Dr Bob Sears medical license on probation resulting from his anti-vaccine views

On 27 June 2018, Dr Robert (Bob) Sears, an anti-vaccine pediatrician, agreed to a stipulation with the California Medical Board that put his license to practice on probation and subjected him to a set of non-trivial conditions. The revocation of the medical license of Dr Bob Sears was stayed by the Medical Board – it will not become operative unless he violates the conditions – but given the specific allegations in the complaint and the fact that this was his first disciplinary action, an immediate full revocation was not likely. The sanction is non-trivial, and a clear warning against future misconduct >> Dr Bob Sears medical license on probation resulting from his anti-vaccine views

American Loon #2035: Ralph Moss

One of the grand old men of woo, Ralph W. Moss specializes in cancer crackpottery and has been one of the main promoters of laetrile. There’s a good discussion of that particularly nasty piece of woo here, and more information here. Moss consistently refers to himself as “Dr. Moss”, and he does...

Read the full lunacy: #2035: Ralph Moss Encyclopedia of American Loons

Vaccine scepticism, alternative medicine and slipping standards

One of the biggest danger of SCAM, in my view, is the fact that SCAM-practitioners all too often advise their patients to forego effective conventional medicine. This probably applies to most medicines, but is best-researched for immunisations. A recent article puts it clearly: … negative attitudes towards vaccines reflect a broader and deeper set of beliefs […]

Read the rest here: Vaccine scepticism, alternative medicine and slipping standards

Naturopaths councelling against vaccinations could be criminally negligent

This study examined websites of naturopathic clinics and practitioners in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, looking for the presence of discourse that may contribute to vaccine hesitancy, and for recommendations for ‘alternatives’ to vaccines or flu shots. Of the 330 naturopath websites analysed, 40 included vaccine hesitancy discourse and 26 offered vaccine or […]

Read the rest here: Naturopaths councelling against vaccinations could be criminally negligent

My new challenge to the ‘defenders of the homeopathic realm’: name treatments that are as useless as homeopathy

I have already posted challenges to homeopaths. For instance, in a previous post, I asked the ‘homeopaths of the world’ to answer a few questions satisfactorily. In return, I promised to no longer doubt their memory of water theory. If they cannot do this, I contended, they should to admit that all their ‘sciency’ theories about […]

Read the rest here: My new challenge to the ‘defenders of the homeopathic realm’: name treatments that are as useless as homeopathy

American Loon #2034: Richard Moskowitz

Richard Moskowitz is a homeopath and antivaccine advocate. Apparently Moskowitz was trained as an MD some 50 years ago, but his more recent activities show in the strongest possible way that you should turn elsewhere for medical advice. As an antivaccine activist (given his background he did...

Read the full lunacy: #2034: Richard Moskowitz Encyclopedia of American Loons

Malpractice of chiropractors – just the tip of an iceberg?

The literature on malpractice in medicine is huge: more than 33 000 articles listed in Medline. By contrast, the literature on malpractice in alternative medicine hardly exists. An exception is this recent article. I therefore thought I share it with you and provide a few comments: START OF QUOTE According to the (US) National Practitioner […]

Read the rest here: Malpractice of chiropractors – just the tip of an iceberg?

American Loon #2033: Jennifer Roback Morse

Jennifer Roback Morse is a religious fundamentalist and President and Founder of the Ruth Institute, a radical anti-gay group that for a while was an arm of the extreme anti-marriage-equality organization NOM. The institute has correctly been designated an anti-gay hate group by the Southern...

Read the full lunacy: #2033: Jennifer Roback Morse Encyclopedia of American Loons

Does the wish of a patient over-rule medical knowledge?

” The wishes of a patient does not over-rule medical knowledge!” (Patientenwunsch steht nicht über medizinischem Wissen) This was one brave conclusion drawn in a discussion about homeopathy during a recent German radio programme. Specifically, the discussion was about the pros and cons of a leading paediatric hospital of the Ludwig Maximilian Universitaet (LMU) Munich […]

Read the rest here: Does the wish of a patient over-rule medical knowledge?

