Extreme Misrepresentation: USGCRP and the Case of Floods

(Before It's News)

The US Global Change Research Program has released a draft national assessment on climate change (here in PDF) and its impacts in the United States, as required by The US Global Change Research Act of 1990 (which incidentally was the subject of my 1994 PhD dissertation). There has been much excitement and froth in the media.

Here I explain that in an area where I have expertise on, extremes and their impacts, the report is well out of step with the scientific literature, including the very literature it cites and conclusions of the IPCC. Questions should (but probably won’t) be asked about how a major scientific assessment has apparently became captured as a tool of advocacy via misrepresentation of the scientific literature — a phenomena tha occurs repeated in the area of extreme events. Yes, it is a draft and could be corrected, but a four-year effort by the nation’s top scientists should be expected to produce a public draft report of much higher quality than this.

• Natural Disasters List January 15, 2013-Snowstorm in eastern Japan kills 1
• January 15 News: Beijing Experiences Worst Air Pollution On Record
• After Disastrous Delay, House Will Vote On Funds For Sandy Recovery And Resiliency, But Not Sea-Level-Rise Planning
• Call for papers on climate change and social change
• Evo Morales: Ten commandments against capitalism, for life and humanity
• Mercury emissions increase in developing countries
• China shuts factories in latest bid to cut pollution levels – ‘Once people have no water, no air, no land – something will happen’
• Rhino poaching hits new record in 2012
• New water lows for Great Lakes could drain local economies – ‘In years past, there was always a buffer. That buffer’s gone.’
• Mahindra E20, Successor To The Reva EV, Near Release