Climate scientist Michael Mann runs down the list of bad global warming news: The world is spewing greenhouse gases at a faster rate. Summer Arctic sea ice is at record lows. The ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica are melting quicker than expected.

Is he the doomsayer global warming skeptics have called him? Mann laughs. This Penn State University professor — and many other climate scientists — are sunny optimists. Hope blooms in the hottest of greenhouses.

Here is a precis of a presentation by University of Victoria Professor Andrew Weaver, the Canada Research Chair in Climate Modelling and Analysis. Weaver himself described this as a powerful summary in which the author, Rod Edwards, "expressed everything I tried to say … better han I actually did!"

UPDATED: with details of the Fraser Institute's planned press conference

A Canadian think tank’s “independent” analysis of the IPCC Summary for Policymakers is based on out-of-date information and is specifically misleading about the nature of the scientific summary that it presumes to criticize, DeSmogBlog.com President James Hoggan said Wednesday.

The Fraser Institute will release their report in London on Feb.5. Here are the details for our UK friends who might be interested in attending:

Date: February 5, 2007
Time: 10am (London time)
Location: The Atrium Restaurant (across from the Houses of Parliament), Four Millbank, Westminster

You can find a copy of the leaked document and a briefing note on the Fraser Institute here.

UPDATE: I've just uploaded a new version of the briefing note, without hyperlinks for those who want to print off a copy. Titled "print version." (KG)

UPDATE: The Fraser Institute issued a second media advisory yesterday. H/T to Buckdog .

In a Calgary Sun column today, noted atmospheric scientist and IPCC author, Dr. Andrew Weaver, slams the so-called climate change "skeptics."

"The enduring debate — such as it is, particularly in Alberta — over the role humans play in global warming — is so divorced from scientific literature as to be a discourse from a distant age or orbit," says Weaver.

 

 

Okay, I admit, I'm not very good at video editing, but check out this video that the DeSmog team put together called "Who do believe: junk scientist vs. real scientist?"

In a hysterical piece in the National Post today (see next post), business page Editor Terrance Corcoran rails at the Globe and Mail  for "distortions, errors, untruths and omissions."

His outburst attracted this riposte from University of Victoria Professor Andrew Weaver:

Dear Mr. Corcoran,

I read the article today that you wrote in the National Post. I thought I would correct a number of factual errors in your piece.

1) I am neither a government of Canada employee nor have I ever been (except back in 1983 when I had a student summer job with DND). I am not a civil servant and do not work for a division of Environment Canada. (a quick google search would have revealed that I am a Professor in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria).

2) I do not lobby for more climate funding. If you ask anyone who has actually interviewed me, they will say that what I say is "We don't need more research money to deal with the issue as to what needs to be done.