A Cooling Trend Toward Global Warming

tna ^ | 03.31.09 | Ed Hiserodt

[Coleus]

Over the past several years, it appeared that our society was doomed to succumb to what Weather Channel founder John Coleman has described as "the greatest scam in history": anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming (AGW). For two decades there has been an incessant drumbeat of propaganda attributing every weather-related event to an increase in carbon dioxide caused by the burning of fossil fuels. With the election of a president who is solidly in the global-warming-alarmist camp — and with many high-level appointees who are bona fide climate-change alarmists — coupled with a Democratic legislature anxious to please their environmentalist and media benefactors, the passage of legislation causing some form of economy-crippling energy taxation seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

But then came the unexpected: a recession brought on and exacerbated by the heavy hand of government, and a second consecutive severe winter. Indeed, we may look back and see that our current financial crisis and Mother Nature were the saviors of free-market capitalism. They may have slowed the statist steamroller long enough for the proponents of climate realism to make such socialistic schemes as "cap and trade" understood for what they are and what they are not. They are not about anything to do with global warming or climate change. They are instead a massive transfer of wealth from the productive to those who will not adopt free markets. While the primary promoters of the warming hoax have not "broken and run" yet, there is much evidence that there is an increasing tide of defectors and that climate catastrophists have completely run out of dry powder.

Temperatures Stopped Increasing

Satellite data from NASA shows no increase in average global temperature since 1998, a year when El Niño caused a worldwide spike having nothing to do with carbon dioxide. Alarmists contend this is just a pause in a continuous rise in temperatures and that it will begin to increase again. Ironically that is the same argument that the warming skeptics have been using for years. There was warming for the first 40 years of the 20th century — until the very time CO₂ began to climb significantly — and then came cooling, which sparked concerns in the '70s about a looming Ice Age. Then rising temperatures resumed until 1998 and now we're back on a cooling trend. This fits well with a general planetary warm up, but is in conflict with climate forcing by CO₂ that calls for a continuous upward temperature movement.

Unfortunately for the alarmists, nothing seems sacred these days. It has long been known that the disintegration of the Soviet Union ended temperature data from large parts of that country, especially Siberia. Without massive re-calculations to exclude temperature readings from these stations during the Soviet era, a significant increase in global temperatures would be seen from the absence of this data during the post-Soviet period. From available literature there is no indication that any meteorological body went to such trouble. But what about the weather data from the United States — the "best in the world"?

In his presentation at the International 2009 Conference on Climate Change, 25-year veteran meteorologist Anthony Watts showed alarming data for the global-warming alarmists. But first we should note that the global temperature rise that we are supposed to be concerned over was less than 1°C for the entire 20th century, meaning minor errors in measurements can contribute significantly to an apparent warming trend. Watts was certainly aware of the "urban island" effect that causes cities like Tucson to have temperature increases three times those of surrounding rural measurement stations. But how have reporting stations, "urbanized" by a spreading population, been affected? With 650 volunteers, more than 860 of the National Weather Service's 1,221 climate-monitoring stations were inspected and photographically documented. Of these, 89 percent did not meet the Weather Service's own requirement of being 30 meters away from artificial heating or reflecting sources such as pavements or building.

Public Opinion Is Shifting

According to a January Rasmussen poll, 44 percent of U.S. voters now say "long-term planetary trends are the cause of global warming — up from 35 percent two years ago, while only 41 percent blame it on human activity, down from 47 percent. The remainder either attribute global warming to some other reason or are unsure. This means that only about 4 in 10 of the polled "expected voters" are still falling for the "greatest scam." For the alarmists to pass their "cap and trade" or "carbon tax" legislation — the purpose of all this turmoil — they must do so before the awakened voters reach the 70-percent level, at which point some political analysts believe that even many liberal Democrats will abandon a sinking ship.

