If media could be found legally liable for worsening the current economic crisis, mightn't they be similarly prosecuted for exaggerating anthropogenic global warming if it leads citizens, companies, and governments to waste money solving a problem that doesn't exist?
Consider if you will a January 2008 cover story by E magazine which predicted the end of winter as we know it.
Given the often record cold that has gripped the nation the last four weeks, "Losing Winter: As Climate Change Takes Hold, Our Coldest Season is the First Casualty" seems the perfect example of how dangerous -- and potentially costly -- the media's climate alarmism is:
Since 1970, average winter temperatures in New England have increased 4.4 degrees Fahrenheit. In the U.S., 2006 was the warmest year on record, and 1998 is number two. The last eight five-year periods were the warmest since we began taking national records 112 years ago. During the past 25 to 30 years, says the National Climatic Data Center, the warming trend has accelerated, from just over a tenth of one degree Fahrenheit per decade to almost a third of a degree.
What? The warmest years on record in the U.S. are 2006 and 1998? I guess this author missed corrections that were made by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in August 2007 -- with assistance from Steve McIntyre, of course! -- which now show the warmest year in American history to have been 1934, and that 2006 has been knocked down to fourth.
Alas, facts are unimportant to these folks:
By the end of the century, temperatures in the Northeastern states are likely to rise by eight to 12 degrees Fahrenheit (at which time snow-covered days will have been reduced to half of what we traditionally experience). A 2007 report from the Union of Concerned Scientists on the Northeast predicted that, under some higher-emission scenarios, “Only western Maine is projected to retain a reliable ski season by the end of the century, and only northern New Hampshire would support a snowmobiling season longer than two months.” Warmer weather and changing precipitation will result in a fundamental change to winter recreation and what the report called “the winter landscape.”
How would some of you like to see your temperatures eight to twelve degrees warmer than they are at this minute?
Those in need of a chuckle should read the entire piece...if you can stand it.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Magazines
January 3, 2009 - 15:12 ET by Jerry MackI did not know that this rag existed until now. I will ask my doctor to order it for his office.
Jerry
January 3, 2009 - 15:20 ET by Noel SheppardROFL. Thank you! :-) ns
Isn't it amazing that
January 3, 2009 - 15:28 ET by dboIsn't it amazing that "glaciers around the world are receding" and yet snow and ice are doing so well down here at sea level?
Snowy Las Vegas winters
January 3, 2009 - 15:31 ET by bpjamI'm rather enjoying the few days of snow I get each winter in Las Vegas so I say let's just keep doing whatever we are doing because it a pleasant change from the heat of the upcoming summer (which was hot far longer than there has been AGW).
I seriously like where you are going with this.
January 3, 2009 - 15:34 ET by JWFWe are the most litigious nation on earth. If a few lawsuits could stick it to a few in the MSM, maybe the rest would wise up and stop with the bias.
I like it but it makes me sad. It would put NB out of business and we would have to go searching around the dial to find out where Noel went.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTTw8S22tcc
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
I have an idea for their cover story for 2009...
January 3, 2009 - 15:38 ET by c5then"Found it!: Winter's triumphant return."
Failing that, maybe they should concider changing their name to:
Ehhh...Magazine.
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
Alan Keyes / Sarah Palin - 2012
I don't know about you
January 3, 2009 - 16:04 ET by BKeyserI don't know about you all-
I think the most egregious
January 3, 2009 - 16:11 ET by DaBirdI think the most egregious propaganda going right now is that WWF.org polar bear commercial that has been playing of late. They are still claiming that polar bear populations are dwindling and the polar ice caps melting away to oblivion. All with video of a polar bear mother and cub floating around on an ice berg. This commercial is out and out propaganda. My blood boils whenever I see it.
DaBird--da good news
January 3, 2009 - 16:20 ET by botgis that the best they have is a flat out bald faced lie
"There is nothing hidden that shall not be known"
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” -- Chief Justice John Roberts
No thanks, NS
January 3, 2009 - 16:29 ET by BlondeIt's just fine here....lovely in fact.
(Webcam from Ft. Lauderdale Beach).
