Tuesday, September 21, 2010

{#11c} Lord Monckton, Mr. Ferguson, SPPI, v. Dr. Rajendra Pachauri (IPCC) - anatomy of a character assassination

Previously, I wrote about the anatomy of Ben Santer’s character assassination. In this next example, we have the added element of “tactical set up.” But, first a look at a couple quotes regarding Dr. Pachauri’s qualifications:

10/14/9 MFMI 46:05
“And now here is the truth.”
“Do you know that the guy who runs the science panel of the UN’s climate panel, is he a climatologist? Nope. Is he a physicist? Nope. Is he mathematician? Nope. He is a railroad engineer. So we have removed his railroad lines from this graph and we’ve added His Lordship’s much grander purple lines and we’ll see they all run in parallel.”

SPPI Blog, Monckton’s Pachauri Letter

“Though you are chairman of the IPCC, whose principal task is to evaluate and present
climatological results, you are a railroad engineer by origin and may be unaware that the technique is a statistical abuse. Therefore, we will now show, using the same technique on the same data but selecting different endpoints, that it is possible to generate opposite results, demonstrating the technique to be defective. . .”

Unfortunately, once again Lord Monckton what you’re saying is not the truth. Pachauri is no more a “railroad engineer” than you are a member of the House of Lords! I dare you to look at his accomplishments:


From - http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/bios/pachauri.htm


Dr. R.K. Pachauri’s Biography:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA,
MS in Industrial Engineering
PhD in Industrial Engineering
PhD in Economics,
served as Assistant Professor (August 1974 -- May 1975)
Visiting Faculty Member (Summer 1976 and 1977) in the Department of Economics and Business.

He joined TERI as Director in April 1981.
Visiting Professor, Resource Economics at the College of Mineral and Energy Resources, West Virginia University (August 1981 -- August 1982);
Senior Visiting Fellow, Resource Systems Institute, East -- West Center, USA (May -- June 1982);
Visiting Research Fellow, The World Bank, Washington, DC (June -- September 1990).

Recognizing his vast knowledge and experience in the energy -- environment field, the United Nations Development Programme appointed him as a part time Adviser in the fields of Energy and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, 1994 -- 1999.

His wide-ranging expertise has resulted in his being invited to join various international and national committees and boards, which on the international level include
Member, Board of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), 1991 -- 1997;
Member, World Resources Institute (WRI) Council, 1992;
Chairman, Work Group A -- World Energy Council (WEC) Committee on Developing Countries, 1993 -- 1995;
President (1988), Chairman (1989 -- 90), International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), Washington, D C .;
President, Asian Energy Institute, 1992 onwards.

Committees of the Government of India which he has served include
Member, Panel of Eminent Persons on Power, Ministry of Power;
Member, Delhi Vision -- Core Planning Group;
Member, Advisory Board on Energy (ABE), Government of India, 1983 -- 1988 (The Board reported directly to the Prime Minister of India);
Member, National Environmental Council, Government of India under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister of India, November 1993 and April 1999;
Member, Oil Industry Restructuring Group, "R" Group, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, 1994.

He has also served on academic and research institute bodies including Member, Board of Governors, Trireme Scientific & Industrial Research Foundation, September 1987; Member, Executive Committee of the India International Center, 1985 onwards; Member, Governing Council of the India Habitat Center, New Delhi, October 1987 onwards;
Member, Court of Governors, Administrative Staff College of India, 1979 -- 81.

In January 1999, Dr R K Pachauri was appointed as Director, Board of Directors of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (a Fortune 500 company) for a period of 3 years.
In April 1999, Dr R K Pachauri was appointed as the Member, Board of Directors of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Environment Agency, Government of Japan, for a period of 3 years.
In September 1999, Dr R K Pachauri was appointed as the Chairman, The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Heritage Foundation, Darjeeling.

He taught at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University, USA, as McCluskey Fellow during 6 September -- 8 December 2000.
In July 2001, Dr R K Pachauri was appointed Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.

Elected as Chairman of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), April 2002.

