In a new analysis of the past six decades of global temperatures, which will be published Monday, my colleagues and I have revealed a stunning increase in the frequency of extremely hot summers, with deeply troubling ramifications for not only our future but also for our present.
This is not a climate model or a prediction but actual observations of weather events and temperatures that have happened. Our analysis shows that it is no longer enough to say that global warming will increase the likelihood of extreme weather and to repeat the caveat that no individual weather event can be directly linked to climate change. To the contrary, our analysis shows that, for the extreme hot weather of the recent past, there is virtually no explanation other than climate change.
But the deniers will keep denying, Faux News will keep telling people we have been in a cooling trend since 1998, and we’ll continue with business as usual until the train runs off the cliff.
The next big announcement, in 10 years or so, will be when we pass a tipping point and accelerating climate change becomes irreversible.
Who knows. Maybe the weather shifts will turn Texas into a rain forest.
Occam
Doesn’t seem to be happenin’ that a way. We’re still in a severe drought. June was our driest month so far this year, and it is usually our wettest. July was our wettest, and it is usually our driest. August has been hotter than normal, but not nearly as hot as 2011. Seems the hottest and driest weather has shifted north. Oklahoma and the Midwest U.S. have been extremely hot and dry. I expect the price of tortilla chips to increase this fall. This might at least make some congress critters realize using corn for fuel is an idiotic idea.
I’d just like to point out that it always seems like the scientists are saying, “Oops! Climate change is worse than we thought.” Anyone think that maybe we ought to be expecting the “We’ve passed the tipping point.” announcement very, very soon?
I’d just like to point out that it always seems like the scientists are saying, “Oops! Climate change is worse than we thought.” Anyone think that maybe we ought to be expecting the “We’ve passed the tipping point.” announcement very, very soon?
Might be. I am convinced that we already passed the tipping point (there are just too many positive feedback systems. I think that if we would stop emitting CO2 completely now (which is of course not possible), global warming would continue: melting tundras, melting methane clathrate , smaller albedo because of less icy surfaces, etc). But it might politically not wise to yell that from the roof tops now.
Might be. I am convinced that we already passed the tipping point (there are just too many positive feedback systems. I think that if we would stop emitting CO2 completely now (which is of course not possible), global warming would continue: melting tundras, melting methane clathrate , smaller albedo because of less icy surfaces, etc). But it might politically not wise to yell that from the roof tops now
I just saw a program on this issue and the climatologists and oceanographers predict that even if we stopped belching Co2 emmissions right now, it would take an additional 40 years for the oceans to cool to the point that the glaciers would stop melting. This could cause a 3-4 foot rise in the oceans and inundate the coastal areas around the globe. My main concern is the head-in-the-sand attitude our governmental reps. keep displaying and the millions spent to “debunk” global warming. Ex,. Romney’s position (now) is that there’s not enough research done yet, so we should stay the course as it would harm the industries powered by fossil fuels. This is a delimma that must be reckoned with now! There are other sources of soft energy that could and should be developed ex. turbine. Funds could be shifted from building new refineries to building wind, solar and turbine plants to produce the energy that we need.
This is where my conspiracy bug bites. You KNOW various governments, especially the US, know Global Climate Change is real and is getting worse. They also know that people, god love’m, in groups are basically morons, even the so-called smart ones. (And worse, there are plenty of not-so-smart groups to go around to drown out the others). So what do they do? Plan for the future but don’t publicize it. Seed banks in mountains, wars in the Middle East to get access to “emergency” oil, suspend habeus corpus, posse comitatus, etc.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe downplayed the latest claims by climate-change activist James Hansen on Monday, calling the National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist an extremist in his own camp and admonishing the press “to be balanced in its representation” of Hansen’s claims.
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As if to get in one last shot before the current five-week recess, Inhofe filed a bill late last week that, among other things, would eliminate federal funding for all climate-change research and activities.
Inhofe’s response to scientists blaming climate change for heats waves and droughts is to stop funding climate change research. Why am I wasting my time studying environmental policy in college when idiots like Inhofe are in charge?
