“Global warming my ass! It’s freezing! Al Gore sure is taking you people for a ride!” I’ve heard comments along these lines for months now, ever since normal late fall/early winter temperatures set in. Check the comments on any local news story about a snowstorm, and you’ll find at least a handful of people who believe that because it’s snowing during winter in the Northern Hemisphere, global warming can’t possibly be real.
The infamous Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma recently declared victory over the global warming conspiracy based on the observation that “his opponents won’t say global warming any more” and instead prefer “climate change”. His argument for victory is basically grounded in semantics coupled with the drop in global warming headlines and the fact that he’s giving this interview during the winter, when it happens to be cold. (He also refers to dubious science.)
The reality is that climate change more accurately describes the various phenomena caused by global warming. The latter simply refers to the increase in global temperature as a result of CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases. We’re therefore seeing more droughts, floods, and a greater rate of anomalous weather events i.e. climate change. The effect of a warmer atmosphere might, in fact, cause more snow and colder temperatures in some areas with devastating, long-term effects. We don’t know precisely. This is uncharted territory for the planet (in terms of recorded CO2 concentrations) and mankind. Has the climate changed in the past? Yes. At this rapid pace without a reasonable explanation? No.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. No doubt, the “if the world is warming, why is it so cold out” meme will continue to proliferate – after all, these are the same kinds of people who continue to forward ‘Obama is a Muslim’ chain emails. If dying forests, the collapse of Antarctic ice shelves, ocean acidification, trillions of tons of ice loss in 5 years and other alarming signs of global warming won’t convince them, nothing will until the day they personally experience the catastrophic effects themselves.
The reality is that climate change more accurately describes the various phenomena caused by global warming. The latter simply refers to the increase in global temperature as a result of CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases. We’re therefore seeing more droughts, floods, and a greater rate of anomalous weather events i.e. climate change. The effect of a warmer atmosphere might, in fact, cause more snow and colder temperatures in some areas with devastating, long-term effects. We don’t know precisely. This is uncharted territory for the planet (in terms of recorded CO2 concentrations) and mankind. Has the climate changed in the past? Yes. At this rapid pace without a reasonable explanation? No.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. No doubt, the “if the world is warming, why is it so cold out” meme will continue to proliferate – after all, these are the same kinds of people who continue to forward ‘Obama is a Muslim’ chain emails. If dying forests, the collapse of Antarctic ice shelves, ocean acidification, trillions of tons of ice loss in 5 years and other alarming signs of global warming won’t convince them, nothing will until the day they personally experience the catastrophic effects themselves.
Comments
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Climate Chaos
09.02.2009 16:04
Pete
Global warming is an misleading and unhelpful phrase.
09.02.2009 16:27
It snows most years in northumberland where i live,
This wouldn't stop me believing in peer re-veiwed science just because i've had some snow. To follow your logic- my grandad is 89 and smokes does this mean smoking baccy doesn't cause cancer or reduce your life expectancy?
Get to the real cause of climate chaos-neo liberal capitalism
Climate Camp hits the City of London on April Fools Day, the eve of the G20 leaders' London Summit. Join us!
Climate camp 2009 /// Stopping carbon markets /// Because nature doesn't do bailouts.
First the city traders speculated with our homes, jobs and money – with
disastrous results. Now they are speculating with our climate and the very
future of life on earth – and once again our governments are cheering them on.
By creating a brain-bending system of carbon pollution licenses, fossil fuel companies and trading firms have found a way to keep on churning out global warming gases and to reap huge windfall profits at the same time.
Meanwhile, the UK government is justifying a third runway at Heathrow and a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth by saying that these new “carbon trading” schemes will magically make all their emissions vanish.
They are handing control of our climate over to the same people and systems that caused the financial collapse. All the workable and fair alternatives aren't getting a look-in
We need to stop this foolishness.
We've camped against the Heathrow runway, we've camped against the Kingsnorth coal power station. Now its time to camp against the over-arching problem: absolute faith in unfettered markets and endless economic growth. On April 1st the G20 leaders arrive in London. At a time of climate crisis their response to the market meltdown is emergency loans to car manufacturers, increased spending to encourage consumption, and bailouts for the very people who got us into this mess - just the thing that will make the climate crisis worse.