Critical thinking, the ability to differentiate the useful from the worthless

One of the aims in running this blog has always been to stimulate critical thinking (not just in my readers but also in myself). Critical thinking means making decisions and judgements based on (often confusing) evidence. According to the ‘National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking’ it is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and […]

Read the rest here: Critical thinking, the ability to differentiate the useful from the worthless

American Loon #2032: Chuck Morse

Chuck Morse is a rightwing radio host and, well, journalist of sorts, perhaps most notable for his attempted write-in campaign against Barney Frank for the 2006 Massachusetts’s 4th congressional district elections (he did not get enough certified signatures to appear on the ballot). Morse is also...

Read the full lunacy: #2032: Chuck Morse Encyclopedia of American Loons

Finally!!! The German ‘HEILPRAKTIKER’ is going to be reformed

An article has just been published announcing the reform of the German Heilpraktiker, the profession of alternative practitioners that has been discussed repeatedly on this blog and criticised recently by the ‘Muensteraner Kreis’. As the new article is in German, I will try to summarise the essence of it here: The health ministers of all […]

Read the rest here: Finally!!! The German ‘HEILPRAKTIKER’ is going to be reformed

Why do insurance companies pay for ineffective treatments?

This is a somewhat unusual post. I do not normally dwell on personal anecdotes or experiences – but this one might be relevant, and it is absolutely true. About 7 or 8 years ago (we had just published our book Trick or Treatment), I was invited to a meeting of health insurers. Not just any […]

Read the rest here: Why do insurance companies pay for ineffective treatments?

Homeopathy = hubris in allopathic doses

An announcement by the UK Society of Homeopaths caught my attention. Here it is in its full and unabbreviated beauty: START OF ANNOUNCEMENT Homeopaths are being urged to contribute to an inquiry exploring ways to tackle a looming public health crisis threatened by ‘superbugs’ – bacteria resistant to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. The Commons […]

Read the rest here: Homeopathy = hubris in allopathic doses

Sorcery for your vagina

Traditional vaginal practices usually relate to personal hygiene, genital health or sexuality. Hygiene practices involve external washing and intravaginal cleansing or douching and ingestion of substances. Health practices include intravaginal cleansing, traditional cutting, insertion of herbal preparations, and application of substances to soothe irritated vaginal tissue. One such traditional practice is ‘vaginal steaming’. Recently vaginal […]

Read the rest here: Sorcery for your vagina

Individualised (traditional) herbalism: best avoided, in my view

I have often pointed out that, in contrast to ‘rational phytotherapy’, traditional herbalism of various types (e. g. Western, Chinese, Kampo, etc.) – characterised by the prescription of an individualised mixture of herbs by a herbalist – is likely to do more harm than good. This recent paper provides new and interesting information about the phenomenon. Specifically, […]

Read the rest here: Individualised (traditional) herbalism: best avoided, in my view

American Loon #2030: Connie Morris

Connie Morris is a former member of the Kansas Board of Education and a vocal supporter of the anti-science horde back during the Kansas evolution brouhaha in 2005. (She didn’t like immigrants either.) So in 2005, prompted by the Kansas Intelligent Design Network and the Discovery Institute,...

Read the full lunacy: #2030: Connie Morris Encyclopedia of American Loons

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #24

Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... El Niño/La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week...

Story of the Week...

Uncovering the Mental Health Crisis of Climate Change

 

Source: Pexels

The young man believed he only had five years to live. “Not because he was sick,” said Kate Schapira, “not because anything was wrong with him, but because he believed that life on Earth would be impossible for humans.”

The sign on Schapira’s booth read: CLIMATE ANXIETY COUNSELING 5¢ THE DOCTOR IS IN. Time to earn her pennies.

On that muggy June day, she had set up shop in Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Schapira is not a trained therapist — a fact she makes clear to visitors — but she is happy to chat with anyone suffering from anxiety about climate change. “A lot of what I do is listen and ask questions,” she said.

Over the coming decades, rising temperatures will fuel natural disasters that are more deadly than any seen in human history, destabilizing nations and sending millions to their death. Experts say that we need to prepare for a hotter, less hospitable world by building sea walls, erecting desalination plants and engineering crops that can withstand punishing heat and drought, but few have considered the defenses we need to erect in our minds. Some, like Shapira, have called for more talking, more counseling to process our grief. But will that be enough? Climate change will do untold violence to life on this planet, and we have remarkably few tools to deal with its emotional cost.

Uncovering the Mental Health Crisis of Climate Change by Jeremy Deaton, Nexus Media, June 12, 2018

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Editorial of the Week...

