Pledging Climate Fidelity

via Science Matters
http://ift.tt/2oqIky9

Climate change/global warmers believers are swearing oaths and taking pledges to show fidelity to the UN IPCC and Paris accord. The ceremony goes by the name We Are Still In. Adherents sign this document:

Open letter to the international community and parties to the Paris Agreement from U.S. state, local, and business leaders (Full text here)

The creed asserts the following:
Fighting climate change brings significant economic and public health benefits, but
No mention of trillions of dollars of someone’s money to be spent
Ignores research showing warming saves lives.

Paris accord will avoid the most dangerous and costly effects of climate change, but
If all nations comply, it could mean only 0.2C less warming by 2100.

The U.S. will remain a global leader in reducing emissions, but
Presumes killing the economy as in last recession
Fails to credit fracking revolution
Exported energy emissions are charged to others.

The global effort will hold warming to well below 2℃, but
Up to 2℃ is net beneficial
Achieving NDCs, especially China’s and India’s won’t bend the curve.

The transition to a clean energy economy will accelerate, but
Renewables are not low-carbon, are costly and unreliable.

The following statement was released today by the presidents of 12 major U.S. research universities, commonly referred to as the “Ivy-Plus” group. (Full text here)

Affirmation of leading research universities’ commitment to progress on climate change

The climate is changing largely due to human activity, but
No one has yet proven how much warming humans cause.

The consequences of climate change are accelerating, but
All metrics show climate effects are within normal ranges.

The imperative of a low carbon future is increasingly urgent, but
Changes to natural conditions are not accelerating.

Research will advance evidence-based understanding of the causes and effects of climate change on the environment, the economy and public health, and developing solutions, but
Presently our knowledge of the climate system does not allow us to predict its behavior.

Summary

The last point is the only difference between the “Wearestillin” crowd and the “Ivy-Plus”. The latter leaves the door open to actually study how the climate changes naturally, that is, to gain knowledge of how internal natural processes cause multi-decadal effects upon temperature and precipitation. So far the IPCC has willfully stayed ignorant of that need to know.