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I’ll be honest, reading through this list of accomplishments, while recalling your MFMI performance, I’m irritated that you Lord Monckton - puzzle inventor, rejected UK politician... if one fantastically good public speaker - feel you possess the bonafides to heap such supercilious venom dripping contempt upon this man of knowledge, public service and many accomplishments. Where’s your legitimacy?

Beyond that, why must you folks treat the IPCC as a bloody enemy, to be destroyed?
Why not acknowledge IPCC’s importance?

Myles Allen’s recent (9/2/10) IPCC critique looks at the institution in a refreshingly impartial manner. Read it and tell me what you find wrong with Allen’s sort of constructive approach?

"Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change must keep its eye on the ball."
{I've added the spacing}

~ ~ ~
Here’s the first paragraph:

“If the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change didn't exist, would we need to invent it?

Many people find it helpful to have a single point of reference on the big, global questions that everyone is interested in: can we detect human influence on climate, how large are changes expected to be in future, what are the main impacts likely to be and what can (not should) be done about it?

These are questions on which the level of scientific consensus is far higher than most non-scientists believe, so an institution like the IPCC clearly has a role to play to assess and communicate the extent – and limits – of that consensus.”

It is well worth the time of anyone who is sincere about wanting to understand what’s happening within our climate. . .”
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Currently, you and other AGWHoaxers are getting a lot of mileage out of Dr. Pachauri’s ties to TERI and other organizations. But, his TERI connection goes back to 1981. Those ties were well known when the Bush administration championed his election to the Chairmanship of the IPCC.

Makes for an interesting study in tactical politics. After taking office President Bush, who was already unhappy with the IPCC, became increasingly annoyed with Bob Watson the IPCC Chairman. On top of that Exxon-Mobile was actively lobbying the president to dump Watson. Here are a couple of information loaded stories detailing these claims:

“Too Hot For The Head Of Climate Panel” ~
Debora MacKenzie, April 20, 2002

“Did Exxon Mobil Get Bush To Oust the Global Warming Chief?” ~
Timothy Noah, April 22, 2002

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bush then nominates and pushes Dr. Pachauri to replace Watson. But, this presents an interesting puzzle, why Pachauri? Many, on all sides, objected to Dr. Pachauri’s nomination for any number of reasons. His alignment with and known advocacy for third world nations. Some said, his engineering and economics background was too removed from climate science. Still others, objected on the grounds of his affiliations with consortiums such as TERI.

Notably, since taking the IPCC position, many who first objected to him, have come to publicly admit that he is doing a surprisingly good, (perhaps not flawless), job - pretty good for an impossible situation saturated with predators out to manipulate any slip up. But, as with Watson, Pachauri’s effectiveness has only fueled AGWHoaxers wrath.

In any event, Bush’s Administration pushed through the election of Dr. Pachauri, leaving some to muse that it was a shrewd tactical maneuver for an administration that despised the IPCC. Setup like a bowling pin, ready for a future knock down... it does get to wearing thin.

As for the hoaxers chorus charging financial improprieties? Predictably they are willfully ignoring the results of a recent investigation by accountants KPMG that found Dr. Pachauri: “... did not abuse his position to enrich himself.”

Also see:

"Pachauri Cleared of Financial Misdealings"
"Pachauri Proven Innocent But Slurs Will Continue"

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Lord Monckton, why this refusal to look at the real problem?

What, (besides perhaps short term profits), is gained by ignoring, and demonizing, most of the scientists? Don’t people have a right to the information that will help them appreciate how our climate works and what roll society is playing in the observed transition in Earth’s climate patterns?

Lord Monckton, Mr. Ferguson, and all your boosters - please stop being so shut in. Your ledger-sheets are not the real world, no matter how much you want to presume. There is something bigger, namely our biosphere including the climate upon which all else hinges.

Nice accounts depend upon a nice climate, but the climate doesn’t give one hoot about your accounts, so you really should start taking the “climate”, our climate, seriously. Something that’s woefully lacking in your Minnesota presentation.

We really should be paying attention, rather than inventing rationalizations for continued Willful Ignorance.

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