Media and bloggers post numerous commentaries on Superstorm Sandy’s connection to a warmer climate, and on communications lessons-learned.

Nary a word has been spoken by the major party presidential candidates on an issue some scientists still insist posing the century’s pressing scientific challenges. Obama and Romney remain mute.

Commenters to  public broadcasting’s ‘NewsHour’ site decry a ‘hack piece’ of reporting involving an extensive interview with blogger skeptic and former weathercaster Anthony Watts … and also the several responses by the NewsHour editor and reporter directly involved.

Numerous media reports dealing with wildfires, with record-breaking heat, and with a possible connection to climate change capitalize on 2012 weather anomalies for a ‘teachable moment.’ And two articles in academic journals provide more context on the subject.

‘BEST’ is the acronym physicist Richard Muller has given to his widely publicized research efforts on surface temperatures. But his and protagonist Anthony Watts’ latest campaigns seem more of the ‘best’ of public relations than of the best of science. [...]

Scattered voices of climate concern among members of the Mormon Church can’t drown-out the veritable cone of silence from the church itself on environmental issues. But stereotyping any such large group overlooks important nuances.

The metric system has its rightful place in scientific reports, no question about that. But would providing some conversions to an audience’s ‘first language’ — think inches, feet, pounds, etc. — dis-serve science more than it might help inform the [...]