[Coral-List] IPCC and coral reefs

Steve Mussman sealab at earthlink.net
Tue May 13 15:29:31 EDT 2014


   Jean-Pierre,
   No no, what I was trying to say was that the latest IPCC report will likely
   have little impact on helping to solidify a general consensus on the impacts
   of climate change on marine ecosystems because ideological predisposition
   seems  to be the main   factor which determines whether one accepts or
   rejects the conclusions found in the reports and summaries of the Working
   Group.  The  denier machine has created a situation whereby scientific
   integrity and credibility is all but impossible to establish (in their eyes)
   unless the conclusions reached agree with (their) ideological pretexts. In
   this context every call for action can be shot down on the basis of it's
   origin alone. This is what I meant by politicization. I support the work you
   have  done,  but I am constantly confronted by too many who reject the
   science. It is as if they live in a different reality. They create their own
   facts  and  are  backed  by their own sub-group of anointed scientific
   authorities. It doesn't seem to matter that their experts are outliers. It
   only matters that they offer conclusions that align with their avowed and
   predetermined set of established doctrines and beliefs. In my opinion, this
   dynamic will somehow have to be altered before any meaningful international
   agreement on CO2 emissions can be reached by governmental negotiators.
   Regards,
   Steve

     -----Original Message-----
     From: Jean-Pierre Gattuso
     Sent: May 13, 2014 3:35 AM
     To: Steve Mussman
     Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
     Subject: Re: [Coral-List] IPCC and coral reefs

   Steve,

   The IPCC is actually not politicised. The production of the report is led
   and  performed  by  scientists  without any political interference. As
   scientists, we sometimes complain about the review process of manuscripts
   which  we  submit to journals. This process involves an average of 2-3
   reviewers and a few comments. The report of Working Group of the IPCC went
   through 3 drafts which were reviewed by 1729 experts from 84 countries and
   49 governments. A total of 50,492 comments were made, and each of them was
   addressed by the author team. The whole process is transparent and can be
   consulted on the IPCC web site. I cannot think of a scientific document that
   is more thorough, accurate and reliable than the IPCC report.

   The only potential political interference is about the Summary for Policy
   Makers which is written by scientists but needs approval by 195 countries.
   My understanding is that material that is not present in the main report
   cannot  be  added,  but material can be removed (from the SPM) and the
   formulation of sentences can be changed although in a way that does not
   contradict the main report.

   If the IPCC is not politicised, it is not the case of the negotiations that
   take place during Conferences of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations
   Framework  Convention on Climate Change. This is where an agreement on
   reductions of CO2 emissions must be reached by governmental negotiators.

   Jean-Pierre
     _________________________________________________________________

   Jean-Pierre Gattuso | [1]http://www.obs-vlfr.fr/~gattuso

   On 9 May 2014, at 22:03, Steve Mussman wrote:

     Thanks for providing the links to the latest IPCC report and summaries
     regarding coral reefs and marine ecosystems. As to whether it helps or not
     is another question. As you are well aware, the issue of climate change
     and even the IPCC itself have become so politicized that one has to wonder
     if the science even matters. It seems that the lines have been drawn and
     it is now as much about ideological predisposition as it is about science.
     Polarization occurs instantly at just the mention of the IPCC or the term
     climate change. Coral listers haven't been polled or asked to take sides,
     but we can all read between the lines. Reactions have become predictable
     even before the next study, report or summary can be released. Scientific
     integrity loses out in a world where facts can be manufactured to fit
     individual  beliefs.  More  and  more we are becoming entrenched in
     diametrical realities even while recognizing that our destinies are linked
     on this one little planet.    Steve

References

   1. http://www.obs-vlfr.fr/%7Egattuso


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