Climate Advisory Team: Am I Hot or Not?

When the Washington State Climate Advisory Team began its work last year it had only one rule: no discussion of the science of climate change. The only question was how to address the crisis.

Maybe they should have eliminated even that rule. This note appeared recently on the Department of Ecology's web page on climate change regarding the CAT's January report:

"Errata for the HB1303 Interim Report: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change on the State of Washington (Last updated: 1/24/2008)
3. Key Findings: Page 3, paragraph 1. “Based on results from a number of Global Climate Models (GCMs), we can expect annual temperature to increase approximately 0.5°C, or roughly 1.0°F, per decade over the next 50 years.” This statement should be revised to say, “Based on results from a number of Global Climate Models (GCMs), we can expect annual temperature to increase approximately 0.3°C, or roughly 0.5°F, per decade over the next 50 years."

In other words, the estimates of temperature increase, and the risks associated with that increase, were exaggerated by 100 percent. Earlier this year we noted that the new projections for sea level rise in Puget Sound had been exaggerated in a previous UW report by 300 percent.

It still makes sense to take responsible steps to reduce CO2 emissions encourage energy efficiency. These numbers, however, make it increasingly difficult to justify many of the dramatic and expensive proposals currently being offered by the environmental community.

Comments

[kmort]

So, when these folks correct themselves and attempt to provide updated and more accurate data, you still find a way to denigrate them? The fact that more recent data is available and different is not proof on intentional misrepresentation of earlier facts. All it proves is there's now new information and its less disturbing than before. Let's try to be professional, folks.