A gleeful, self-satisfied Mr Punch was often heard to remark: “That’s the way to do it.” Today we examine how Mark Poynting, one of the BBC’s top doom-mongering Net Zero activists, uses the trusted ‘scientists say’ message to turn a centennial sea level rise of around 30 cm into prose stating: “The world could see hugely damaging sea-level rises of several metres or more over the coming centuries”. Added fear is inserted into the mix with the warning that the disappearing act will occur, “even if the ambitious target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C is met, scientists have warned”.
Poynting and the BBC are essentially telling a worldwide audience that coastal land and beyond across the world could be overwhelmed with several metres of sea rise if the global temperature is three-tenths of a degree centigrade higher. This message properly belongs on a doomsday sandwich board walker, not least because the rise in temperature is almost within the margin of error of constantly-adjusted and unnaturally-heated global temperature datasets.
Extrapolating computer modelled data rigged with improbable ‘pathways’ that even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change more or less dismiss as ‘low confidence’ – that’s the way to do it.
The BBC story is based on the recent compilation and interpretation of material from a group led by Geography Professor Chris Stokes. This provides just the sort of findings that are catnip to the BBC. At one point the authors seem to think that humans can control the amount of ice on both Greenland and Antarctica, arguing that the global mean temperature should be reduced with further work “urgently required to more precisely determine a ‘safe limit’ for ice sheets“. Given the catastrophic consequences of a rapid collapse of one or more ice sheets, the authors state, “we conclude that adopting the precautionary principle is imperative and that a global mean temperature cooler than present is required to keep ice sheets broadly in equilibrium”.
That’s the way to do it. Poynting could have informed his gaslit readers that overall ice loss in Antarctica is minimal with suggestions of an annual 100 gigatonnes reduction equivalent to 0.00041% of the total mass – well within the margin of error. At current rates of melting on a continent that has seen no overall warming for at least 70 years, it would take around 300,000 years for all the ice to disappear. And this assumes no intervening glaciations, a new ice age, or just more accurate measurements. Instead he reports the comments of the Stokes crew that the “major concern is that melting could accelerate further beyond ‘tipping points’ due to warming caused by humans”. That’s the way to do it – talk about ‘tipping points’ that never occur and then cover yourself by adding “though it’s not clear exactly how these mechanisms work and where the thresholds sit”.
Instead of “not exactly clear”, try, “haven’t got a clue”. But it is “precautionary” to remove hydrocarbons from modern use and drive humanity back to the dark ages – just in case the model inventions do occur.
It is of course easy to see how the metres-high scare is concocted. Under a low emission ‘pathway’ used by computer models, the rise by 2100 in sea levels due to ice melting ranges from 4 cm to 37 cm. Such is the range, another imputation of cluelessness might be justified. But a mere 37 cm doesn’t look very enticing on the sandwich board even though it is higher than the current trajected growth, so the highest pathway was consulted to give 12-52 cm. Alas, this is still pretty dismal when mass climate psychosis is the order of the day, so the suggestion from the IPCC was noted that it could not rule out that the pathway with ‘low confidence’ could point to a total sea level rise of over 15 metres by 2300. That’s the way to do it. Treble metres, and more, all round.
It might be noted at this point that the improbable pathway known as SSP5-8.5 is in common use in climate science circles and is behind most if not all the computer modelled alarms that gaslight the readers of almost all mainstream media. The science writer Roger Pielke Jr has long been a critic of the 8.5 pathway that provides the important propaganda messaging backing the collectivist Net Zero fantasy. He states that the continuing misuse of these scenarios has become pervasive and consequential, “so that we can view it as one of the most significant failures of scientific integrity in the 21st century so far”. His short explanation as to why it has been so popular for so long: “Groupthink fuelled by a misinformation campaign by activist scientists.”
Activist journalists as well. Poynting is rapidly emerging as the BBC climate activist to watch in a strong field including Justin Rowlatt and Matt McGrath. Who can forget his recent sterling ‘scientists say’ effort that the Gulf Stream “appears to be getting weaker” under the headline, ‘Could the UK actually get colder with global warming?’ This effort drew much critical appreciation, not least because it headed off the awkward findings published the month before in a Nature paper that observed the Gulf Stream had not declined in strength since the 1960s.
Chris Morrison is the Daily Sceptic’s Environment Editor.
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I love that “safe limit” comment for the ice sheet. Do these people have no self awareness? I almost hope they do, and are having a right laugh at how much they can take the piss. At least they’d be enjoying it. In a “Nature” paper, no less. How that organ has beclowned itself. Thanks Chris for keeping us abreast of this.
Poynting and laughing.
BBC Today programme this morning had Katya Adler presenting live from the North of Norway. It was a double whammy show, melting ice caps & Russian threat.
Sadly, the Norwegian admiral they interviewed said there was no increase in tension with the Russians.
Oh dear, don’t tell Munro.
😀😀😀
In the real world, a proper precautionary approach is to do nothing, until you understand the outcome. The “something must be done” attitude is not actually precautionary at all, and over-reaction brings it’s own risks. After all, we have witnessed a few of those things in recent years. Don’t panic.
The ‘something must be done’ attitude then teams up with the ‘if it saves just one life’ mantra totally ignoring something called a ‘cost benefit analysis’ being applied before embarking on a load of legislation that we have amazingly survived centuries without.