Don’t let them get away with it: join our camp in the Square Mile! Gather at noon, April 1st, at the European Climate Exchange, Hasilwood House, 62 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AW. Bring a pop-up tent if you've got one, sleeping bag, wind turbine, mobile cinema, action plans and ideas...let’s imagine another world.
Don't let the financial and fossil fools make the rules!
for updates, details on back-up plans, and moreinformation, visit us again at
To get involved, come to our planning meeting on Saturday February 14th in London (arrive at the library houuse, 52 Knatchbull, at 1 pm for a 1:30 start) or come to the gathering on March the 6th/7th in Nottingham.
Email g20 [@] climatecamp.org.uk for more information.
Join the announcements list, the facebook page and event.
Please post this link, paste this text, and otherwise spread the word!
Help celebrate Fossil Fools Day and Financial Fools Day
Micheal Fish
e-mail:
nodirtycoal@yahoo.co.uk
Homepage:
http://www.toonclimateaction.tk
Have Your Say
09.02.2009 16:49
One of the amusing things on the BBC website has been how those who deny climate change have also been those going on about how much worse the winters were when they were young, when they always battled through blizzards to get to school...
(credit: Speakyourbranes)
Norville B
Northern Ireland environment minister blocks 'Act on CO2' ads
09.02.2009 17:11
I think we are seeing a wave of retired people getting online and making blog comments variously about how global warming's rubbish, or how they had to wade through snow to get to school as kids, or both.
only me
Agreeing with Only me
09.02.2009 17:45
He didn't let the small matter of having no scientific background at all stop him from rejecting the findings of the majority of respected scientists. He decided to ban several ads promoting energy saving habits. You have to wonder what he sees his role as - a dominant father over children who can't make their own decisions? God?
anon
It works both ways
09.02.2009 18:17
>> ... same kinds of people who continue to forward ‘Obama is a Muslim’ chain emails.
How is anyone meant to respond to that!?!? So, because I don't believe in the manmade global warming theory, I must be a racist?!?!
mike
Cooling is warming
09.02.2009 22:39
According to 'climate change' scientists, there has been a warming of 0.7C since records began at around 1865, alongside a 33% increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. So, a ONE THIRD increase in CO2 has led to a whopping 0.7C increase in temperature. A 50% increase would have led to a temperature increase of 1%. 1865 was a low point in average temperature. It was the end of a mini ice age. That is, temperature was bound to increase.
Now, we have unusually cold weather events all over the world means that there is global warming. Global warming means the temperature gets colder. The global warming supporters say, this is all about the Gulf Stream and science.
So, if average temperature rose, they would have said, global warming is leading to unsustainable higher temperatures. But now, weather is getting colder, they say, this is because of global warming. Some science.
This is next to absurd. How can global warming lead to colder temperatures?
The reality is we are heading for 10 years of global cooling not warming.
insidejob
insidejob
10.02.2009 00:22
a knob
Learning from a knob
10.02.2009 21:07
1. why is less than a proportion of 0.5% of atmospheric CO2 causing catastrophoric climate change or global warming or whatever it is?
2. why is any unusual weather event, unless it is cold, used in the media as evidence of global climate warming change?
3. why does the temperature increase beginning from a time-temperature period that constituted the end of a mini ice age used as evidence of catastrophic global warming change?
4. Why was the Medieval Warming Period on average hotter than it is today?
5. How come there was 15 times more CO2 in the atmosphere during an ice age 450 million years ago than there is today?
6. Is there man-made global warming on Mars,
insidejob
correction
11.02.2009 00:54
@@a knob... please read and abide the indymedia editorial guidelines about behaviour on this site:
"Personal attack: Articles and/or comments that contain abusive language against other activists or site users. Please make your point without resorting to personal abuse."
@@InsideJob
1. why is less than a proportion of 0.5% of atmospheric CO2 causing catastrophoric climate change or global warming or whatever it is?
Actually CO2 constitutes about 0.038% of the atmosphere.
To the present day there is still no scientific proof that man-made CO2 causes significant global warming.
mike
A knob - I'm learning
11.02.2009 20:37
a knob, can I get an answer to any of my questions? Oh knowledgeable and intelligent one.
insidejob