The hockey stick and the climate wars : dispatches from the front lines

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Title:

The hockey stick and the climate wars : dispatches from the front lines

Author:

Mann, Michael E., 1965-

ISBN:

9780231152549

Publication Information:

New York : Columbia University Press, c2012.

Physical Description:

xvi, 395 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Contents:

Born in a war -- Climate science comes of age -- Signals in the noise -- The making of the hockey stick -- The origins of denial -- A candle in the dark -- In the line of fire -- Hockey stick goes to Washington -- When you get your picture on the cover of-- -- Say it ain't so (Smokey) Joe! -- A tale of two reports -- Heads of the Hydra -- The battle of the bulge -- Climategate : the real story -- Fighting back.

Subject Term:

Climatic changes -- Public opinion.

Climatic extremes -- Public opinion.

Global warming -- Public opinion.

Climatology.

Environmental policy.

Summary:

"In its 2001 report on global climate, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations prominently featured the 'hockey stick,' a chart showing global temperature data over the past one thousand years. The hockey stick demonstrated that temperature had risen with the increase in industrialization and use of fossil fuels. The inescapable conclusion was that worldwide human activity since the industrial age had raised CO2 levels, trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and warming the planet. The hockey stick became a central icon in the 'climate wars,' and well-funded science deniers immediately attacked the chart and the scientists responsible for it. Yet the controversy has had little to do with the depicted temperature rise and much more with the perceived threat the graph posed to those who oppose governmental regulation and other restraints to protect our environment and planet. Michael E. Mann, lead author of the original paper in which the hockey stick first appeared, shares the real story of the science and politics behind this controversy. He introduces key figures in the oil and energy industries, and the media front groups who do their bidding in sometimes slick, bare-knuckled ways to cast doubt on the science. Mann concludes with an account of the 'Climategate' scandal, the 2009 hacking of climate scientists' emails. Throughout, Mann reveals the role of science deniers, abetted by an uninformed media, in once again diverting attention away from one of the central scientific and policy issues of our time"--Provided by publisher.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	363.73874 MAN	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	363.73874 MAN	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The ongoing assault on climate science in the United States has never been more aggressive, more blatant, or more widely publicized than in the case of the Hockey Stick graph--a clear and compelling visual presentation of scientific data, put together by MichaelE. Mann and his colleagues, demonstrating that global temperatures have risen in conjunction with the increase in industrialization and the use of fossil fuels. Here was an easy-to-understand graph that, in a glance, posed a threat to major corporate energy interests and those who do their political bidding. The stakes were simply too high to ignore the Hockey Stick--and so began a relentless attack on a body of science and on the investigators whose work formed its scientific basis.

The Hockey Stick achieved prominence in a 2001 UN report on climate change and quickly became a central icon in the "climate wars." The real issue has never been the graph's data but rather its implied threat to those who oppose governmental regulation and other restraints to protect the environment and planet. Mann, lead author of the original paper in which the Hockey Stick first appeared, shares the story of the science and politics behind this controversy. He reveals key figures in the oil and energy industries and the media frontgroups who do their bidding in sometimes slick, sometimes bare-knuckled ways. Mann concludes with the real story of the 2009 "Climategate" scandal, in which climate scientists' emails were hacked. This is essential reading for all who care about our planet's health and our own well-being.

