scombrid

It's pretty cold here in the east. I walked on my creek this morning for the first time since '94. However, it's by no measure the most intense cold (in '96 we made -5F at my parent's house, the last few mornings have been 10-15) that I've seen here in my short life nor is it even on the radar for duration of cold. Why, then, do I hear so much belly aching about it being the "coldest ever" and "see global warming is bullshit"?

Have people already forgotten last winter? Why do they not distinguish between a local episode and a global trend? Of course, next summer global warming will be back in vogue for some because it will be the "hottest summer ever", even if it isn't. Why do people continue to trust their perception in such matters?

cricket

Yes.

because sun-rises-and-sets-on-their-own-ass.

but, they're so hot. Must be hottest summer ever. You mean there are other places? You mean the universe existed before their birth?

Or, other matters?

I won't hold my breath, but it would be nice if they would challenge their perceptions and beliefs.

Or, shut up.

Preferably, both.

fando

Part of the problem is the term Global Warming. It really should be Global Climage Change because the effects of overall warming are not universal warming. Some places will get colder, some will experience more tremendous variances in weather, and some won't be affected at all.

Consider that North Europe is warmed by the Atlantic ocean. If this global climate change were to move the warm winds further south, North Europe will become much colder. Paris is at a higher lattitude than New York, yet it rarely snows there. Without the warming winds, Paris will freeze over.

As always, small changes in complex systems can lead to unexpected results. It would be nice if more people understood this.

DamagedGoods

I think you're absolutely right there. People like Rush Limbaugh latch onto the "warming" part of the phrase and poke fun at the idea of "global warming" because it happened to be really cold somewhere this week. Of course, I somehow suspect that these folks would always poo-pooh the idea of human activity causing climate change, no matter what label is attached to the idea.

Late_Cretaceous

The media is partly responsible for a great deal of the misinformation about global climate change. They make every drought, flood, ice storm, hurricane, heatwave, or cold spell out to be a direct result of climate change. Seems to me though that extreme and wierd weather have been with us for ever. Also most climate change models predict that the warming will be most noticable in the higher latitudes winter, and at night. However, the media will show pictures of scorching deserts littered with the carcases of dead livestock any time they mention global warming. Also, the media seems to forget that global climates are metastable- they change frequently and rapidly (not as a slow progression) - and have even occured withing the short span of recorded history. Also, in periods of the earths history that have been warmer (which is pretty much most of the last 250 million years) it has also generally been wetter - not drier like the images we are exposed to.

hyzer

Interesting book I just finished:

A Brain for All Seasons
Human Evolution & Abrupt Climate Change

William H. Calvin
2002 The University of Chicago Press

Calvin is a neurobiologist. His thesis is that rapid climate changes in the past induced the rapid evolution of the human brain AND we, as a species, need to (use our brains now to) maintain our current climate or we face terrible catastrophes. He is squarely in the global warming really means global climate change with greater swings in local weather and global warming could precipitate another European ice age.