Climate Change

November 10 2014

Recently a letter to the editor provided some information to support his denial of climate change and the effect of the rise of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. His evidence was based on a set of cherry picked local data which misrepresented the real picture as reported by thousands of scientists who have a much clearer understanding of what is happening to our global climate. 

For example he quoted NASA satellite data showing no warming since 1998. A quick check of the NASA's web site shows how he is misrepresenting the data. Here is a direct quote from their official report. "Nine of the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record have occurred since 1998."  Based on NASA's data, temperatures have consistently risen about 2 degree Fahrenheit over the last hundred years. 

He also stated that Arctic ice is up 45 percent in one year.  Again he has missed the real picture. Per the national snow and ice data center, Arctic sea ice extent in October 1979 was 9.5 million square km. In October 2014 it was 8.0 million square km. The arctic ice area has declined in a linear fashion at a rate of 5% per decade over that 35 year period. 

He also stated that 2014 had the coldest summer on record. Maybe in the USA, however taking a global view, the National Oceanic and Atmosphereic Administration begs to differ. Per their information the world is on course for this to be the hottest year ever, with global land and sea temperatures for September the highest ever recorded for the month. The year to date for 2014 is already tied with 1998 as the warmest such period since record keeping began in 1880. Combined land and sea average surface temperatures registered 0.68°C above the 20th century average of 14.1C.That ties with 1998 and 2010 as the warmest period on record.

All through history we have had deniers of what science has brought to our understanding. Such denial has held back progress and brought about misery and oppression over the ages.  With all the information now at our fingertips thanks to the Internet, there's no need to repeat history and fall into that trap again.