Posted on 07/11/2012 4:11:02 PM PDT by Kaslin
Wednesday's CBS This Morning hyped a "groundbreaking" new report from federal government scientists that claims "the first-ever statistical connection between extreme weather and man-made climate change." Correspondent Wyatt Andrews spotlighted how the study "found that man-made heat made the Texas drought roughly 20 times more likely."
Andrews also hinted a connection between climate change and a recent heat wave, even as he explained that "the biggest reason for the record heat is the transition...from the La Nina weather pattern...to this year's warmer pattern, El Nino."
Anchor Erica Hill introduced the correspondent's report by noting how "the first six months of 2012 were the hottest ever recorded. Well, this morning, much of the country is now facing a severe drought." Fill-in anchor Lee Cowan added that "it's leaving crops withered and farmers worried. Now, in a groundbreaking report, though, government scientists say that climate change explains at least some of the weather changes."
Andrews led the segment by highlighting the plight of Jeff Fisher, a farmer in Illinois whose crops are threatened due the recent heat. After outlining the La Nina/El Nino connection to the high temperatures, the CBS journalist turned to the results of the recent study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
ANDREWS: Scientists at NOAA have also announced the first scientific connection between extreme weather events, like last year's drought in Texas, and man-made climate change. A new study found that man-made heat made the Texas drought roughly 20 times more likely.
Moments later, the correspondent added that "every day in this record-setting heat takes more of Jeff Fisher's crop and his livelihood away."
Even as he tried to tie the Midwest drought to the climate change apparently pointed to in the government study, Andrews strangely concluded his report by stating that "NOAA scientists, meanwhile, are not saying that climate change causes any one specific drought, like the one in Illinois. They are saying the science is good enough now, they can lay odds on the connection."
The CBS correspondent also hyped the NOAA study during a report on Tuesday's CBS Evening News. Both times, Andrews omitted mentioning another recent study published in Nature that indicated a cooling trend during the past centuries.
The full transcript of the report from Wyatt Andrews on Wednesday's CBS This Morning, which aired 13 minutes into the 7 am Eastern hour:
ERICA HILL: We told you yesterday how the first six months of 2012 were the hottest ever recorded. Well, this morning, much of the country is now facing a severe drought.>LEE COWAN: It's leaving crops withered and farmers worried. Now, in a groundbreaking report, though, government scientists say that climate change explains at least some of the weather changes.
Wyatt Andrews has the story now from Washington. Good morning, Wyatt.
[CBS News Graphic: "Going To Extremes: Report: Global Warming Factor In Severe Weather"]
WYATT ANDREWS: Lee, good morning. Good morning, Erica. The official report on this is due out any day now. But already, 2012 is shaping up as a record year for heat. Government scientists have also made the first-ever statistical connection between extreme weather and man-made climate change.
ANDREWS: Jeff Fisher was expecting his corn crop to yield more than 150,000 bushels of corn this year. But he was also expecting more rain and a lot loss heat. Central Illinois, instead, is in a serious drought, and the state set more than 200 records for high temperatures just in June and July.
JEFF FISHER, FARMER: We've had temperatures in the 90s for as many days as I can remember.
ANDREWS: The biggest reason for the record heat is the transition in the Pacific from the La Nina weather pattern, which is typically cooler, to this year's warmer pattern, El Nino.
Tom Karl is the chief of the climate office at NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
TOM KARL, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: Now, this year, we have a growing El Nino, the warm phase, and we're already seeing all-time temperature records being broken for global temperatures. That's because the Pacific waters now are warming.
ANDREWS: Scientists at NOAA have also announced the first scientific connection between extreme weather events, like last year's drought in Texas, and man-made climate change. A new study found that man-made heat made the Texas drought roughly 20 times more likely.
KARL: There definitely is a connection between greenhouse gases and extreme weather. We're seeing very strong evidence to suggest that not all, but many of the extremes that we're seeing around the planet are being enhanced by greenhouse gases.
ANDREWS: And every day in this record-setting heat takes more of Jeff Fisher's crop and his livelihood away.
FISHER: It's stressful. It's stressful on myself and my family - my father and I. This is a family farm, and we've watched it go down and down and down.
ANDREWS: NOAA scientists, meanwhile, are not saying that climate change causes any one specific drought, like the one in Illinois. They are saying the science is good enough now, they can lay odds on the connection. Lee and Erica?
HILL: Wyatt Andrews, thank you.
Or it’s all those windmills in West Texas screwing up the climate in the rest of Texas.
You can’t extract megawatts of energy from the atmosphere and not expect SOME effect.
Anything to perpetuate the lie.
I’ll be waiting CBS’s retraction after the next blizzard.
That guy looks like Dan Rather. Seems to be as honest as Rather too.
Witch doctors.
Now that Congress can make us buy electric cars and solar panels, the Green nuts should be feeling better.....
The phenomenons known as La Nina, and El Nino have been abused by the Left as they abuse anything they wish to twist to their own purpose. I believe it was in the 1980’s the news media began using the terms to describe the long known cyclical weather patterns of S. California.
Both of these weather events have been known to the Peruvian people, and specifically the Peruvian fishermen for literally thousands of years as they based their expectations upon the arrival of either of the events.
There is description of the phenomenon in the book “Two Years Before The Mast” written about 150 years, or so ago as well.
IOW La Nina, and El Nino are simply Peruvian names of reference for two descriptions of weather events that are involved with varying temperatures of currents in the Pacific Ocean originating off the coast of South America.
I’m certain if anybody wants to do a search for either of these named events they will find more accurate detail than I’ve provided here from my old memory banks.
The Left is using these phenomenon to scare people into believing there is something terrible happening, and nasty old mankind is responsible.
BS
Trying to shore up the base before elections. What’s the over/under on the EPA putting in place another job killing regulation before November?
I have October 14th for 5 bucks.
.........and it just goes on.......
Classic case of confirmation bias.
Guess America’s never had any hot or cold weather before.
I always thought it’s supposed to be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. What do those idiots want?
You're displaying some knowledge of science, particularly physics and the behavior of energy in the universe, enthalpy and entropy.
Energy, like matter, can never be created or destroyed; they can only be transformed.
So yes, I have been pondering the very questions you ask when tens of thousands of monster windmills were being erected nationwide.
Since when is predicting the odds of the possibility of causality part of the scientific method?
Weather is not climate... unless it’s hot. Then it’s proof of global warming.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.