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15-Year-Old Byrnes Outsmarts NASA’s Global Warming Alarmist James Hansen
NewsBusters ^ | June 7, 2007 | Noel Sheppard

Posted on 06/07/2007 3:03:17 PM PDT by PJ-Comix

On May 18, NewsBusters introduced you to Kristen Byrnes, the fabulous fifteen-year-old from Maine who had torn apart many of the myths purported by the Global Warmingist-in-Chief, soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore, in his schlockumentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Now, the Precocious Ponderer from Portland is taking on the scientist that Gore relied on for much of his misinformation, James Hansen of NASA.

In her recent report entitled “Houston, We Have a Problem,” Byrnes identified a serious concern with this so-called scientist that many anthropogenic global warming skeptics have been addressing for years (emphasis added throughout):

James Hansen seems to have a busy life for someone from Iowa. But the real question seems to be is whether or not Hansen is too busy to realize what he is actually saying to the pubic.

As Hansen attempts to seduce, exaggerate, and alarm the public, some people (like me) attempt to inform the public of the reality of global warming, its impacts, and now, the truth behind James Hansen.

Next, Byrnes took on the myth Hansen likes to purport that he is politically independent:

Hansen claims that he is an “independent”, but he seems to be the only person who believes it.  Readers may already be aware of this, but if not… James Hansen was granted a quarter of a million dollars from the Heinz Environment Award a.k.a. U. S. Senator and former Presidential Candidate John Kerry’s wife’s foundation. You know the old saying; “nothing in politics is free.” So my first question is: what did he do to get the quarter of a million dollars? Was it the price for switching his political standing from “independent” to democratic when he later endorsed John Kerry for President? Was it payment for interpreting his department’s data in a way that would benefit his political friends?

More evidence of his connections to the Democratic Party was his endorsement of Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000. James Hansen was also a science advisor to Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth.

As kids say these days, “Oh SNAP!”

Marvelously, she was just getting warmed up:

James Hansen is a scientist who admittedly uses scare tactics to convince the public that global warming will be “potentially disastrous”. Consider this statement from Hansen in his own document called “Can We Defuse the Global Warming Time Bomb?” [published in the journal Natural Science] in August of 2003.

Emphasis on extreme scenarios may have been appropriate at one time, when the public and decision-makers were relatively unaware of the global warming issue, and energy sources such as "synfuels," shale oil and tar sands were receiving strong consideration. Now, however, the need is for demonstrably objective climate forcing scenarios consistent with what is realistic under current conditions. Scenarios that accurately fit recent and near-future observations have the best chance of bringing all of the important players into the discussion, and they also are what is needed for the purpose of providing policy-makers the most effective and efficient options to stop global warming.

Fascinating, wouldn't you agree? What Hansen wrote in 2003 was that he used to advocate lying to the public and policy makers to get them to act. Yet, we should believe his prognostications now because he’s decided it’s suddenly important to be truthful.

Right.

To demonstrate how Hansen clearly is still operating from his prior modus operandi regarding the need to exaggerate to impact the debate, Byrnes pointed out the following deliciously inconvenient truth:

It is important to understand that global warming has been measured in tenths of degrees, .77 degrees Celsius in the past 100 years. There has been a great deal of controversy about the accuracy of the temperature data, mainly the bias of temperature data due to urban heat island effect. This controversy has lead many to focus on rural temperature stations. Rural stations are intended to represent the cool breezy countryside, small towns, farms, trees and grass. 

In recent weeks, researchers have been visiting these temperature stations. What they noticed was that there are serious problems with the quality of these temperature stations. They noticed that many of these temperature stations were located next to concrete buildings, near hot exhausts of air conditioning units, attached to metal towers and poles, surrounded by driveways and above gravel.

How delicious. And, here’s the excruciatingly painful punch line: 

The photos of these temperature stations are not just a few of many; they are the first few dozen that have been visited. About 80% of the temperature stations that have been visited and photographed have serious quality problems. This brings up some more questions: How many tenths of a degree will temperatures rise when the thermometer is near the hot exhaust of an AC unit? Or how about when it is located above gravel or near a paved road or driveway? How many tenths of a degree will the temperature rise when the thermometer is above pavement and surrounded by buildings (no wind)? And in one case, as documented by the photograph below, how many tenths of a degree will the temperature rise when the caretaker of the facility burns trash in a metal barrel just 5 feet away from the temperature station?

                                 

For those interested, more pictures of these stations can be found here.

Now, putting this is some perspective, given the position and location of some of these stations, wouldn’t this be a fabulous thing for investigative journalists to be reporting? Can’t you just imagine a segment about this on “60 Minutes,” “20/20,” or “Dateline?” Why do you think that hasn’t happened?

Or, is it the job of fifteen-year-olds to point out that which adults find too inconvenient?

Brava, Kris. Brava!


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alarmism; alarmists; algore; climatechange; convenientfiction; convenientlie; democrats; globalwarming; inconvenientreality; jameshansen; johnkerry; kristenbyrnes; skeptics; temperature; theresaheinzkerry
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To: PJ-Comix

bump


41 posted on 06/07/2007 4:26:39 PM PDT by lowbridge ("The mainstream media IS the Democratic Party." - Rush Limbaugh)
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To: PJ-Comix

Where could she go? The scholastitutes make their living from grants proving global warming.


42 posted on 06/07/2007 4:27:35 PM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Carbon positive.)
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To: Bryan24
l. For example, do local geographic features such as rivers, lakes, small or large towns, individual mountains, etc... aid in producing individual thunderstorms.