Big Oil CEOs needed a climate change reality check. The pope delivered

Good common sense speaks even more loudly when it comes from unexpected corners.’ Photograph: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images 

You kind of expect popes to talk about spiritual stuff, kind of the way you expect chefs to discuss spices or tree surgeons to make small talk about overhanging limbs.

Which is why it was so interesting this week to hear Pope Francis break down the climate debate in very practical and very canny terms, displaying far more mathematical insight than your average world leader and far more strategic canniness than your average journalist. In fact, with a few deft sentences, he laid bare the hypocrisy that dominates much of the climate debate.

The occasion was the gathering of fossil fuel executives at the Vatican, one of a series of meetings to mark the third anniversary of Laudato Si, his majestic encyclical on global warming. The meetings were closed, but by all accounts big oil put forward its usual anodyne arguments: any energy transition must be slow, moving too fast to renewable energy would hurt the poor by raising prices, and so forth. 

Big Oil CEOs needed a climate change reality check. The pope delivered, Opinion by Bill Mckibben, Comment is Free, Guardian, June 14, 2018

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El Niño/La Niña Update... 

Well, well, well… what have we here? Favorable conditions for El Niño to develop? The June ENSO forecast estimates a 50% chance of El Niño developing during the late summer or early autumn, and an approximately 65% chance of El Niño conditions in the winter, so forecasters have instituted an El Niño Watch.

June 2018 ENSO Update: El Niño Watch! by Emily Becker, NOAA's Climate.gov, June 14, 2018

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Toon of the Week...

  

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Quote of the Week...

Grayling’s Commons speech did not even mention climate change, yet this omission attracted negligible attention until Lucas tweeted her incredulous dismay – which, I suggest, tells us that most people now think one more runway will make no difference to climate change, but a massive difference to the UK economy. Might they be right? Lucas addresses her reply to the carpet between our chairs, like a pop star performing an old hit she can’t believe anyone could still need to hear again.

“If you measured impact on climate change by each individual action then you’d never be able to talk about the cumulative impact of a set of actions on the climate. We know aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of emissions; we know emissions at altitude are a lot more damaging to the climate than they are at ground level; we know that if Heathrow expands then it’s almost like an arms race between the different airports across Europe, because they’re all in a fight for passengers.”

But we keep being told we must not concede a competitive advantage to rival European airports. She counters wearily: “If you were talking to campaigners in Charles de Gaulle [airport in Paris], they’d tell you they’re told exactly the same thing: don’t concede defeat to London! We’re all being pitted against one another in this incredibly dangerous race to the bottom. If we were to follow the logic of those people who think every time we build a runway our economy miraculously benefits, then why would you not just cover the whole country in concrete? That’s the logic of that argument. The bottom lines is that aviation is a very good example of why you can’t say: ‘We’ll have a demand-led approach’ – because the demand will go on. I think there needs to be a mature conversation about limits to growth. I think we need to ask: growth for what?”

Growth for jobs? Growth for our kids to leave home and afford a mortgage and enjoy the living standards our parents took for granted? “Growth that is not tackling inequality,” she rejoins. “Growth that’s destroying the planet we depend on. Growth that we know, by simply measuring prosperity in terms of GDP growth, is an incredibly blunt instrument. GDP simply measures the circulation of money in the economy, not whether or not the outcome of using that money is positive or negative. A major pile up on the M5 is wonderful for growth, because it means people go out and buy more cars. But by any other measure of what’s useful or helpful, a pile up on the M5 is bad news.”

Caroline Lucas on Heathrow and climate change: ‘The apocalypse is happening’, Saturday Interview by Decca Aitkenhead, Guardian, June 16, 2018

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Coming Soon on SkS...

• Should we be worried about surging Antarctic ice melt and sea level rise? (Dana)
• Wally Broeker: Father of “Global Warming”, in a Warning to his Granddaughter (greenman)
• Life after PhD (Climatesight Kate)
• Guest Post (John Abraham)
• New research this week (Ari)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #25 (John Hartz)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #25 (John Hartz)

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Climate Feedback Reviews...

Washington Post article accurately describes latest estimate of accelerating Antarctic ice loss

 

Climate Feedback asked a team of scientists to review the article, Antarctic ice loss has tripled in a decade. If that continues we are in serious trouble. by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, June 13, 2018

Four scientists analyzed the article and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'high'.

