Climate change theories based on 'computer error'... Lord Lawson orders Met Office review
PUBLIC money is being wasted on climate change-tackling schemes based on dodgy Met Office figures, an environmental think tank has claimed.
By: Owen Bennett
Lord Lawson fears money has been wasted on road improvements because of Met Office figures
The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), chaired by former Chancellor Lord Lawson, published a report today which argues the UK’s official climate projections, known as UKCP09, are incorrect.
Using research conducted by independent climate scientist Nic Lewis, the GWPF argues a flaw in the Met Office's computer climate model means it is bound to predict fairly high warming in the UK whatever observational data is used.
The Government uses the Met Office predictions when it comes to building roads, managing water supplies and implementing design standards on houses.
The Met Office responded by saying the claims of inaccuracy "have not been substantiated", but Andrew Montford, the author of the GWPF briefing paper, said: “There are potentially billions of pounds being misspent on the basis of these predictions.
"The government has little choice but to withdraw them pending a review of the way they are put together”.
Using research conducted by independent climate scientist Nic Lewis, the GWPF argues a flaw in the Met Office's computer climate model means it is bound to predict fairly high warming in the UK whatever observational data is used.
The Government uses the Met Office predictions when it comes to building roads, managing water supplies and implementing design standards on houses.
The Met Office responded by saying the claims of inaccuracy "have not been substantiated", but Andrew Montford, the author of the GWPF briefing paper, said: “There are potentially billions of pounds being misspent on the basis of these predictions.
"The government has little choice but to withdraw them pending a review of the way they are put together”.
Lord Lawson is a former Chancellor and Energy SecretaryThe GWPF’s article accepts that the claims of an error have not been substantiatedThe Met Office
The UKCP09 projections were developed at a cost of £11 million and launched in June 2009.
The GWPF's report claims the water industry alone has invested £1.5billion in projects based on Met Office figures.
It also claims: "The foolishness of trusting unvalidated computer models for policy decisions was demonstrated by the failure of many road surfaces during the cold winters of 2010/11 and 2011/12."
The Met Office dismissed the report on its official blog, saying a "sophisticated" method was used to prepare its projections.
The blog reads: "The GWPF’s article accepts that the claims of an error have not been substantiated...The GWPF article fails to note that UKCP09 also used information from many other climate models, and that the projections were independently reviewed prior to publication.
"Ultimately there is nothing in the GWPF article which undermines UKCP09."
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett poured scorn on the report, arguing no notice needs to be taken of the GWPF.
She said: "We know that the Met Office projections rely on the best peer-reviewed science.
The GWPF's report claims the water industry alone has invested £1.5billion in projects based on Met Office figures.
It also claims: "The foolishness of trusting unvalidated computer models for policy decisions was demonstrated by the failure of many road surfaces during the cold winters of 2010/11 and 2011/12."
The Met Office dismissed the report on its official blog, saying a "sophisticated" method was used to prepare its projections.
The blog reads: "The GWPF’s article accepts that the claims of an error have not been substantiated...The GWPF article fails to note that UKCP09 also used information from many other climate models, and that the projections were independently reviewed prior to publication.
"Ultimately there is nothing in the GWPF article which undermines UKCP09."
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett poured scorn on the report, arguing no notice needs to be taken of the GWPF.
She said: "We know that the Met Office projections rely on the best peer-reviewed science.
"And we can all look at the figures showing that 10 of the warmest years on record have occurred in the past decade and a half, that Arctic shipping channels are increasingly being used by commercial shipping, and see how animals and plants are moving home in response to climate change".
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment