Fans of global warming have been celebrating that the U.S. had the highest average recorded temperature in 2012, and the national media was full of stories about the horrors to come. Reports that indicate there is no global warming trend were displayed less prominently. One report mentioned that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that the average temperature for the entire world barely made it into being one of the top ten years. The average was 58 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a full degree above the twentieth century average.
Another article that did gain a rather large headline on page 19A of the January 6, 2013 Denver Post reports that China is experiencing unusually cold weather. The national average temperatures are the lowest in almost three decades. Snow and ice have created havoc and knocked out power in several provinces. That information should be remarkable to advocates of the theory that global warming is being caused by man’s carbon dioxide emission, since China has been busy outstripping the U.S. in those emissions.
President Obama mentioned the threat of climate change in his inaugural address. He said the threat is apparent in “raging fires, crippling drought, and more powerful storms.” George Will has a wonderful article in the Washington Post that addresses each of these calamities. He points out that there were a third fewer U.S. wildfires in 2012 than in 2006. He asks, “Is today’s drought worse, say, than that of that of the Dust Bowl, and was it caused by 1930s global warming?” As to the assertion of “more powerful storms,” Will points out that major hurricane activity has plummeted. “No Category 3 storm has hit the United States since 2005.” Sandy, which created enormous damage, was a Category 1 hurricane.
Will’s article also mentions the absurdity of news reporting that would lead people to believe temperatures have been on a continual rise. The media failed to mention that the 2008 U.S. temperatures were two degrees cooler than in 2006. The several years after 1998 that were cooler than that year didn’t make the news because those results didn’t match the dire predictions.
I’ve written in the past that the world may be warming or cooling, because climate change has always occurred. I also have no doubt that the activity of the sun is the primary cause of what is happening.
A very smart friend told me he had done calculations on how much difference it would make if the U.S. ended all carbon dioxide emissions with the exception of breathing. That would reduce the temperature by two thirds of a degree. I’m trying to picture the celebrations that would break out over that accomplishment among the people who would have to compete for what little electricity production would continue from nuclear and renewable sources. Heating and cooling homes, cooking, lighting, and powering computers would need to be severely restricted. Battery powered cars could be driven when someone could find the electricity to recharge the batteries.
People who don’t believe the media hype about global warming are dismissed as “Deniers.” I am a Denier, because I remain unconvinced the “Believers” have a scientific basis for their beliefs.