Memo from Reality to Global Climate Change Deniers: Even though somewhere it's really cold and there's a lot of snow on the ground, this doesn't mean global warming isn't happening.
You'd think this would be obvious to anyone with half a brain.
But anti-scientific right-wingers don't seem to be operating with a full cranium when it comes to global warming.
I liked Cheryl Smith's letter to the editor in today's Portland Oregonian.
I know it must be highly amusing for you, but will the day ever come that you don't print letters from global warming deniers that equate our local weather condition with the larger phenomena of climate change? I'm sure they think they are being very clever but it's getting kind of stale.
That's for sure.
This was Portland's snowiest December ever — which means zilch when it comes to understanding the Earth's overall temperature trend.
But try telling that to all of those who crowed, "Ooh, ooh, the roads are covered with ice! Where's Al Gore's global warming now?!"
Well, right where it's always been: on the pedestal of virtually certain facts.
The Bush administration isn't a big promoter of climate change literacy (to put it mildly), but even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that global warming is happening:
What's Known
Scientists know with virtual certainty that:
- Human activities are changing
the composition of Earth's atmosphere. Increasing levels of greenhouse
gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere
since
pre-industrial times are well-documented and understood. - The atmospheric
buildup of CO2 and other greenhouse gases
is largely the result of human activities such as the burning of fossil
fuels. - An “unequivocal” warming trend of about 1.0 to 1.7°F occurred from 1906-2005.
Warming occurred in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and over
the oceans (IPCC, 2007). - The major greenhouse gases emitted by human activities
remain in the atmosphere for periods ranging from decades to centuries.
It is therefore virtually
certain that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases will continue
to rise over the next few decades. - Increasing greenhouse gas concentrations
tend to warm the planet.
However, on Lars Larson's conservative talk show today (Rob Kremer stood in for Lars) I gritted my teeth as I listened to science writer David Appell grapple with two global warming deniers: Kremer and local meteorologist Chuck Weise.
Fortunately for my dental health I got to Lancaster Mall and shut off the car radio after hearing only about ten minutes of the hour-long program.
Appell made good sense. Kremer and Weise were just blathering.
But they could blather at a high volume, and confidently, even when facts were left far behind. So I fear that some listeners took them seriously rather than laughing at their ignorance.
Global warming is global.
The evidence for it is derived from many years of Earth-wide temperature observations. What happens one year in one part of the world has no scientific significance.
That's why "It's getting warm out there!" properly mocks those who had a lot to say about how global warming is a crock when a cold spell hit parts of the United States, but lost their tongues when unusual warmth recently embraced the country's eastern third.
And, no, the Earth didn't get cooler in the last decade, as I keep hearing on know-nothing conservative talk radio. It kept on warming. More facts:
higher than any in the last century. The last decade is by far the
warmest decade globally in the record. These big picture conclusions
are the same if you look at any of the data sets, though the actual
numbers are slightly different (relating principally to the data
extrapolation – particularly in the Arctic).
So let it snow here in western Oregon. Or, not (which I'd prefer after dealing with tire chains for as much as I want to this winter).
Doesn't affect global warming reality.
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Memo from Reality to Global Climate Change Robots: Even though somewhere it’s really cold and there’s a lot of snow on the ground, this doesn’t mean global warming is happening.
You’d think this would be obvious to anyone with half a brain.
But anti-scientific left-wingers don’t seem to be operating with a full cranium when it comes to global warming.
I too listened to the radio debate. However, I listened to the entire debate.
Chuck Weise made scientific mincemeat out of
David Appell.
If one is an extreme follower type, they may have come away still convinced of their superstitious global warming belief.
Almost every statement made by David Appell was prefaced by, “Well every one knows…” or , “Well all scientists concour that…”
No scientific data. No studies. No references. NOTHING!
Popular bad science, and fad; that was his presentation.
Chuck Weise on the other hand held firmly to scientific principles AS SEEKEEKERS OF TRUTH PREFER, and carried the debate.
New years resolution, reaffirmed:
Have an open mind. Seek truth. And stand apart from the crowd on your own two feet.
The question is one of global climate change, which science clearly shows has happened in the past and only true believers in some kind of spiritual overseer would deny is likely to repeat.
Personally, I think Gore made a mistake in his film and book to keep talking about global warming because it implies people will understand that means change and not necessarily warmer land temperatures everywhere. The film ‘Day after Tomorrow’ pretty well showed one ‘theory’ with the ice age in one place and tropics another. History shows that has happened.
More concern to most should be ocean changes that might impact not just levels but what can survive in the ocean, the winds. The latest experts are always promoted according to whether they suit one agenda or another. Right now I doubt anybody knows for sure.
There are a lot of reasons to be concerned about things like carbon emissions (try Phoenix Arizona where the summer temps are above 120 sometimes and due to local conditions people create, this has been repeated throughout recorded history of mankind. Look at LA where they say smog is returning. There are reasons to develop vehicles that don’t use so much oil besides global warming; so to me go with what is good for quality life now and keep evaluating what might be coming.
Those who crow about nothing coming aren’t any more open to the possibility of change than the ones set on a different agenda. All they care about is keeping American guzzling oil. The right wingers who chortle over one result or another or relish one expert versus another, don’t really care about the average person. They didn’t in Katrina and they don’t now. It’s all about profit and their power.
Maybe we are entering global cooling, maybe we will go back and forth. But the question is what happens with more people living on the earth and do you care? If not, then eat drink and be merry. It’s what the grasshopper did too in the fable.
I like the term ‘climate change’. ‘Global warming’ is a stretch because NOBODY understands this current phenomena. If they say they do, their arrogance is insufferable.
Ice ages have been preceded by brief warming periods, but maybe this time we’re destined to roast like chestnuts on an open fire. Maybe not.
We’ll just have to deal with what comes, as it comes. However, one thing we do know is that climate change is normal and species adapt or die. This is the way of things.
Will humans adapt? Or die? It’s futile to have international conferfences and protocols. How can you get 6+ billion people to change their ways?
How can we be certain it would do any good anyway if we don’t even know what is going on?