A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Accurate, Insightful

Review Summary

This article in The Washington Post describes an important study from a project called the Ice sheet Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise (or IMBIE), which synthesized many existing records of Antarctic ice based on different types of measurements. The resulting estimate shows that Antarctica alone lost enough ice between 1992 and 2017 to raise global sea level by around 7.6 millimeters—almost 10% of the total sea level change over that time period.

Scientists who reviewed the article found that it accurately summarized this result, while explaining some of the processes behind this mass loss and the sea level rise it produces. However, they note that future trends depend partly on complex natural variability, which the article could have made clear. 

Washington Post article accurately describes latest estimate of accelerating Antarctic ice loss, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, June 15, 2018

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SkS Week in Review... 

• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #24 by John Hartz
• New research, June 4-10, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki
• The legal fight to leave the dirtiest fossil fuels in the ground by John Abraham (Climate Consensus - the 97%, Environment, Guardian)
• 97% of Climate Scientists Really Do Agree by Guest Author (It's Okay To Be Smart with Joe Hanson) 
• Benefits of curbing climate change far outweigh costs by Dana Nuccitelli (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist)
• The Wall Street Journal keeps peddling Big Oil propaganda by Dana Nuccitelli (Climate Consensus - the 97%, Environment, Guardian)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #23 by John Hartz

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Poster of the Week...

 

from Skeptical Science
via IFTTT

Thanks a bunch, Wakefield & Co: outbreaks of measles are confirmed across England.

It has been reported that, between 1 January 2018 and 31 May 2018, there have been 587 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England. They were reported in most areas with London (213), the South East (128), West Midlands (81), South West (62), and Yorkshire/Humberside (53). Young people and adults who missed out on MMR vaccine […]

Read the rest here: Thanks a bunch, Wakefield & Co: outbreaks of measles are confirmed across England.

Gua sha, a reasonable therapy?

The only time we discussed gua sha, it led to one of the most prolonged discussions we ever had on this blog (536 comments so far). It seems to be a topic that excites many. But what precisely is it? Gua sha, sometimes referred to as “scraping”, “spooning” or “coining”, is a traditional Chinese treatment […]

Read the rest here: Gua sha, a reasonable therapy?

American Loon #2029: Alex Moroz

Alex Moroz is the director of the Integrative Sports Medicine program at NYU Langone Medical Center’s Rusk Rehabilitation. Moroz is a trained acupuncturist. Now, when acupuncture is put to the test in well-designed studies, it’s performance is disappointing – it consistently does no...

Read the full lunacy: #2029: Alex Moroz Encyclopedia of American Loons

Another attempt by the UK ‘Faculty of Homeopathy’ to mislead the public

Is homeopathy effective for specific conditions? The FACULTY OF HOMEOPATHY (FoH, the professional organisation of UK doctor homeopaths) say YES. In support of this bold statement, they cite a total of 35 systematic reviews of homeopathy with a focus on specific clinical areas. “Nine of these 35 reviews presented conclusions that were positive for homeopathy”, they […]

Read the rest here: Another attempt by the UK ‘Faculty of Homeopathy’ to mislead the public

American Loon #2028: Jan Morgan

Jan Morgan is a blogger, NRA activist (she told Bryan Fischer that the solution to mass shootings in America is simply to declare that gun-free zones are unconstitutional), and owner of the Gun Cave Indoor Shooting Range in Hot Springs, Arkansas. In 2014 she rose to some fame by...

Read the full lunacy: #2028: Jan Morgan Encyclopedia of American Loons

Pro and Contra: should UK community pharmacists sell homeopathic remedies?

The ‘Pharmaceutical Journal’ just published a ‘pro/contra’ piece discussing whether UK community pharmacists should be selling homeopathic remedies to the public. Here are the essential parts of both arguments: PRO … I do not believe there is good scientific evidence to validate homeopathic remedies as medicines, but it is important to provide patients with choice […]

Read the rest here: Pro and Contra: should UK community pharmacists sell homeopathic remedies?

Ignorance + belief = danger for public health: “the non-vaccinated child is potentially healthier than the vaccinated child”

I have been alerted to this website; it is truly remarkable! Here is but one example, the section with advice on ‘reducing the risk of vaccine damage’: START OF QUOTE 1. Give vitamin A before the measles vaccine (MMR).Vitamin A has been shown to reduce death in measles sufferers by 50% so will support the body […]

Read the rest here: Ignorance + belief = danger for public health: “the non-vaccinated child is potentially healthier than the vaccinated child”

American Loon #2027: Greg Morgan

Greg Morgan is an Arizona-based creationist who claims that Arizona sandstones are proof of Noah’s flood. They are not. Morgan, who is a nuclear safety engineer and not a geologist (BA in mechanical engineering), bases his conclusion on the fact that some swirly sandstone formations look, to...