When people are more informed on the issue, the tide swings dramatically away from the alarmist position. In the Czech Republic where President Vaclav Klaus, a speaker at the climate-change conference and current president of the European Union, is educating his countrymen on the climate debate, a mere 11 percent believe in anthropogenic global warming. The more informed people are, the less likely they are to be in the alarmist camp.  This was evidenced by a 2007 Oxford-style debate in New York sponsored by National Public Radio, a more difficult venue being hard to imagine for warming skeptics, or "deniers" as they were popularly referred to. The issue under debate was "Global Warming Is Not a Crisis." Prior to the debate about 30 percent of the audience agreed with the motion, and 57 percent were against, with 13 percent undecided. After the debate 46 percent agreed, while 42 percent were opposed with 12 percent apparently still unsure, a swing of 19 percent of those with an opinion toward the climate-realist position.

More and more scientists are also publicly coming out against the anthropogenic global-warming hypothesis. On March 21, 59 additional scientists from NASA, the EPA, the Navy, the Air Force, the Defense and Energy Departments, and major universities joined the previous 650 who disagree with this hypothesis, according to Senator James Inhofe, ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Goodbye CO₂, Here Comes the Sun

Because of undeniable properties of the spectral properties of atmospheric gases and the wavelengths of solar radiation and terrestrial re-radiation, all climate predictive models have a "hot spot" in the atmosphere at a height of 8 to 10 kilometers above the equatorial regions. Sought after for years as proof of CO₂-induced warming, thousands of radiosonde (balloon) and satellite measurements have failed to find this critical signature or "fingerprint" of CO₂ as a climate-forcing agent. Lack of such evidence caused the defection of Dr. David Evans from his post with the Australian Greenhouse Office. But there is other evidence of this disconnect presented by none other than Al Gore in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Featured in the video is a large graph with two lines of data, one being temperature as calculated by the thoroughly discredited and phony "Hockey Stick" graph, while another plots the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The data are separated for a reason: if you put them together, it is evident that a rise in temperature precedes the increase in CO₂, as if the oceans give up the gas when they are heated. Which they do.

On the other hand, the controversy has brought to light a correlation that seems to have been lost in history: temperature change versus solar activity, not only solar irradiance that can account for only a small change in temperature, but activity that includes solar winds and magnetic fields.  Let us take two end points: first the coldest temperatures of which we have a historical record, the depth of the Little Ice Age from about 1645 to 1715, and the second being today's global temperatures. Next to this we plot the lowest sunspot activity, a period known as the Maunder Minimum where there were no sunspots for five decades, and then the solar activity that occurred at the end of the 1900s, estimated to be the highest in the last 11,000 years.

It is interesting that the lowest temperature is associated with the Maunder Minimum while the highest is found in the late 1900s temperatures. Unfortunately while this may bring thinking people to discount the warming hoax, there is a possible downside for the human race. In the last two years there have been almost no new sunspots while scores, if not hundreds, were expected in a new solar cycle. Not wanting to sound like an alarmist, nonetheless, this condition bodes ill for a continued warming trend and is likely the precursor of significant cooling — the real problem for the human race.   One can imagine a scene 10 years hence when government has shut down coal-fired power plants while global temperatures are plunging toward those last seen in the mid 1800s.

Alarmist Leaders Avoid Questions

The two most vocal and quoted leaders in the campaign to convince the public that global warming is both caused by human activity and is a threat to mankind are former Vice President Al Gore and NASA employee James Hansen. Both were invited to speak at the March 8-10 Conference on Climate Change. Neither accepted.  In his closing address to the conference, producer of the informative DVD Apocalypse, NO!, Lord Christopher Monckton remarked: "Gore's speaking contract stipulates that he will not debate, he will not answer unscripted questions, and he will not be interviewed except by journalists acceptable to him. Which journalists are they? The dim ones that don't know any science, and the prejudiced ones that don't care. Just about all of them."

