Every year we have the same sequence of events. There will be a few days in succession when temperatures fall far below average values, combined with fairly heavy snowfall. This is what we who live in the northeast call ‘winter’. And sure enough, this will be followed by amusement among some members of the media that this conclusively proves that global warming is some gigantic hoax being perpetrated on the US by a conspiracy of scientists, liberals, and the rest of the world.
The assertion that cold weather proves that the Earth is not warming is accompanied by the same triumphant look we see when the argument against evolution that goes “If we are descended from monkeys, then how come there are still monkeys? Huh? Huh?” is trotted out.
The Daily Show once again tries to deal with this phenomenon, now as ritualized on Fox News as the war on Christmas.
The Daily Show
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The Daily Show
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(These clips aired on January 6, 2014. To get suggestions on how to view clips of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report outside the US, please see this earlier post. If the videos autoplay, please see here for a diagnosis and possible solutions.)
I like this meme that’s been going around- https://twitter.com/EcoLabs/status/419112992316211200/photo/1
Climate and weather, although related, are not the same thing.
Interestingly enough, the low temperatures due to the polar vortex didn’t come close to the lows recorded in the mid seventies in the
DC area. I can recall the low temperatures falling in the negative (F) region and the high temperatures in the single digits (F) then.
As someone pointed out, there are record high temperatures in Australia and Argentina where it is early summer.
“And sure enough, this will be followed by amusement ….”
It makes me sad thatI have to report this has become a standard in The Netherlands as well, though the big media seem to be too smart for it.
Accepting evolution apparently doesn’t guarantee rationality.
OK, a nice fact to illustrate -- not to prove -- global warming:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfstedentocht
There were ten from 1913 to 1963 and only three the 50 years afterwards.
I had not heard of this event before. I like the fact that almost the entire nation gets together to try and help it happen.
While there’s no skating race held there, there is a long tradition of skating to work along the Rideau Canal in Montreal. But maybe not for much longer.
http://outdoorottawa.com/2011/11/evidence-shows-rideau-canal-season-suffering-from-climate-change/
Climate change has shortened the skating season by two weeks over the past thirty years.
Argh.
I said Montreal. I meant Ottawa, that’s where the Rideau Canal is.
Idiot.
What winter? Here in Helsinki snow finally came during the weekend. And I live at 60 degrees North, i.e. higher up than the southern tip of Greenland, or Anchorage, Alaska. And the Baltic Sea is still ice-free.
Someone stole our winter. I’m sure it is Obama’s fault.
My local forecast:
Today it was 42, and the forecast for the next few days is 42, 43, 43, 40 °C.
(Kinda hot for a Mediterranean climate, but it is summer here)
@Johm,
Wow, that is hot! I have been reading about the heat wave in Australia and the danger of uncontrollable fires.
John @10: If I had to move to Oz, I’d pick Mawson Station.