Read the full lunacy: #2027: Greg Morgan Encyclopedia of American Loons

“Shiatsu significantly reduced depression in a sample of mild-to-moderate AD patients.” ??? Not really!

Shiatsu is an alternative therapy that is popular, but has so far attracted almost no research. Therefore, I was excited when I saw a new paper on the subject. Sadly, my excitement waned quickly when I stared reading the abstract. This single-blind randomized controlled study was aimed to evaluate shiatsu on mood, cognition, and functional […]

Read the rest here: “Shiatsu significantly reduced depression in a sample of mild-to-moderate AD patients.” ??? Not really!

HOMEOPATHS AGAINST VACCINATION: “The decision to vaccinate and how you implement that decision is yours and yours alone”

Grace Dasilva-Hill has just published an article entitled “Autism/ADHD and Vaccines – are we walking a tightrope whilst blindfolded?“. Who is Grace Dasilva-Hill, you will ask. She is a professional registered homeopath, based in Charing – East Kent, UK. She has been in practice since 1997. During this time she has developed a busy practice, alongside teaching, […]

Read the rest here: HOMEOPATHS AGAINST VACCINATION: “The decision to vaccinate and how you implement that decision is yours and yours alone”

American Loon #2026: Leuren Moret

“Independent scientist” is a title that not only fails to confer authority on any subject matter, but actually indicates that the bearer of the title is a completely lunatic fringe loon and conspiracy theorist...

Read the full lunacy: #2026: Leuren Moret Encyclopedia of American Loons

Did you know? “The skeptical movement is an offshoot of the Communist Party” !!!

While researching my previous post, I came across this website. It is so wonderful that I just have to show you some excerpts: START OF QUOTE …there really are people who spend a lot of time and energy attacking homeopathy from the sidelines of the Internet and in print. They call themselves “skeptics”. Who are they […]

Read the rest here: Did you know? “The skeptical movement is an offshoot of the Communist Party” !!!

An analysis of Hahn’s critique of my homeopathy papers: YES, IDEOLOGY DOES SEEM TO PLAY A PART

Forgive me, if this post is long and a bit tedious, but I think it is important. The claims continue that I am a dishonest falsifier of scientific data, because the renowned Prof R Hahn said so; this, for instance, is from a Tweet that appeared a few days ago: False claims, Edzard Ernst is […]

Read the rest here: An analysis of Hahn’s critique of my homeopathy papers: YES, IDEOLOGY DOES SEEM TO PLAY A PART

American Loon #2025: Joe Morecraft

The Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States (RPCUS) is a small Presbyterian denomination established in 1983. It subscribes to Biblical inerrancy and is firmly theocratic, even self-identifying as theonomic; that is, subscribing to the idea society should be ruled by divine law and that...

Read the full lunacy: #2025: Joe Morecraft Encyclopedia of American Loons

The HOMEOPATHIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE: bringing unreliable information to a wide international audience

The HRI is an innovative international charity created to address the need for high quality scientific research in homeopathy… HRI is dedicated to promoting cutting research in homeopathy, using the most rigorous methods available, and communicating the results of such work beyond the usual academic circles… HRI aims to bring academically reliable information to a wide international audience, […]

Read the rest here: The HOMEOPATHIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE: bringing unreliable information to a wide international audience

Ophthalmic Adverse Effects after Chiropractic Neck Manipulation

In 2005, I published a systematic review of ophthalmic adverse effects after spinal manipulations. At the time, I found 14 case reports. Clinical symptoms and signs were diverse and included loss of vision, ophthalmoplegia, diplopia and Horner’s syndrome. The underlying mechanism was arterial wall dissection in most cases. The eventual outcome varied and often included […]

Read the rest here: Ophthalmic Adverse Effects after Chiropractic Neck Manipulation

American Loon #2024: Janet Morana

Janet Morana is the Executive Director of Priests for Life and a vocal opponent of abortion. As mentioned in other posts, it is possible to have a reasonable discussion about the morality of abortion, but not with deranged lunatics like Janet Morana. Morana is the kind of idiot who claims that the...

