A January 29th article published in the Epoch Times (ET) reports on the work of The Heartland Institute and specifically Senior Fellow for Environment and Climate Anthony Watts. The article cites the 2022 report published by Heartland Corrupted Climate Stations: The Official U.S. Surface Temperature Record Remains Fatally Flawed, which found approximately 96 percent of U.S. temperature stations used to measure climate change fail to meet what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) considers to be “acceptable” and uncorrupted placement by its own published standards.
The Epoch Times article, Trillions Spent on ‘Climate Change’ Based on Faulty Temperature Data, Climate Experts Say, written by Katie Spence, provides detailed and exhaustive coverage of the issue.
In addition to quotes from an interview with Anthony Watts, the article also cites climatologist Roy Spencer Ph.D, and Lt. Col. John Shewchuk, a certified consulting meteorologist. Both of these scientists provide supporting evidence for what was published in the 2022 Heartland Report on the state of the surface temperature measurement system operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The ET article opens with, “In 2021 and 2022, the world’s taxpayers spent, on average, $1.3 trillion on such projects each year, according to the nonprofit advisory group Climate Policy Initiative.”
But ET provides balance by stating:
But a growing chorus of climate scientists are saying the temperature readings are faulty and that the trillions of dollars pouring in are based on a problem that doesn’t exist.
More than 90 percent of NOAA’s temperature monitoring stations have a heat bias, according to Anthony Watts, a meteorologist, senior fellow for environment and climate at The Heartland Institute, author of climate website Watts Up With That, and director of a study that examined NOAA’s climate stations.
“And with that large of a number, over 90 percent, the methods that NOAA employs to try to reduce this don’t work because the bias is so overwhelming,” Watts told The Epoch Times.
Most importantly, ET mentions this quote from Watts, showing how climate science is relying on a less than scientific methodology used to gather temperature data:
“The bottom line is that the Cooperative Observer Network, the COOP network—it’s literally a ragtag bunch of volunteers combined with some public agencies, such as police stations, fire stations, forest service, and so on.
“This is not a rigorously scientifically controlled network at the operational level.”
The ET article goes on to cite Roy Spencer Ph.D,
Meteorologist Roy Spencer agreed. “The surface thermometer data still have spurious warming effects due to the urban heat island, which increases over time,” Mr. Spencer said.
As a visual example of this effect, the photographs below were captured by Watts on both visible and infrared cameras, showing the effect that surfaces like stone and asphalt have on temperatures around a measurement station in Colfax, California.
And, ET adds expert analysis from an operational meteorologist,
Lt. Col. John Shewchuk, a certified consulting meteorologist, said the problems with temperature readings go beyond heat bias. The retired lieutenant colonel was an advanced weather officer in the Air Force.
“After seeing many reports about NOAA’s adjustments to the USHCN [U.S. Historical Climatology Network] temperature data, I decided to download and analyze the data myself,” Lt. Col. Shewchuk told The Epoch Times.
“I was able to confirm what others have found. It is obvious that, overall, the past temperatures were cooled while the present temperatures were warmed.”
The ET article goes on to talk about maintenance issues, corrections, and adjustments that are not effective as well as comparative readings to satellite derived temperature data. Also highlighted is the recent report from Roy Spencer on Jan. 24 that addresses inaccuracies in climate modeling. Additionally, the ET article adds quotes from climatologist John Christy, Ph.D, a colleague of Spencer:
“Warming of the global climate system over the past half-century has averaged 43 percent less than that produced by computerized climate models used to promote changes in energy policy,” the report reads.
“Contrary to media reports and environmental organizations’ press releases, global warming offers no justification for carbon-based regulation.”
“Current claims of a climate crisis are invariably the result of reliance on the models producing the most warming, not on actual observations of the climate system which reveal unremarkable changes over the past century or more,” he wrote.
There is much more detail in the article and it is highly suggested reading: Trillions Spent on ‘Climate Change’ Based on Faulty Temperature Data, Climate Experts Say. While the article is behind a pay wall it can be viewed for free by simply registering your e-mail account. No payment is required.
Simply appalling the level of deception that is being used to show a false narrative! They are all about creating crises so they can rip off the taxpayer for no more than putting money in their pockets! The carbon based reasons for all of this are totally unfounded! You would think they would show the increased carbon use for the direct correlation between greenhouse emissions and temperature change but it’s not even mentioned or measured! Totally fabricated and poor analysis and not even realizing the heat island effect! Their purpose is to destroy dependence on fossil fuels and impose their own misguided policies on everyone!
The question is, although the weather stations show increased temperatures, do they show increasing temperatures? (From a base line in say, 2010) The Heat Island Effect is thus irrelevant.