ContrarianBob

ContrarianBob

1p

1 comments posted · 0 followers · following 0

14 years ago @ Macleans.ca - Centre of the storm · 0 replies · +1 points

"The world of mining is one in which everyone is constantly aware of how engineering results can be tampered with or misrepresented to rip off investors"

As another geologist that works in the mineral exploration industry I can understand why McIntyre became immediately skeptical of the IPCC hockey stick. In our industry many of the "input" assumptions we are required to make to develop our economic models are imprecise due to statistical errors in data (ie ore grade, tonnage, commodity valuations, etc) . These economic models are used for investment decisions and presentations to potential investors. If an author of these models applies a unrealistic bias then the economic picture can be presented as very robust when perhaps the project investment is very risky. Our industry struggles with these risks continuously and we have created economic decision methodologies to address them (i.e Monte Carlo simulations). We have also regulated ourselves to ensure these data assumptions are fully disclosed to enable sophisticated decision makers to evaluate the risks.

Industry geologists and engineers are therefore very skeptical of slick and flashy presentations (read Gore) that misrepresnt reality and, when questioned, "skeptics" are dismissed as "cranks" uninformed bozos by the authors of those slick presentations. This has all the earmarks of a sleazy mining promoter or snake oil salesman and that is exactly what Al Gore and Phil Jones have become for AGW.