Read the full lunacy: #2024: Janet Morana Encyclopedia of American Loons

Dana Ullman: “evidence-based medicine can no longer be trusted” !?!?

Personally, I find our good friend Dana Ullman truly priceless. There are several reasons for that; one is that he is often so exemplarily wrong that it helps me to explain fundamental things more clearly. With a bit of luck, this might enable me to better inform people who might be thinking a bit like […]

Read the rest here: Dana Ullman: “evidence-based medicine can no longer be trusted” !?!?

NIPAH EPIDEMIC: The hubris of homeopaths knows no bounds!

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus. Human-to-human transmission has also been documented, including in a hospital setting in India. Clinical presentations range from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory syndrome and fatal […]

Read the rest here: NIPAH EPIDEMIC: The hubris of homeopaths knows no bounds!

On Ros(s)ing

That homeopathy zealot Roslyn Ross is conforming to type in the comment thread below a recent article entitled, ‘Are homeopathic ‘remedies’ helpful or harmful?’, by Jennifer Gunter. I’ve observed and encountered much of the activity of this irritating snark a number of times in recent years and have previously commented on the fervid activity of this apologist and propagandist for homeopathy. Indeed, so predictable, so tedious is her fallacy-laden modus operandus that I figured it deserved its own fallacy name:

                       Ros(s)ing


[Read more... ]

American Loon #2023: Daryn Moran

Ok, so birtherism might be considered a bit stale in 2018, but the prevalence of birtherism some years ago is still an important data point in the explanation of certain more current events. Besides, we have no reason to think Daryn Moran has acquired any basic critical thinking skills since...

Read the full lunacy: #2023: Daryn Moran Encyclopedia of American Loons

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #22

Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... SkS in the News... Scholarly Paper of Note... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week...

Story of the Week...

Gov. Brown says fallout from Trump quitting Paris accord is 'far more serious than anyone is saying'

California Gov. Jerry Brown addresses the University of California Carbon and Climate Neutrality Summit in San Diego. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune)

His promised coal renaissance sputtered. Rollbacks of environmental protections are tangled in court. Even automakers aren’t on board for his push toward heavier-polluting cars.

But even so, a year after President Trump pulled out of the landmark Paris accord on climate change, the struggle to contain global warming has grown considerably more complicated without the prodding and encouragement once provided by the U.S. government.

And though many in the climate movement hope progress toward cutting emissions can continue despite Trump’s retreat, there are growing doubts about reaching the Paris agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, if Washington does not re-engage soon.

In an interview, Gov. Jerry Brown acknowledged the hope felt by many climate activists because of efforts from states like his and by private companies. But he also said the world is only just beginning to feel the environmental harm inflicted by the Trump administration. 

Gov. Brown says fallout from Trump quitting Paris accord is 'far more serious than anyone is saying' by Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2018 

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Editorial of the Week...

Hope in the Era of Trump’s Climate Foolishness

Credit: Illustration by Matthieu Bourel; Photograph by Getty Images

Concluding paragraph...

In an ideal world, Americans would have a federal government that, as it has in the past, provides investment in new technologies, in research and development and in energy infrastructure. Instead, we are saddled with an administration that is preparing to force power companies to keep dirty and inefficient coal-burning power plants operating on the pretext that they are needed to protect national security. Until that changes, the voices of all those governors, mayors, corporate leaders and others who, after Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement, proclaimed, “We AreStill In,” deserve praise and support. 

Hope in the Era of Trump’s Climate Foolishness, Editorial Board, New York Times, June 1, 2018 

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Toon of the Week...

  

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Quote of the Week...

“He has set in motion initiatives that will cause damage,” (CA Gov Jerry) Brown said, comparing the planet under Trump’s climate policies to a person who has just fallen from the top of the Empire State Building. “You are falling down four stories, but have 80 to go,” he said. “Maybe you are not damaged yet, but it is certain you will die.”

The governor said his overriding concern is that global progress has stalled. “This is real,” Brown said. “It is far more serious than anybody is saying.”

Gov. Brown says fallout from Trump quitting Paris accord is 'far more serious than anyone is saying' by Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2018 

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SkS in the News...