Gore appeared before the U.S. Senate a few weeks ago in a "public" hearing, except the public was not invited. The former V.P. showed "science slides" to the senators. Would you like to know what they were about? Me too. Sorry, but they are secret, and the Senate is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. Fancy that.   Meanwhile Chief Alarmist James Hansen wasn't too busy to lend a hand at a March 2 demonstration, self-proclaimed as "Mass Civil Disobedience at the Coal-Fired Capitol Power Plant in Washington D.C." The nation anxiously awaited Capitol Climate Action's report proclaiming: "Courageous activists have now occupied three of five gates at the Capitol Power Plant. The march of thousands is continuing to circle the plant." The report didn't mention that the plant no longer generates electricity and is already slated to be changed over to natural gas.

At this point the entire cabal of global-warming alarmists must realize that all it would take is a single mainstream news organization to opt for truth, and their entire house of cards would come tumbling down. Through public pressure on our legislators and through letters to the editor, we can hasten this glorious day. 

---

Climate Realists Gather

The 2009 International Conference on Climate Change was held in New York City on March 8-10. Over 800 people from 40 countries attended lectures chosen from a smorgasbord of 80 topics in paleoclimatology, climatology, climate-change impacts, and economics & politics. Featured keynote speakers included European Union President Vaclav Klaus, MIT Professor Richard Lindzen, Hon. John H. Sununu, Willie Soon, Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, Arthur Robinson, Jay Lehr, NASA retiree John Theon (former boss of James Hansen), Lord Christopher Monckton, and Joe Bast, president of the sponsoring organization, the Heartland Institute.

[Uncle Hal]

Unfortunately the liberals in power have not got the message that global warming is a hoax. I agree it is the greatest scam of our generation but nobody in power wants to hear a dissenting view.

[Talisker]

Unfortunately the liberals in power have not got the message that global warming is a hoax.

I beg to differ - who do you think is perpetuating the hoax?

[phs3]

Ping

[lmarie373]

sadly my brother believes this stuff he was screaming at me ‘cause I was telling him it is a sham :(

its too late for him he is long gone

http://www.stopthebagtax.com/
SOME CALIFORNIA POLITICIANS ARE LOOKING TO RAISE YOUR TAXES IF THEY DON’T HEAR FROM YOU SOON.

[joejm65]

‘Unfortunately the liberals in power have not got the message that global warming is a hoax. ‘

Oh, I disagree. The libs know it’s a hoax. They helped invent the hoax. Their interest in global warming has nothing to do with the weather. They want the higher taxes and the massive redistribution of income. Robbing from the ‘rich’ for the sake of the ‘poor’ is every liberal’s wet dream.

[Robert A Cook PE]

A remarkably clear, clean discussion.

Not printed in the MSM of course, not written by the MSM of course, but a remarkably good summary.

See also
www.wattsupwiththat.com
www.icecap.us

[HereInTheHeartland]

“Weather Service’s own requirement of being 30 meters away from artificial heating or reflecting sources such as pavements or building.”

I would be shocked if even temperatures 30 meters from a brick building or asphalt parking lot; didn’t show at least 1 degree warmer than something measured much further away.

[Clint Williams]

Unfortunately the liberals in power have not got the message that global warming is a hoax. I agree it is the greatest scam of our generation but nobody in power wants to hear a dissenting view.

Congress is way out of control. They've long been passing legislation over matters that few if any of them are even able to comprehend, much less analyze, but because they successfully sell their "solutions" to a gullible and ignorant public (the kinds of folks who learned how to put a condom on a banana but who cannot tell you what's in the Bill of Rights), they remain in power.

America -- a great idea, didn't last.

[steelyourfaith]

Thanx !

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[D-fendr]

Truth is a powerful ally.

[IrishCatholic]

Bookmark for informing-on-you-later to the Commissar.
Nice post though.

[The Great RJ]

Sadly the global warming hoax will give us the largest tax increase in history if the carbon cap and trade bill is enacted. Perhaps Americans will realize how they have been hoodwinked when they are taxed every time they switch on a light and throw the bums out of Congress and the White house.

