This series consists of links and excerpts from my last 12 months of posts touching on the science and politics of climate change.

Estimating Economic Damage from Climate Change, Part II  July 21, 2017

[The authors] predict that by 2100 the poorest third of US counties, mostly in the south, will experiences significant damage due to climate-related effects on agriculture, crime, coastal storms, energy, human mortality, and labor. They project this damage will occur “under business-as-usual emissions (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5)”. In other words, the authors’ analysis is based on a particular global emissions scenario unfolding. If we are to put stock in their projections, we need to consider the plausibility of their assumptions.  The output is only as good as its input.

Estimating Economic Damage from Climate Change, Part I July 20, 2017

...the authors don't explain what "Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5" is, except to say it's a "business-as-usual" emissions scenario. You can't really evaluate the paper without some idea of what RCP8.5 is and whether it's a likely scenario for global emissions trends. 

Energy Efficiency über Alles July 14, 2017

The International Energy Agency has a nice list of policy recommendations to speed up adoption of energy-efficient technology and practices. They estimate that if implemented globally without delay, their proposed actions could save as much as 7.6 gigatonnes (Gt) CO2/year by 2030 – "almost 1.5 times current US annual CO2 emissions." 

What Does It Mean Not to be a Climate Change Skeptic?  July 7, 2017

I am not a climate change skeptic although I have the utmost respect for those that keep the torch of skepticism alive (minus the cranks). Saying I'm not a skeptic doesn't mean I've read all the science, understand the physics, and evaluated the climate projections based on my extensive knowledge of climate models. It means I'm using a heuristic: when 90% (give or take) of a group of experts say something is so, it probably is so. Nothing to pat myself on the back about. Not going to crow: I am more science-y than thou.