Posted in physicists, Policy, Politics, Uncategorized | 50 Comments