One of my ROTC instructors was a meteorologist. He had been stationed at an AF base in Kentucky. He once mentioned that when the regional forecast was clear and cold with a breeze from (I've forgotten the exact direction), he knew to forecast obscuration on the runway. The reason was that the enlisted housing was in that direction, and they burned soft coal to keep warm.

43 posted on 06/07/2007 4:35:12 PM PDT by JoeFromSidney (My book is out. Read excerpts at http://www.thejusticecooperative.com)
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To: ConservativeMind

Your warm?


44 posted on 06/07/2007 4:35:44 PM PDT by Osage Orange (The GOP....about as welcome as an out-house breeze....these days on FR.)
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To: PJ-Comix
Discrediting the left: So easy a 15-year-old can do it.

Sounds like a good campaign slogan to me.

45 posted on 06/07/2007 4:42:20 PM PDT by Schatze (It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.)
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To: texianyankee; JayB; ElkGroveDan; markman46; palmer; Bahbah; Paradox; FOG724; Mike Darancette; ...

Global Warming PING!

You have been pinged because of your interest in environmentalism, alarmist wackos, mainstream media doomsday hype, and other issues pertaining to global warming.

Freep-mail DaveLoneRanger to get on or off: Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to all note-worthy threads on global warming.

Astray in Greenland

Climate change: Fresh air

Global Warming on FreeRepublic

Latest from Global Warming News Site

Latest from Greenie Watch

Latest from Junk Science

Latest from Terra Daily

46 posted on 06/07/2007 5:12:15 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Will I be suspended again for this remark?)
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To: PJ-Comix; 3D-JOY; abner; Abundy; AGreatPer; Albion Wilde; alisasny; ALlRightAllTheTime; ...

This chick’s hittin’ ‘em out of the park!


47 posted on 06/07/2007 5:21:01 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Will I be suspended again for this remark?)
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To: PJ-Comix

I’ll bet she never watches MTV (a.k.a. Moron Television).

I’d like to see her debate either Gore or Keith Olbermann on the global warming issue. It’d be a laugh riot watching them squirm.


48 posted on 06/07/2007 5:21:17 PM PDT by puroresu
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To: puroresu

Gore would probably respond to her skeptical inquiries by sitting on her and crushing her to death.


49 posted on 06/07/2007 5:25:08 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Will I be suspended again for this remark?)
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To: fanfan; GMMAC; xcamel; DaveLoneRanger; Baynative; calcowgirl; sourcery; Clive

ping


50 posted on 06/07/2007 5:39:29 PM PDT by Reform Canada (Kyoto=>More Unemployment=>More Poverty=>More Homeless=>More Crime=>More Rape & Murder)
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To: PJ-Comix

Because global warming is a myth. Good for her.


51 posted on 06/07/2007 5:41:07 PM PDT by lndrvr1972
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Thanks for this “happy” PING!

I needed some sunshine today.


52 posted on 06/07/2007 5:51:21 PM PDT by 3D-JOY
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To: Reform Canada

nope — story was posted 3 or 4 times about 3 weeks ago.


53 posted on 06/07/2007 6:07:36 PM PDT by xcamel ("It's Thompson Time!")
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To: PJ-Comix

Great!


54 posted on 06/07/2007 6:50:23 PM PDT by chaosagent (Remember, no matter how you slice it, forbidden fruit still tastes the sweetest!)
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To: Bryan24
For example, do local geographic features such as rivers, lakes, small or large towns, individual mountains, etc... aid in producing individual thunderstorms.

I can tell you that for free. Where I live, toward the Southern end of the Appalachians, there is a mountainous region which channels the west-to-east storms North and South of us. The areas N and S get the rain, and we get nada. I watch it happen on real-time radar all the time. The direction has to be due-N or due-S for us to get precip.

Hope I saved you some bucks.

55 posted on 06/07/2007 7:31:07 PM PDT by ImaGraftedBranch (...And we, poor fools, demand truth's noon, who scarce can bear its crescent moon.)
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To: PJ-Comix

Yes, you are correct. Thanks. My point still stands.


56 posted on 06/07/2007 7:54:41 PM PDT by miele man (Continually voting against iodine deficient libs for 42 years)
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To: PJ-Comix

bump for later


57 posted on 06/07/2007 8:02:08 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s........you weren't really there)
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To: xcamel
Actually, this is the second Newsbusters article about Kristen Byrnes (this one is dated today). It talks about Byrnes' essay specifically targeting James Hansen. The previous one was about her science project.
58 posted on 06/07/2007 8:42:29 PM PDT by Constitutionalist Conservative (Global Warming Heretic -- http://agw-heretic.blogspot.com)
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To: PJ-Comix

The trash burn barrel is on a pallet, it is probably just being stored in this location. BUT...the barrel is painted black and would absorb quite a bit of sunlight and would raise the air temperature 5 ft away. Of course metal of any color absorbs heat.
And James Hansen is from the University of Iowa. That is not considered a part of Iowa by most sane Iowans.


59 posted on 06/07/2007 8:49:16 PM PDT by HereInTheHeartland (Never bring a knife to a gun fight, or a Democrat to do serious work...)
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To: IncPen
NOAA has at least 110 data buoys that acquire met data over water. I've seen many of them during my travels. Here is a picture of a 3-meter buoy. You may find a list of NOAA's stations at: Station Description and the current data from one, as an example, at: 41010 data
60 posted on 06/07/2007 8:54:21 PM PDT by NelsTandberg
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