New sea ice data further bury George Will's global warming credibility

[jpak]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200904080020?f=h_latest

On April 6, NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) released new data on Arctic sea ice levels that further discredit a widely criticized February 15 column by George Will in which he falsely suggested that sea ice data undermine the scientific consensus that humans are causing global warming. The NASA/NSIDC press release stated that "the maximum sea ice extent for 2008-09, reached on Feb. 28, was 5.85 million square miles. That is 278,000 square miles less than the average extent for 1979 to 2000." Reporting on the NASA/NSIDC findings, The Washington Post, which publishes Will's column, stated in an April 7 article that the data "provid further evidence that the region is warming more rapidly than scientists had expected" and noted that the new data undermine Will's column.

Will's global warming columns have also recently been criticized by Washington Post editorial board member and cartoonist Tom Toles, Post weather columnist Andrew Freedman, and Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander.

In his February 15 column, Will wrote: As global levels of sea ice declined last year, many experts said this was evidence of man-made global warming. Since September, however, the increase in sea ice has been the fastest change, either up or down, since 1979, when satellite record-keeping began. According to the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979.

Will's suggestion that the sea ice data he was citing undermined the case for human-caused global warming was false. The University of Illinois document that Will relied on in his February 15 column as purported evidence for his claim actually says that the University of Illinois data are consistent with global warming predictions. It says that "n the context of climate change, GLOBAL sea ice area" -- which Will cited -- "may not be the most relevant indicator" and that it is important to distinguish between sea ice in the Northern and Southern hemispheres when discussing global warming. The document explains that "lmost all" climate models project that human-caused global warming will result in decreased sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere, but that some recent studies have suggested that warming might initially cause the amount of sea ice to increase in the Southern Hemisphere, and that these projections are consistent with observed sea ice data. Even though Media Matters for America and others pointed out that the University of Illinois document actually contradicted the very point Will was purporting to make in citing it, Will falsely claimed in a February 27 column that he had "accurately reported" on the contents of the University of Illinois document.

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[DS1]

1. It's sad that George Will even THINKS he has a voice on the matter

stick to financials, you uptight cumsock

[Submariner]

2. Will admitting he's wrong is not in his vocabulary or part of his thought processes

The goon who got his start STEALING Jimmy Carter's election playbook and giving it to Raygun, can't handle the truth.

[Botany]

3. George Will is not a nice man

He gave a paid speech @ a fund raiser and a friend of mine gave him
a ride from the airport to the meeting. A women came up to Will and told
him she was a big fan but Will's reaction to her was very rude.

He said something like, "get this woman away from me how can I think with all
these interruptions ..... give me a closet or a chair behind a potted plant."

My friend told Will that somebody else can drive him back to the airport.

BTW A bow tie kinda pretentious don't you think?

Edit a very good short "global warming is real" link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byrd_Polar_Research_Center

[hatrack]

4. I wasn't aware he HAD any global warming credibility.

:shrug:

[stuntcat]

5. apparently his opinion on the environment matters, like a lot

:*

I dropped newsweek because they let him publish his opinion as if it's serious journalism.
I haven't dropped the Wash Post yet.. I was about to but yesterday someone showed me this article-

"Washington Post reporters call out George Will for lying".. - http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-07-post-reporter-calls-out-will

[pscot]

6. As if mere reality based arguments

had any impact on what passes for thought among the deniers. This won't even make them pause for breath.