Slashdot Mirror
2012 Another Record-Setter For Weather, Fits Climate Forecasts
Layzej writes "The Associated Press reports: 'In 2012 many of the warnings scientists have made about global warming went from dry studies in scientific journals to real-life video played before our eyes. As 2012 began, winter in the U.S. went AWOL. Spring and summer arrived early with wildfires, blistering heat and drought. And fall hit the eastern third of the country with the ferocity of Superstorm Sandy. Globally, five countries this year set heat records, but none set cold records. 2012 is on track to be the warmest year on record in the United States. Worldwide, the average through November suggests it will be the eighth warmest since global record-keeping began in 1880 and will likely beat 2011 as the hottest La Nina year on record. America's heartland lurched from one extreme to the other without stopping at "normal." Historic flooding in 2011 gave way to devastating drought in 2012. But the most troubling climate development this year was the melting at the top of the world. Summer sea ice in the Arctic shrank to 18 percent below the previous record low. These are "clearly not freak events," but "systemic changes," said climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute in Germany. "With all the extremes that, really, every year in the last 10 years have struck different parts of the globe, more and more people absolutely realize that climate change is here and already hitting us."'"
That's funny. I just read an article a week ago explaining that the forecasts were off: "Evidence points to a further rise of just 1C by 2100. The net effect on the planet may actually be beneficial."
"This is no worse than the dust bowl and that was almost 100 years ago! I suppose that was due to global warming too!?"
(Put in quotes in the hopes of avoiding Poe's Law taking effect)
This is no event that will convince the denialists because there is no event that hasn't be equaled at some point in the planets history. That the extreme events are coming faster and faster will be completely lost on them.
The thing that makes me suspicious is that the same people -- James Hansen in particular -- were the major alarmists for an ice age back then, as they are for global warming now. What Hansen got out of it then, and what he's getting out of it now, is power. I think there may be a root cause that we haven't explored yet -- that people need for this to happen because they are elevated in money, stature, and power as a result.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
of the thousands of climate models generated, most are discarded and a few chosen that conform to what the weather has been doing recently. The draft IPCC climate report for 2013 has been released and they are retracting much of their alarmist nonsense because reality has disappointed, and even their cherry-picked models haven't panned out