Interessenskonflikt: Prinz Charles profitiert möglicherweise finanziell von eigenem Klimalobbyismus

Früher war es stets kalt und angenehm. Alle freuten sich, dass sie im Sommer Pullover anziehen mussten. Die Kleine Eiszeit war einfach klasse. Naja, das Klima zeigte aber schon immer Kapriolen. Das Jahr 1540 war ein solches. Mitteleuropa litt damals unter einem unerträglich heißen Sommer. Eine Forschergruppe um Rene Orth fand nun, dass es damals vielleicht sogar heißer als heute war. Abstract aus den Environmental Research Letters:

Did European temperatures in 1540 exceed present-day records?
There is strong evidence that the year 1540 was exceptionally dry and warm in Central Europe. Here we infer 1540 summer temperatures from the number of dry days (NDDs) in spring (March–May) and summer (June–August) in 1540 derived from historical documentary evidence published elsewhere, and compare our estimates with present-day temperatures. We translate the NDD values into temperature distributions using a linear relationship between modeled temperature and NDD from a 3000 year pre-industrial control simulation with the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Our results show medium confidence that summer mean temperatures (T JJA) and maximum temperatures (TXx) in Central Europe in 1540 were warmer than the respective present-day mean summer temperatures (assessed between 1966–2015). The model-based reconstruction suggests further that with a probability of 40%–70%, the highest daily temperatures in 1540 were even warmer than in 2003, while there is at most a 20% probability that the 1540 mean summer temperature was warmer than that of 2003 in Central Europe. As with other state-of-the-art analyses, the uncertainty of the reconstructed 1540 summer weather in this study is considerable, for instance as extrapolation is required because 1540-like events are not captured by the employed Earth system model (ESM), and neither by other ESMs. However, in addition to paleoclimatological approaches we introduce here an independent methodology to estimate 1540 temperatures, and contribute consequently to a reduced overall uncertainty in the analysis of this event. The characterization of such events and the related climate system functioning is particularly relevant in the context of global warming and the corresponding increase of extreme heat wave magnitude and occurrence frequency.

—————-

In Eos konnte man im Juli 2017 eine erfreuliche Prognose für Sibirien lesen:

Climate Change Could Make Siberia an Attractive Place to Live
Although anticipated warmer temperatures promise to render the region more comfortable for people, the transformation might turn permafrost areas into inhospitable bogs. […] Researchers from the V. N. Sukachev Institute of Forest of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have been examining the climatic and agricultural potential for Siberia to become a home to more people. Elena Parfenova and her colleagues outlined their projections in a poster they presented at a joint conference of the Japan Geoscience Union and the American Geophysical Union in Chiba, Japan, in May. The researchers reported that by the 2080s, Siberia will have a milder climate, less permafrost coverage, and possibly vastly increased crop production. That would make the region much more appealing for settlers, they added.

Ganzen Artikel in Eos lesen.

—————-

In einem weiteren Eos-Artikel werden Forscher aufgefordert, sich stärker bei Wikipedia zu engagieren:

Three Reasons Why Earth Scientists Should Edit Wikipedia
Are you looking to communicate science more broadly? Start by editing articles on the Internet’s most popular general reference work.

Interessanterweise wird jedoch auch davor gewarnt, dass einige Wikipedia-Autoren das System für ihre eigenen Zwecke missbrauchen und in Interessenskonflikte geraten:

In addition to these benefits, I also want to mention a caveat. There is a danger that some academic Wikipedia editors will attempt to “game” the research metrics system, tending toward outsized self-promotion as opposed to sharing notable new science with the public. Wikipedia provides information about conflict of interest and self-promotion to inform editors and prevent these issues. Guidance on these topics is also given by Logan et al. [2010].

Gerade die Wikipedia-Seiten zum Klimawandel sind fest in Aktivistenhand. Eigentlich ein unhaltbarer Zustand, der aber offenbar von ganz oben gedeckt ist. Wer hat die Zeit und Lust, gegen diesen Misstand anzugehen? Siehe:

—————-

Apropos Interessenkonflikt. Prinz Charles ist ein leidenschaftlicher Klimakämpfer. Nun kam jedoch heraus, dass er offenbar auch handfeste finanzielle Interessen mit seinem Aktivismus verfolgt haben könnte. Die BBC meldete am 7. November 2017 unter Hinweis auf die Paradise Papers, dass Prinz Charles öffentlich schärfere Klimawandelbestimmungen forderte, hiervon aber selber über Finanzbeteiligungen auf den Bermudas profitiert:

Paradise Papers: Prince Charles lobbied on climate policy after shares purchase
Prince Charles campaigned to alter climate-change agreements without disclosing his private estate had an offshore financial interest in what he was promoting, BBC Panorama has found.

Weiterlesen bei der BBC.

 

 

 

Teilen: