Roger Pielke Jr has had an interesting exchange of views with the new president of the American Meteorological Society:
Roger Pielke Jr: In briefing to US Senate AmerMetSoc Prez @DrShepherd2013 links increasing costs of disasters with climate change. OK, I'll bite, evidence?
Marshall Shepherd: i try to be measured on such issues. Even some of your own work noting coastal growth adds cost as coastal haz like sandy hap...btw annual meeting in 2014, my theme will address links to soc infrastructure and hopefully you are willing to participate
Roger Pielke Jr: Thx -- I have not been on the AMS Xmas Card list for some time now ;-) I'm always ready to discuss/debate science and policy
Roger Pielke Jr: our track record of measured-ness is why I am very surprised by your briefing remarks, and why I'm asking for evidence now. Leaders in the climate science community have a horrible record in presenting accurate testimony/briefings to US Congress. BTW here is the Congressional briefing text of @DrShepherd2013 that we're discussing and I think widely misses mark http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=1f670e51-ddc9-4ef0-a3a7-b8d4afb8effc …
Marshall Shepherd : but how to move forward with tenor of tweets i view ams and discourse as bigger tent open for all views no attacks
Roger Pielke Jr: Thx ... Members of Congress can cherrypick their experts as they see fit. AMS Prez however should play things straight.
Marshall Shepherd : Agree,view my role as AMS President to give a position based on our AMS statement and the most current literature, no agenda...have no agenda which is why in testimony I chose not to answer the question from the Senator about Keystone, no AMS basis
Roger Pielke Jr: Not to dwell, but citing your spouse and Cheerios on XE are not a good substitute for bottom line findings of IPCC SREX! ;-) Yes, tenor is important. But not to get distracted, will you be sending me the references on disaster claims in yr briefing?
Marshall Shepherd : AMS statement (2012), Lubchenco and Karl (2012), Bouwer (2012), Kapphan et al (2012), Peterson et al. (2012) Munich Re report
Roger Pielke Jr: Thx..but here's the problem: none of those papers/grey lit support your claims about extreme events and disaster costs.
Marshall Shepherd : I had wind of this info. but deemed it inapropriate to present but would have been persuasive http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/02/13/1581351/the-188-billion-price-tag-from-us-extreme-weather-from-2011-to-2012/ …
Roger Pielke Jr: Good thinking. Better would be new NOAA peer reviewed study which explains why their billionz index is no good for climate.
Marshall Shepherd: not inappropriate because it is flawed, I know there are pre-conceived about sources (even IPCC), so tried to avoid...
Roger Pielke Jr: You lost me. You avoided IPCC because of preconceptions, so you instead cited The Guardian and EarthZine?? Come on ;-)
Marshall Shepherd: no, not what I was suggestion, I cite IPCC for example in upcoming paper we have coming out on Floods. context lost in tweets...sources being the links I just shared with costs for 2011 and 2012 disasters....and context give us the ability to say some things, this is what I mean about context, intent, etc.
Marshall Shepherd: We can quibble on it, but just understand that my intent was to be objective
Roger Pielke Jr: AMS Prez gets science of extremes/disasters 100% wrong before US Congress. I think it matters, so hardly a quibble ;-)
Marshall Shepherd: think we just will have to agree to disagree,not trying to take shots. I hope we can work together in future, no agenda
Marshall Shepherd: and hope you will take up offer to interface at next AMS via some mechanism, we need all viewpoints in the Society
Roger Pielke Jr: Please do send those supporting references to your claims, I am v interested in why you chose them over SREX. Thanks.
Marshall Shepherd: very serious about u attending/engaging in 2014 meeting. Theme synopsis written last year http://annual.ametsoc.org/2014/index.cfm/programs-and-events/theme/ …
Roger Pielke Jr: I am happy to discuss .. Thx!