[Tirian]

bump for later reading

[eyedigress]

When I was doing some MetNav duties for the AF the temp and humidity “boxes” had very strict guidelines. Ever since they went digital those guidlines were scrapped. Big mistake.

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[Nailbiter]

ping

[xcamel]

FReepmail me to get on or off

Ping me if you find one I've missed.

---

[patriciaruth]

Just started reading The Chilling Stars by Henrik Svensmark, with a theory (backed up by geological and experimental evidence to support it) that our sun weakens in solar output from time to time, but most importantly in its magnetic field.

The sun’s magnetic field helps protect Earth from cosmic rays, which are charged particles that have blown off of very distant supernovae and rain down on Earth continually, more so when we are traveling through the spiral arms of the galaxy and are in the plane of the galaxy.

Without the protection of the sun’s magnetic fields there are more impacts of cosmic ray particles with atoms in our atmosphere, giving rise to different elements. Nitrogen (80% of our current atmosphere) is changed to carbon 14 for example.

These newly created charged ions in the atmosphere become nidus (pl. nidi) around which water droplets in the air form, giving rise to low lying clouds that reflect the sun’s heat back into space and give rise to more precipitation, which can be snow and thus give rise to growth of glaciers and the albedo effect of widespread snow reflecting heat back into space. And these clouds are perhaps more electrically charged than usual.

Thus, low sunspot counts reflect a solar state with lower solar output and less solar magnetic field to protect the Earth from cosmic rays, which make greater cloud cover and cool the Earth.

Also read some books like The Little Ice Age (from about 1315AD to 1750AD) which recounted no cause for a global drop in temperature lasting over 400 years, sometimes worse, sometimes improve. Now even with global warming in the the 1900’s we have not yet achieved the global temperatures during the Medieval Warm Period, from before 1000AD to the early 1300’s, when the Earth was 1-2 degrees warmer than it is now. During the maximum cooling, called the Maunder minimum, there was recorded great reductions sun spots. So that may have been a major factor, along with increased volcanic activity like Tobora.

During the Little Ice Age, especially in the first couple hundred years before people adjusted, especially farming habits, to cope with the increased rain or snow, there were widespread famines and plagues that killed off many people. The excess Spring rains kept the fields too muddy to plant their traditional cereal and fodder crops and the late summer rains beat down the heavy headed cereal crops and so the grain often rotted in the mud.

This last month we had intermittently low cloud cover where I live, and today we had a thunderstorm the likes of which I’ve never seen before. The clouds were low and covered only part of the sky, and seemed dark, but then seemed brown and then with the onset of lightning seemed rusty, an orange brown. All this might have been due to it being around sunset, but the lightning was weird, too. It did not go from ground to the cloud, as is usual, but discharged within clouds and horizontally from cloud to cloud. The high wind and the bit of rain that came with this scattered storm is unusual for us here at this time of year.

Was this an omen of more to come?

[SunkenCiv]

Over the past several years, it appeared that our society was doomed to succumb to what Weather Channel founder John Coleman has described as "the greatest scam in history": anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming (AGW)... the passage of legislation causing some form of economy-crippling energy taxation seemed to be a foregone conclusion. But then came the unexpected: a recession brought on and exacerbated by the heavy hand of government, and a second consecutive severe winter. Indeed, we may look back and see that our current financial crisis and Mother Nature were the saviors of free-market capitalism. They may have slowed the statist steamroller long enough for the proponents of climate realism to make such socialistic schemes as "cap and trade" understood for what they are and what they are not. They are not about anything to do with global warming or climate change. They are instead a massive transfer of wealth from the productive to those who will not adopt free markets. While the primary promoters of the warming hoax have not "broken and run" yet, there is much evidence that there is an increasing tide of defectors and that climate catastrophists have completely run out of dry powder.

Thanks Coleus and neverdem.

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