Saturday
Mar222014
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Diary date: Exeter
Mar 22, 2014 Diary dates The University of Exeter is to hold a conference in May to discuss where the global warming movement goes in the aftermath of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report.
International experts will discuss the future of climate change research following the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report.
The Transformational Climate Science conference, hosted by the University of Exeter in partnership with the Met Office and University of Leeds, takes place on 15 and 16 May.
Globally renowned researchers will share their perspectives on the cutting-edge of science and social science.
Details here.
Reader Comments (26)
Seems that the conference is by invitation only. If anyone wants an invitation you can request one by visiting http://www.exeter.ac.uk/climate2014/registration/ Would be interested to know if any well known skeptics or lukewarmers get the brush-off.
WTH is 'Transformational Climate Science '? Why a Social Science input? Am I imagining a fairly overt agenda? Why do all the usual suspects have to meet and talk to each other with no whiff of a contribution from anybody who doesn't buy the whole thing hook line and sinker?
A free holiday for the well-connected would seem to be the main purpose, like most public sector "conferences".
I am trying to resist telling them where to go.....
"Why do all the usual suspects have to meet and talk to each other.."
To discuss ways of keeping the scam going, I suspect. It would be interesting to know what they still believe.
Is this the Exeter on this planet or some distant solar system?
I couldn't bear to listen to two days of wall-to-wall propaganda, but I have enquired about registering. Conferences are usually very expensive, but I see nothing about a registration fee.
Exeter University appears to be a hot-bed of warmists. As my local academy, a friend who works in the psychology department, told me via Facebook that she believed in AGW because one of her colleagues is a climate scientist & he's brilliant & believes in the 97% of scientists thingy! I did try to explain the origin of that little gem, & point out that science wasn't a democratic process, alas she wouldn't have it, despite pointing out one or two errors in her argument! I think Jamesp is right, they have to keep the scam going, salaries, departmental budgets, & pension have to be paid, as well as lavish holidays with events like these! Still, probably better overall value than a UNIPCC jamboree with the finest foods & wines available from all over the world - tough life this Global Warming lark!
Science AND social science? How interesting.
Nigel Lawson was speaking at Bath Uni this week.
AGW is a social movement that utilizes a science veneer.
Science and non-science discussing nonsense.
As this conference implicitly recognizes.
By the way, don't forget that the public is paying for it all.
"International experts will discuss the future of climate change research "
"International self-anointed so-called experts who really are goebbelsian propaganda shills for politically correct fiatted tax leeching and wealth destroying nonsense.."
There ! fixed it.
I've been to Exeter in a professional capacity a few times.
I call it excretia.
Let's see... they've tried Wonderful Copenhagen, the Stockholm syndrome, not putting a "t" in Cancun - where seems nice for the next vacation?
I like the smoke stack introducing "our exciting speakers" in the Univeristy's colourful introductory prenbetation.
Douglas Adam's definition of Exeter
exeter (n.)
All light household and electrical goods contain a number of vital components plus at least one exeter.
If you've just mended a fuse, changed a bulb or fixed a blender, the exeter is the small, flat or round plastic or bakelite piece left over which means you have to undo everything and start all over again.
'The Meaning of Liff' Douglas Adams & John Lloyd
May be of some use to conference delegates.
I love the smell of cognitive dissonance in the morning.
Climate change can only be one of these 2 things:
1) A major catastrophe. The shit really hitting the fan. Time to run round with your hair on fire and scream blue murder including (but not limited to) urgent action today and emergency measures.
2) A genteel affair you can discuss in a detached way at endless conferences with endless tea and endless biscuits and can we squeeze a few more papers out of this and possibly agree to meet again next year. If you switch off the sound track and just watch peoples body language it could be about medieval textiles or a new way to catalogue library books.
I'm seeing it more and more as number 2.
Probably not a good idea to drive there as the car park is flooded !
'The future of Climate Change Research' looks like a pretty lightweight agenda to me.
After 30 years of huge expenditure, more academic posts created than you can shake a stick at and the carbon footprint of a small country burnt on jetting to innumerable conferences, the nett useful output of the whole CC research industry has been pretty much zero.
There is very little that we know now that wasn't known 30 years ago. Maybe some of the 'i's have been dotted and the 't's crossed. Perhaps some other small improvements here and there. But no breakthroughs, no Eureka moments.
On the biggest question of interest to society 'how much warmer is it going to get?' (aka climate sensitivity) there has been no progress at all. Zip, zilch, nada, pas du tout......
And as the tide of social and political concern ebbs away, the pollies will be starting to ask themselves just waht value the huge public expenditures on CC research have brought. Since the answer is 'not much' they will then ask the next obvious one about throwing good money after bad. And I'd take a reasonably educated guess that the days of increasing budgets and headcount and new uni departments and the like are but a fading memory.
If I were advising a bright young graduate wanting a scientific career, then I think climatology would not be high up my list of recommendations for a specialist area...its run its course as the 'coming area'. Nothing new is happening, nor likely to, the public really don't care ..and if the public don't neither do the pollies.
I imagine therefore it'll be a thankfully short bunfight.
I will be in the UK in May but happily will return to France the weekend before this jamboree.
social science is probable the best oxymoron you will ever comes across , because despite many years of trying to make this claim there is no 'science; in social science.
Still given the high levels of BS and the lack of actual science, you can see how it would fit very well within climate 'science' its special relationship to facts and reality.
Cutting edge Social Science:-)
Good point, Latimer.
On another site a commenter contrasted the massive changes in medicine over the last 30 years with the total non-achievements in climate science.
In fact you could contrast changes in almost any other human activity over a 30 year period with the blank score sheet of the climate people. Not just electronics or software but even mundane products like steel bars or wellington boots have changed over the last 3 decades. But the climos have discovered nothing - they have just muddied the waters.
I think in years to come a future Feynman will not talk about cargo-cult-science because nobody will remember the real cargo cults. Instead the future Feynman will warn students about the climate-cults of the early 21st century - with their coconut headsets and their computer screens.
"Globally renowned researchers will share their perspectives on the cutting-edge of science and social science."
Cutting edge of social science?
Cutting edge of bending a nd misusing science to promote ideology?
Jack Hughes
"Climos" - Love it !
Good comment, Latimer.
The word "transformational" leapt off the page for me. It just highlights what many of us already know - that it is not about science, but about implementing other agendas.
In the good old days, science was about clarifying the nature of the world, not "transforming" it.