JJ
January 3, 2009 - 16:34 ET by Noel SheppardJJ,
Wouldn't you know it? The first year this decade we DON'T go to Florida for the holidays and it's in the high-70s/low-80s the whole darned week!!! ns
And it's not blowing either, NS.
January 3, 2009 - 16:42 ET by BlondeUnlike last year....
It has been a beautiful week. Current temp is 76 degrees.
JJ
January 3, 2009 - 16:45 ET by Noel SheppardJJ,
Stop rubbing it in. If the market hadn't tanked in the 4th quarter, I'd be there right now watching football at my tiki bar! Of course, it would be the last day before we left, and I'd be starting to go through my famous end-of-vacation blues! :-) ns
→ Tiki Bar
January 3, 2009 - 17:03 ET by Cool ArrowDidn't he play for the Giants?
Seriously, though. Pampering the 401k last year netted me a gain of 15.3%. Not bad, considering Harvard lost $8 billion of their $45 billion endowment.
I missed out on a 2% rise these last 2 trading days, and felt a bit paralyzed as I decided to stay on the sidelines until Monday.
What we saw this past week was a rare sustained rise on Wall Street. I'm starting to wonder if we're in for a pretty good trend for a few weeks.
CA
January 3, 2009 - 18:15 ET by Noel SheppardCA,
I saw James Cramer say many weeks ago that those who didn't lose money in this crash shouldn't brag about it. It's bad form given the amount of worth obliterated this year.
I think he's got a great point. ns
→ That's odd
January 3, 2009 - 20:59 ET by Cool ArrowI thought Cramer makes his living claiming to know what he's talking about.
Doesn't he have newsletters and all sorts of advice floating around?
He certainly doesn't make any bones calling out what he considers bad plays.
I watch him from time to time, even learn a thing or two from him. But modest? He's not.
My hubby and I lost a major
January 4, 2009 - 09:57 ET by thebutlerdiditMy hubby and I lost a major butt-load, close to 7 figures, but we are trying not to cry about it, so if people want to boast they didn't, I guess that's their right. I may tear up on them, though.
No worries, NS.
January 3, 2009 - 18:11 ET by BlondeThat cross country flight is a beast!
So kick back and relax...no blues for you!
:)
Speaking of Web Cams,
January 3, 2009 - 20:57 ET by ThisnThatSpeaking of Web Cams, here's the frozen New England tundra (Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire) that is not experiencing Global Warming at the current time (here's a different view).
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
Of course they should be held responsible.
January 3, 2009 - 16:52 ET by pbthinkerWhen we had a Republican Congress, these people could lie all they wanted and it wouldn't have made much difference, since we could depend on Republicans on committees to bring in both views and not allow either side to be harangued. Not so with the bunch in charge now. The Democrats are dispicable and are going to use false stories, such as this, to promote their agenda to tax energy to the hilt.
These people should be forced, through the courts if necessary, to inform people of the truth about temperatures, that McIntyre and others have forced the faux scientists supporting the AGW agenda, to admit to.
Al Gore, IMHO, is not different than Bernie Madoff, in that he is using lies and deceipt to con people into investing in his illegitimate schemes. If one MSM organization would take the time to look into the global warming fallacy, this would all start to end rather quickly. Instead, the same sychophant media, just repeats what the DNC and the alarmist science community, puts out, without regard to the truth. In most cases, the truth really isn't that difficult to discern.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
Well, not so good here
January 3, 2009 - 18:02 ET by 10ksnookerWe have relatives in NH and they are done with winter already, but winter does not appear done with them. They all say it is terrible and getting worse by the day.
Look at it this way, if the current solar trends continue, it will soon be so cold, the snow piled so high, the glaciers growing so fast, the sea ice so thick, that everyone but Al Gore will know he is an idiot. Even the polar bears will begin to migrate south.
There is no sign that the sun is going to magically leap from it's stupor in the near future, none whatsoever. The warming since the end of the little ice age is being retraced by cold. It's natures way.
And then we can worry about the coming food shortages that is bound to result from reduced growing seasons. The vegetables are already really bad this year. Next year ...
