The old saying goes that a lie can travel around the world in the time it takes the truth to tie its shoes. With that in mind, it makes sense that the corrections to various denier claims from the March 29th House Science hearing on climate science are still rolling in.
Though it took a couple weeks to compile and publish, Climate Feedback addresses the hearing’s myths nicely (as always with a little help from their friends in the scientific community). The post vaporizes many of the myths from the three denier witnesses, using plenty of blunt quotes about statements made that were “misleading,” “not valid,” or simply “incorrect.”
Of course, not everyone is satisfied with these explanations of basic climate science that correct the hearing testimony. Specifically, panel “expert” Judith Curry, always one to cloud scientific clarity as denial’s rainy day woman, remains unconvinced about the attribution of climate change to human activity. She wrote a post in response to Climate Feedback that highlights her continued confusion about the ample evidence that burning down fossil fuel reserves is what’s causing the warming we’re experiencing.
Curry’s post apparently lit a fire under Gavin Schmidt, who in turn wrote another piece at RealClimate explaining the multiple ways Curry is wrong in her continued claims of uncertainty. Schmidt also provides examples of the sort of quantitative evidence Curry should present to make a real argument, illustrating just how much fundamental physics would need to be overturned to make deniers’ pipe dreams come true.
Apparently fed up with Smith’s habit of packing these hearings with doobious deniers peddling myths, Rep Don Beyer (D-VA) saw the various climate scientists providing corrections and thought to himself, “I’ve got to get you into my life.” Beyer set up a FactCheck feedback form for the hearing, solicited corrections from the scientific community, and on April 11th sent Lamar Smith the resulting 81-page letter (pdf download courtesy of Greg Laden). Perhaps more importantly, he also entered the mega-mythbuster into the Congressional record, creating a permanent rebuttal to the hearing’s testimonies.
Will this change anything for Lamar Smith? We think he’ll likely remain The Joker, making a mockery of his position as Science Committee chair while holding staunchly anti-science positions. And of course, all those fossil fuel dollars means he’s not apt to ever see clearly. We bet he’s instead destined to wander blindly in a (purple) haze of denial.
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