- Political cartoons to be good, have to have some truth to them
- If the cartoon had no policy message then why put it on the editorial page?
Seriously Dispatch-Argus ? We thought you were better than this. The polar bear cartoon set forth here appeared on that paper’s editorial page yesterday. There was no accompanying article, nothing on the editorial pages or elsewhere in the paper that might have related to the cartoon that day. The cartoon was at the top of the page and set larger than most. Oh there was context predating it, the inescapable narrative that the public is subjected to by mainstream media, that global warming exists and mankind is largely responsible, endangering species and the planet. The cartoon does not blame man, but excuse us if that is not the intended drift.
Newspapers like the D-A, for much of their content, are no more than remote printers for the distribution of the AP’s man-made global warming propaganda.* Below the D-A’s cartoon is pertinent information about polar bear numbers, Arctic ice habitat and also regarding 2016 supposedly being the warmest year on record (as if accurate unmanipulated records go back very far). Antarctic ice, by the way, has increased. Of course the usual suspects say the ice increase down there is because of global warming.
The cartoon’s first speech bubble about record warm temps is dependent on methodology well disputed (see below). Any reference to “record,” given the the small amount of data relative to man’s time on this planet, not too mention the age of the planet, is what cartoonists should be ridiculing.
Has recent summer sea ice loss caused polar bear populations to crash? (excerpt)
As it turns, data collected between 2007 and 2015 by field biologists reveal that polar bear numbers have not declined as predicted and no subpopulation has been extirpated. Several subpopulations expected to be at high risk of decline have remained stable and at least one showed a marked increase in population size over the entire period, despite marked sea ice loss. Another at-risk subpopulation was not counted but showed marked improvement in reproductive parameters and body condition with less summer ice – the hallmarks of a stable or increasing population.
The hypothesis that repeated summer sea ice levels of below 5 mkm2 will cause significant population declines in polar bears must be rejected. This result indicates the USFWS and IUCN judgments to list polar bears as threatened or vulnerable based on future risks of habitat loss back in 2006 and 2008 were scientifically unfounded and suggests that similar dire predictions for Arctic seals and walrus may be likewise flawed. Ultimately, the lack of a demonstrable ‘sea ice decline = population decline’ relationship for polar bears almost certainly invalidates recent survival models that predict catastrophic population declines should the Arctic become ice-free in summer.
About reduced Arctic ice, ice breaking up and polar bear habitat lost to global warming and the prospects of regular shipping through a Northwest passage:
Unprecedented Growth Of Arctic Sea Ice Continues Posted art Real Science on November 10, 2015
Arctic sea ice continues to grow at unprecedented rates, and is the highest for the date in over a decade.
Historic Variations in Arctic sea ice. Part II: 1920-1950 (intro to research paper)
. . . this paper provides evidence that supports a conclusion that the official sea ice data bases covering 1920-1945/50 appear to very substantially overstate the ice area extent. Some of the thinning of the ice and reduction of glaciers noted today appears to have had their genesis in the period.
Scares about alleged current reductions in Arctic ice rely on comparisons to that old disputed data.
That ice break-ups have tempted shipping interests is nothing new, due to recurring conditions that predate scares about significant mankind caused global warming.
What is the Northwest Passage? (excerpt)
In 1957, three United States Coast Guard Cutters – Storis, Bramble, and SPAR – became the first ships to cross the Northwest Passage along a deep draft route. They covered the 4,500 miles of semi-charted water in 64 days.
The first ship capable of carrying significant cargo to traverse the Passage was the SS Manhattan, a specially reinforced supertanker, in 1969. It was accompanied by the John A. MacDonald, a Canadian icebreaker. This trip was taken to test the Northwest Passage as an alternative to building the Alaska Pipeline. At that time, it was determined that the Northwest Passage was not economical, and the Alaska Pipeline was built.
Of note recently: Russian Icebreakers Stuck in the Arctic Global Warming
About the supposedly diminishing Arctic ice
Unprecedented Growth Of Arctic Sea Ice Continues Posted on November 10, 2015 at Real Science:
Arctic sea ice continues to grow at unprecedented rates, and is the highest for the date in over a decade.
Also of note: Ice Free Arctic Forecasts
And regarding the clucking about 2015-2016 being so hot:
@NOAA data demonstrates that 2016 was not the ‘hottest year ever’ in the USA
*Last week we were pleased to read that the D-A newspaper had embarked on an effort to rely less on the AP and more on local reportage. We took it to mean it had maybe noticed that the AP has pretty much abandoned straight reporting and gone heavily into opinion pieces, often without disclaimer. On that promise we will give it more time although we have not seen a lot of evidence of discretion. We still prefer the D-A to the QC Times overall, indeed we do not see how the average Republican or Trump supporter can justify actually subscribing to the QC Times as dependably liberal and snidely anti-conservative it is. Oh the QCTimes has some conservative content on its editorial pages but the D-A has comparatively more (not saying a lot). Subscribing to the QC Times unnecessarily finances their dependable attacks on conservatism. At least as to masthead commentary the D-A usually shows more balance and less vituperation against conservatives.
R Mall