“… a proper precautionary approach is to do nothing, until you understand the outcome.”
Quite so. Chesterton’s Fence.
Don’t just do something! Stand there!
‘UK sea temperatures soar after exceptionally warm Spring’
“Temperatures in the seas around the UK and Ireland have soared in the past week with some areas now 4C warmer than normal, with potential implications for marine life and people going swimming.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7533y6l3k0o
There is no need to study this BBC News article published today. Just read the headline and look at the maps ‘Source: Met Office’. It is clear that some areas of sea around the UK and Ireland are almost at boiling point, so people going swimming should avoid these areas so as not to get scalded.
We shouldn’t enjoy the sunny weather we have been having during this month of May, instead we should be worrying about the imminent catastrophe that it is causing.
We’re presently at the end of the second month of spring (spring goes from 03/21- 06/21) and it certainly hasn’t been exceptionally warm so far. Not exceptionally cold would be a much better description.
It’s not in the Metoffice; they use whole calendar months – March, April, May, with Summer starting on 1/6. Only 9 Spring days left now, and all the published stats are associated with their method.
Somehow, I’m not surprised that the Met Office invented its own kind of seasons to better match what the Met Office likes to publish. I’ll, however, continue to use the definition not put forward by the Met Office for some certainly very good reasons.
It’s certainly going to be much easier to talk about exceptionally warm spings when the usually warmest part of spring, namely, the one which runs into June, is omitted.
According to Grok:
“In the UK, spring officially runs from March 1 to May 31 for meteorological purposes, based on the Met Office’s calendar for consistent weather data collection. Astronomically, spring starts around March 20 or 21 (the vernal equinox) and ends around June 20 or 21 (the summer solstice), depending on the Earth’s tilt and orbit. The exact equinox and solstice dates can vary slightly year to year.”
I think it goes hand in hand with our expressions of seasons such as ‘summer months’, ‘winter months’ and consider that June 21 is mid-summer when often it has barely got going.
😀😀😀
The seas are warmed by radiation from the Sun, not by warmer atmosphere.
There are reports of reduced cloud cover over the last few years, plus a decrease in particulates from marine fuel regulations, all of which let through more solar radiation… warmer waters.
The biggest danger to marine life in British water is effing foreign fisherman let in by Darth Starmer.
I was in Sheringham a couple of weeks back Believe me, the sea wasn’t warm
Look him up on Linkedin – Fenland Poly geography graduate recruited by the British Broadcasting Commentariat. Draw your own conclusions.
The pseudo-scientific fiction of “controlling the Earth’s temperature” is part of the political project of subjugating the Earth’s human population. The total-control state, in other words.
Exactly.
“The world could see hugely damaging sea-level rises of several metres or more over the coming centuries”.
And?
And another thing – I won’t be here.
What does this firkin clown think planet earth is? A ruddy IKEA kit?
Anything that includes the 8.5 scenario can be conveniently filed in the receptacle marked ‘bollocks’ and disregarded.
“The BBC’s Mark Poynting Shows How to Spread Climate Alarm”
Lie. We know this already.
Sea levels rose over 40 metres in the previous “centuries” so that Great Britain is now an island, previously connected to the continent of Europe via Doggerland which is now at the bottom of the North Sea… the Dogger Bank.
Oddly enough no fossil fuels were harmed during this sea level rise, nor were any Doggerlanders.
Cnut demonstrated his inability to control the tides.
This cnut thinks he can control ice sheets.
LOL
Having worked as an environmental manager within the precautionary principle, I detest hearing it bastardised in this manner. The original idea of the precautionary principle was that you don’t do something unless the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages. It is not “do this just in case” which is how it is being promoted here. It ws the same with facemasks during the pandemic.
They have to use this cover story because the truth is much worse. For purely natural reasons we are entering a time where the current global population cannot be sustained. This year in the space of months you are looking at about a thirty percent increase in the price of staples all over the world. This means huge numbers of deaths and this is just the start. The global warming thing is essentially an anodyne to keep nerves calm because the reality is way worse.
He has the sort of face you instinctively avoided at university.
I think it’s time that Chris posted some maps of the British coastline in Roman times and from the 16th century. I suspect that mapping the effect of a 37cm rise in sea levels won’t match them. In 1600 my town of Rye was a port, but is now about two miles from the sea…
Cley-next-the-Sea.
Clue: It isn’t.
The main issue in the debate is the confusion between caring for the environment, climate change and belief the climate change is caused by man and can be changed by man.
Please print this massive congressional hearing about the safe and effective misinformation hearing held on May 22nd in Washington.
https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=1119676&post_id=164202295&utm_source=post-email-title&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=ypmr9&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo1ODMwMjgzNywicG9zdF9pZCI6MTY0MjAyMjk1LCJpYXQiOjE3NDc5NjQzNjUsImV4cCI6MTc1MDU1NjM2NSwiaXNzIjoicHViLTExMTk2NzYiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.bzIE3lsbLXg1cZs7AJMXQhgEOQQw_5Gep1lb8WVApsc
Keep blowing that trumpet, Chris. Your articles are always excellent and need to go mainstream somehow.
Have not watched mom for nearly five yrs. have not missed a thing. Turn it off it is not fit for purpose.
Aunty, surely?