“Cold homes and energy poverty” (May 17, 2011). Anthony Watts is annoyed that an editorial in the British Medical Journal, The health impacts of cold homes and fuel poverty, accepts “hook line and sinker the ridiculous recent claim of Super exponential accelerating CO2 growth” and even dares to reference it. Except, not really; the editorial quote makes no mention of “super exponential” and that research is only referred to in passing. Of course the fundamental point that CO2 levels are rising quickly is something that only an idiot (Hi Anthony!) would dispute.

See? Not accelerating! Much. From Skeptical Science.

Here’s the naughty paragraph (most evil bit in my italics):

The world community is struggling to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide is not merely continuing to rise when it should be starting to fall, but its rise is accelerating.8 The essence of the problem is our apparent unwillingness—as people, populations, and politicians—to put moral obligations above short term economic interests. So, when measures are identified that have negligible net cost and that will bring benefits on many fronts, including reducing health inequalities, they should be enthusiastically and promptly embraced and implemented.

So the editorial is really about how increasing the thermal efficiency of British homes, especially older rural housing stock, can keep them warmer in the winter and offer wide-ranging benefits to society. “Living in cold conditions is a risk to health.”

Isn’t that kind of, sort of, a bit like, nearly the same as the denialist meme that warmer is always better? You missed one Anthony.