Author Notes

Michael E. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Meteorology and Director of the Earth Systems Science Center at Penn State University. Despite being in the public eye, he continues an active research program in climate science and has published over 160 peer-reviewed papers in leading scientific journals. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union. In 2012 he received the Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union. Along with other scientists, he contributed to the reports of the IPCC, which was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He is also a co-founder of the award-winning website www.RealClimate.org.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this meticulous and engaging brief on climate change research and the political backlash to legitimate scientific work, Penn State professor Mann narrates the fight against misinformation from the inside. As a member of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (recipients of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize), Mann helped compile 1,000 years of temperature data that when graphed, illustrates the extreme rise in degrees at the end of the 20th century. The persuasiveness of the "hockey stick," as it was dubbed, made Mann an instant political target. In the 2009 hacking scandal known as "Climategate," emails discussing the mathematical models he used to create the figure were said to prove an international conspiracy to dupe the public. That controversy, Mann writes, is only the latest attempt by deniers to discredit scientists one by one; for decades, powerful interests have spent untold millions to tarnish legitimate research and the reputation of scholars who have dedicated their lives to understanding our world. Although the book sometimes slides into overly technical language, Mann balances the statistical analysis with charming personal anecdotes from his life and work. Careful descriptions of the methods and models behind climate change science bear out that assertion, proving that the only way to counter dangerous lies is to expose the truth, however inconvenient it might be. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming, 2009, etc.), an important and disturbing account of the fossil-fuel industry's well-funded public-relations campaign to sow doubt about the validity of the science of climate change. The author was an originator of the "Hockey Stick," a graph showing that average temperatures today are higher than they have been for at least the past 1,000 years, which became an icon of the "climate wars" when published in a 2001 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. In 2009, he was among the scientists whose e-mails, hacked and posted online, gave rise to "Climategate." As a target of critics who deny the reality of climate change, he has been subject to smear campaigns and accusations aimed at discrediting his work. In fact, the validity of his work has been affirmed many times by leading scientists. Despite personal anger, Mann offers a scientist's factual chronicle of the evolution of the disinformation industry that has challenged climate science. He describes a "virtual Potemkin Village of pseudoscience institutions" including dozens of think tanks, such as the Advancement of Sound Science Center and the George C. Marshall Institute, many of them funded by Koch Industries and the Scaife Foundations, and all working to "introduce some measure of doubt into the public mindset." Noting connections between the climate-disinformation campaign and past industry-funded efforts to deny the dangers of smoking and other health threats, Mann details the many tools used by deniers: misleading articles, questionable petitions, cherry-picking of documents and one-sided conferences featuring deniers. With their need for controversy, immediacy and "balance" in reporting, even respected media have often "parroted" deniers' accusations and innuendo, giving credence to their claims. This blistering indictment of corporate-funded chicanery demands a wide audience.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Choice Review

Mann (director, Earth System Science Center, Penn State Univ.) is a most outspoken proponent of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change. The noted scientist shared the 2007 Nobel Prize with other members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Here, he details the aggressive and deliberate attacks on climate scientists, including himself, often orchestrated by well-funded groups positioned to benefit from the continued use of fossil fuels. The book's title reflects the name that has been prescribed to the 1,000-year temperature reconstruction presented by the author in a series of papers, which collectively show that recent warmth is unusual within that time period. Mann's account and nontechnical rebuttal of the attacks on climate science provide an excellent primer on contemporary climate science. While the public still expresses considerable doubt regarding climate change attribution, this book demonstrates the strong consensus within the scientific community, where Mann is respected for his contributions to the science and his courage in the wake of attacks on both his work and his character. The text includes a large appendix of notes to supplement the author's accounts and a bibliography of relevant literature. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates, general readers, and professionals. J. Schoof Southern Illinois University

Abbreviations and Acronyms	p. ix
Prologue: What Is the Hockey Stick?	p. xi
1 Born in a War	p. 1
2 Climate Science Comes of Age	p. 11
3 Signals in the Noise	p. 26
4 The Making of the Hockey Stick	p. 38
5 The Origins of Denial	p. 59
6 A Candle in the Dark	p. 78
7 In the Line of Fire	p. 98
8 Hockey Stick Goes to Washington	p. 108
9 When You Get Your Picture on the Cover of...	p. 126
10 Say It Ain't So, (Smokey) Joe!	p. 146
11 A Tale of Two Reports	p. 160
12 Heads of the Hydra	p. 176
13 The Battle of the Bulge	p. 192
14 Climategate: The Real Story	p. 207
15 Fighting Back	p. 233
Epilogue	p. 249
Glossary	p. 259
Notes	p. 265
Selected Bibliography	p. 373
Acknowledgments	p. 375
Index	p. 379

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Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Choice Review

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