Focus on the data please

by Ken
(Portland, OR)

I think the current hype about global warming is a bit over hyped.

There is evidence to support that the planet is heating up over the past 100 years, but also based on the past several thousand years, it also might be statistically insignificant, especially in light of the past 10 years having some cooling.

The Players in the Game

In any case, politics is playing a huge roll in how we are dealing with it. Liberals are using it to support their environmental agendas, and conservatives are discounting it to limit legislation which may impact their campaign donors.

I personally think that we need to take better care of our planet, and reducing carbon emissions makes sense in the long run. However, we need to really look to China and India to do their part. Burning coal in China as a means of home heating is the single largest source of man caused carbon emissions on the planet. We can't force them to stop, or they will freeze to death, but we need to look at the facts on where the emissions are coming from and begin to take steps to reduce them.

Objectivity

Both sides of the debate need to focus less on "scientific opinion" and focus on the data, and not just the data that supports their particular viewpoint.

Barry's Response - We have alternatives already, and are developing more. I can only see continued improvement with regard to this, even if there are a few bumps along the way. Thanks for your thoughts, Ken.

Without data, we either drift into panic or paralysis. You're right. The climate change deserves neither. It's important to look at long-term records, compare satellite and surface trends, take solar cycles into account, and distinguish correlation from causation.

Mixed Signals?

There's been a 1°C rise in global temperatures since 1880, but it's irregular. There was a cooling in the 1940s. It stalled in the 2000s. What's the deal? Volcanic activity, solar dips, ENSO shifts, measurement nuance. That's what real climate science deals with, not memes.

Politics muddies science. Models and messages are pushed by money and motives. That doesn't mean the climate isn't changing. We should trust thermometers more than think tanks.

Wintertime particulates and soot-driven warming are caused by coal burning in northern China. Shortwave absorption is increased by methane leaks in oil fields. Past ice ages were also shaped by Milankovitch cycles and solar minima.

Humanity affects the atmosphere, but nature still rules. Don't be like that egg above. Don't forget your sunscreen, take the heat, and reflect the hype.

Keep these in mind

- Stewardship begins with truth, so don't worship catastrophe or deny creation's complexity.
- Air Quality ≠ Climate. As PM2.5, NO2, and ozone reflect sunlight, they harm lungs and crops, so air pollution cleanup can paradoxically increase short-term warming. That's why we need integrated models.
- Weather ≠ Climate. Can't we predict rain next weekend? You don't know where a firework will land, but you know it'll light up the sky. Patterns are predicted by climate, not noise.

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