Michael Svoboda concludes his article, Truthsquading: Books and reports on the denial and obstruction of climate science (Yale Climate Connections, May 31, 2018) with the following:

Three Reports from Skeptical Science

A pivotal figure in the effort to counter global warming skepticism is John Cook, who started the Skeptical Science website in 2007, while still a student at the University of Queensland in Australia. Since then Cook has (co)authored reports to alert readers to the manufactured arguments they’re likely to encounter when discussing climate change in public. Two – The Scientific Guide to Global Warming Skepticsm (2010) and The Debunking Handbook (2011) – can be downloaded from the Skeptical Science website. The third, The Consensus Handbook (2018), is available from the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, where John Cook now works as a research assistant professor. 

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Scholarly Paper of Note...

The underlying premise of this paper is that repetition of a narrow narrative that focuses exclusively on the impacts of climate change leaves the public with an overall sense of powerlessness. The paper focuses on five years of national media coverage of climate change in the U.S. Arctic, specifically stories about communities facing coastal erosion and relocation, to argue for journalism that provides a more representative view of the challenges posed by a warming climate. Such reporting would also include responses and innovations, and increase pressure on policymakers to act, rather than offering excuses for inaction.

Doom and Gloom: The Role of the Media in Public Disengagement on Climate Change by Elizabeth Arnold*, Harvard Kennedy School, May 29, 2018

*Joan Shorenstein Fellow, Spring 2018, and Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Alaska 

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Coming Soon on SkS...

• The attacks against solar power and EVs are ramping up (Dana)
• New Video: Hot Ocean, Hurricanes, Houston, and Harvey (greenman)
• Climate focused blogs around the world (BaerbelW)
• Guest Post (John Abraham) 
• New research this week (Ari)
• 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #23 (John Hartz)
• 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #23 (John Hartz)

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Climate Feedback Reviews... 

In a Warming West, the Rio Grande Is Drying Up

Climate Feedback asked a team of scientists to review the article, In a Warming West, the Rio Grande Is Drying Up by Henry Fountain, Climate, New York Times, May 24, 2018

Two scientists analyzed the article and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'high'.

A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Sound reasoning

Review Summary 

This article in The New York Times discusses water supply issues along the Rio Grande in New Mexico, and the projected impacts of climate change.

Scientists who reviewed the article generally found it to be an accurate description of research on this topic. However, they note that it’s important to remember that precipitation in this region can naturally vary on timescales longer than just one year to the next. Even changes from one decade to the next should be considered carefully in the context of variability—and water supply risks depend on both human-caused trends and that natural variability.

New York Times story accurately describes Rio Grande’s climate context, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, May 31, 2018

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SkS Week in Review... 

• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #22 by John Hartz
• New research, May 21-27, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki
• Restricting global warming to 1.5C could ‘halve’ risk of biodiversity loss by Daisy Dunne (Carbon Brief)
• Melting Arctic sends a message: Climate change is here in a big way by John Abraham (Climate Consensus - the 97%, Environment, Guardian) 
• Trump administration refuses to consider that 97% of climate scientists could be right by Dana Nuccitelli (Climate Consensus - the 97%, Environment, Guardian) 
• 2018 Hurricane Season: A Preview by greenman3610 (Climate Denial Crock of the Week with Peter Sinclair) 
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #21 by John Hartz

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First do no harm!!! What does it mean? How does it apply to alternative medicine?

Our good friend Dana Ullman commented on my last post that doctors are being unethical by NOT prescribing homeopathic medicines because they are breaking one of the most important medical guidelines: “First, do no harm.” Here I do not want to discuss in-depth the nonsense about homeopathy in his sentence, rather I want to focus […]

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Doctor homeopaths violate fundamental rules of ethics when practising homeopathy

My previous post was about the question whether lay-homeopaths can practise homeopathy without breaking their code of ethics. The answer was NO, because they lack most of the skills needed to obtain informed consent. What about doctor homeopaths? Can they practice homeopathy ethically? Doctors are, of course, also obliged to follow their ethical code, and […]

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How the UK ‘Society of Homeopaths’ prevents its members from practising homeopathy

Alternative medicine is riddled with a multitude of serious ethical problems. In our recent book, we made an attempt to look at them systematically and critically (I am not aware of anyone having done this before). Essentially, we arrive at the conclusion that, for many types of alternative medicine, it is not possible to practise […]

Read the rest here: How the UK ‘Society of Homeopaths’ prevents its members from practising homeopathy