Bishop Hill Soton scientists lose the plot
Aug 12, 2014 Climate: WG3 Greens Academics are sometimes their own worst enemies aren't they? They so desperately want to be taken seriously but the otherwordliness of some members of the academy is so overwhelming as to make academia look more like a lunatic asylum than somewhere were knowledge is sought.
As an example, take the story carried at WUWT today. A group of academics at the University of Southampton - one of them a former airline pilot - have written a paper calling for a global regulator of air travel to be put in place.
A global regulator with ‘teeth’ needs to be established, but investing such a body with the appropriate level of authority requires securing an international agreement which history would suggest is going to be very difficult. … the ticket price-increases necessary to induce the required reduction in traffic growth-rates place a monetary-value on CO2 emissions of approximately 7–100 times greater than other common valuations. It is clear that, whilst aviation must remain one piece of the transport-jigsaw, environmentally a global regulator with ‘teeth’ is urgently required.”
We could have a "green halfwit of the year" award, if it wasn't for the fact that the team from Southampton have probably just killed off any sense of expectation.
Reader Comments (24)
As the AGW university gravy train starts to come off the rails, the academics are getting worried. Since climate "science" has seriously affected the public's view of itself (and real science in general) who is going to believe these quacks.
They have lost all credibility, no one believes them or takes them seriously. They are like the old men wandering the street with plackards strapped to them, saying the "End is Nigh". Or Fraser saying "We are all Doomed!"
What a sorry sight UK universities have become!
Yet again - the "green taliban" show to all just by how much they have lost the plot!
Someone once said that the Left will embrace any and all totalitarian ideology for what they try to make out is - "for the greater good"
But we all realise that the reality is that what they really mean is "for THEIR greater good"
University of Southampton should sell all its players ........
Let me guess. Every global citizen will receive an annual quota of UN/government-sanctioned air miles. Poor people will be able to sell their quota under an air miles trading scheme.
That way climate scientists will still be able to fly to their conferences in the Bernese Oberland with a clear conscience?
The main thrust of the idea is hardly new and was the excuse given for a levy on air passengers. The obvious lunacy is the notion that you can have a world regulator on anything. The UN alone disproves the null hypothesis.
There obviously needs to be a global conference to discuss the finer details. Should it be held in Mauritius or the Maldives?
And yet Trefjon, it is plain that the entirety of the NGO, political and Establishment classes in Western Developed countries, supported by much of big business and most of academia, are fully wedded to some form of One World Government. This more than anything underpins their faith and belief in CAGW, it is a perfect vehicle to progress their aims.
Even the most cursory attention to what these people say, do or write clearly shows this.
Heavens above!
They'll go far no doubt - the sooner they start the better ... as the saying goes. Another is they're depriving a small country community somewhere of its supply of idiots :-)
They may sound silly but the first steps to putting UN global rule in place are already completed. Have you not heard of "Globe International". Legislators are in league with bureaucrats to bypass the democratic process already. This is not a conspiracy theory, they are actually proud of themselves and have a web site. Controlled air travel for non climate essential people will be in the mix.
http://www.globeinternational.org/
The "Green halfwit of the year award" - made me smile, could not help but think of:
Monty Python Upperclass Twit of the Year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSqkdcT25ss
Jack Cowper
I think Bish is actually onto something there - I know that its such a target rich environment that it is confusing and one is routinely spoiled for choice - but in terms of media coverage, the present relative mania for lists and awards events could provide some fun with a collection of some of the idiot utterances of the eco crew and their cling-ons.
Categories and Nominations in a discussion thread ?
Likely Sponsors? (The Brew Dog Brewery comes to mind )
Domestic and International categories?
But, but... Greens love flying, they do it all the time!
jamesp
And going by boat to the Arctic
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/luxury-cruise-line-accused-of-offering-environmental-disaster-tourism-with-highcarbon-footprint-arctic-voyage-9635556.html
"Green halfwit of the year" may still be open but "Halfwit of the year" has been claimed by Professor Lui when he said -
http://peacelegacy.org/articles/so-you-still-take-climate-scientists-seriously
I don't see this as losing the plot, just filling in some of the detail to the CAGW story. If you accept one, then this is a logical thought excercise. Perhaps if more people started thinking about flights being 100 times more expensive or banned for anything non essential, perhaps they'd be less eager to blindly embrace the consensus and start asking some hard questions.
No warmist should ever be left in any doubt that seriously cutting CO2 is both near impossible and very unpleasant.
Re #greensgobyair, I'm sometimes reminded of this quote from Squealer in Orwell's Animal Farm:
For "milk and apples" read "air travel" - and for "our health", "your welfare" and "your sake", read "the planet".
<B>But, but... Greens love flying, they do it all the time!
Richard Betts recently tweeted that he was off to India. I wonder if he considered doing it by teleconference, for the sake of the planet?
"What big teeth you have"
"The better to eat you with, my dear"
"We could have a "green halfwit of the year" award, if it wasn't for the fact that the team from Southampton have probably just killed off any sense of expectation."
Oh, ye of little faith!
Curbing the flying means no need for additional runways at British airports. I'm all for that. Another benefit of really, really, really expensive air flights is that rare & exotic diseases will stay longer in their countries of origin & deported people will not be able to return with the apparent ease with which they seem to be able to do at present. What's not to like?
I don't have a passport any more! I wonder if that fact is responsible for my POV?
'otherwordliness'?
I'd like to ask him about how democratic process and accountability fit with the idea of a global regulator with teeth.I think I know the answer: They don't, this problem is the greatest challenge faced by mankind and it transcends the issues of democracy and accountability.
I'm guessing the format would be a UN sponsored NGO. A dangerous precedent for anyone who sees their liberty as important.
It's time for a long hard look at the role of the UN, an organisation set up to promote world peace. Correlation or causation I can't guess but the world has hardly known a week of peace since it was set up.
How will the Greenpeace bosses get to work?
From the Guardian...
If he moves to Amsterdam he will also have to p-p-pay Dutch income t-t-tax. Oh the humanity.
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