I Have To Say It....
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 | Author: eventer79
Maybe someday I will have the energy to go the whole topic in depth, although I'm not sure there's really a point. But I have to say one thing about this whole climate change business:

WEATHER IS NOT THE SAME THING AS CLIMATE!!

Weather = (noun)  the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.  This refers to a LOCALIZED area.  I.e. the weather in any place you happen to be

Climate = (noun) the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years.

Therefore, just because it happens to be quite cold where you are right now, does NOT mean that global AVERAGE temperature is not increasing.  There's a tricky little thing about hemispheres:  it may be damn cold in Maryland right now but it's close to 100 degrees in Darwin, Australia at the moment.  So someone there is sweating their tail off wondering why the world is so damn HOT.

The top ten hottest years on record include 2009, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1998, and 1997 and the past decade was the hottest in recorded history.  A dump of snow on a fraction of one continent does not affect this. 

I am also instituting a new rule in society:  if you do not know how to perform analytical statistical tests on a data set or correctly interpret a logistic or logarithmic plot, you do not get to have an opinion about climate change data and its veracity.

*stomps out of room grumbling*
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5 comments:

On February 16, 2010 at 8:22 PM , Anything Fits A Naked Man said...

From the bottom of my exasperated heart, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! Please tell them to STOP with the Al Gore bashing, already! It's infuriating!

 
On February 16, 2010 at 9:36 PM , lifeshighway said...

Well, it is damn cold in Maryland.

(sneaking out of the room)

 
On February 16, 2010 at 11:42 PM , Frizzle said...

I know, and that stupid mix-up with those climate-related e-mails are SO misunderstood! Apparently, a lot of it was along the lines of "we need to put this in terms that are easy for the general [ie: ignorant and stupid] population to understand." And, of course that was like a wet dream for Fox News, who completely skewed the info, so now all the conservatives are going, "Seeee?! Global warming is a myth! Drill, baby, drill!"
*headdesk*

 
On February 17, 2010 at 8:56 AM , eventer79 said...

*runs after lh with stick!* Hahahaha -- just wait till July!

Al Gore is not a scientist, we scientists didn't pick him and are not responsible for his actions and his existence has no relation or impact on the ability of global phenomenons to exist.

Can we have Jane Goodall or Richard Dawkins or Stephen Hawking instead???? A REAL scientist?

 
On February 17, 2010 at 8:44 PM , molly said...

I'm so glad to hear someone with scientific knowledge confirm what I know. I've stopped trying to talk people who think this winter changes everything.....