This is good news for you BT
January 3, 2009 - 18:07 ET by cocodrieThat white stuff on the ground ain't snow. You can break out your short pants.
The Turnaround Is Starting
January 3, 2009 - 20:58 ET by rammingspeedPeople are catching more and more. The big deal world Global Warming festival in Europe a couple months ago was crashed by 600 truth telling scientists who protested against the party goers - saying mean stuff like man made global warming is bull****. The festival went down the toilet, and even though the MSM kept quiet, people noticed.
It's crunch time, whereby the government will now try to do things based on Global Warming nonsense that will cost people money, whether in tax dollars or ways of diminishing discretionary income.
You do that, and people wake up real quick. Even the Huffington Post had an anti-Al Gore and Global Warming article.
I hate when winter disappears like this
January 3, 2009 - 23:53 ET by PopularTech2008 - 'Snowfall' shocks Kenyan village (BBC, September 3, 2008)
2008 - Global Warming’s Kaput; 2008 Coolest in 5 Years (NewsMax, September 8, 2008)
2008 - Old Farmers Almanac: Global cooling may be underway (USA Today, September 9, 2008)
2008 - NAS reports: 50 million year cooling trend (The Christian Science Monitor, September 25, 2008)
2008 - Global cooling sign: Solar winds at 50-year-low (Financial Post, Canada, September 28, 2008)
2008 - Ireland: Coldest September for 14 years (The Press Association, October 1, 2008)
2008 - Boise gets earliest snow on record (The Idaho Statesman, October 11, 2008)
2008 - Thirty years of warmer temperatures go poof (National Post, Canada, October 20, 2008)
2008 - Chill in the air: record low temps in 10 states (Anthony Watts, Meteorologist, October 26, 2008)
2008 - London has first October snow in over 70 years (The Guardian, UK, October 29, 2008)
2008 - Tibet's 'worst snowstorm ever', 7 killed (Xinhua, October 30, 2008)
2008 - South Florida cold spell breaks records (Sun Sentinel, October 30, 2008)
2008 - NOAA: U.S. breaks or ties 115 cold and sets 63 new snowfall records (Anthony Watts, Meteorologist, October 30, 2008)
2008 - Global Cooling is Here (Global Research, November 2, 2008)
2008 - Alarmists Still Heated Even As World Cools (Investors Business Daily, November 04, 2008)
2008 - Third building collapses under weight of snow (Ottawa Citizen, November 10, 2008)
2008 - Bitter cold shatters record (The Charlotte Observer, November 19, 2008)
2008 - New satellite indicates cycle of global cooling (The Spokesman-Review. November 20, 2008)
2008 - UK brought to standstill as five inches of snow falls (The Daily Telegraph, UK, November 25, 2008)
2008 - Early Snowfalls In Europe Hit 'Historic Levels' (Ski Report Europe, December 3, 2008)
2008 - Rare 50 year Arctic Blast Sets Sights On Southern California (Ontario Weather Service, December 8, 2008)
2008 - Oscillation Rules as the Pacific Cools (NASA, December 9, 2008)
2008 - Houston ties earliest snowfall record (Houston Chronicle, December 10, 2008)
2008 - Rare snow falls in south Louisiana, Miss., Alabama (Associated Press, December 11, 2008)
2008 - Worst ice storm in decade hits New England (Nashua Telegraph, December 12, 2008)
2008 - Cold weather sets records in several cities (Great Falls Tribune, December 14, 2008)
2008 - Denver sets record for cold temp today (The Denver Post, December 14, 2008)
2008 - Record low temperature set this morningin Seattle (The Seattle Times, December 15, 2008)
2008 - Northeast Siberia braces for extreme cold of -60C (RIA Novosti ,December 15, 2008)
2008 - Record cold chills out Colorado (The Gazette, December 15, 2008)
2008 - Record cold grips southern Alberta (The Lethbridge Herald, Canada, December 15, 2008)
2008 - Record snow hits Nanaimo in British Columbia, Canada (Nanaimo Daily News, Canada, December 15, 2008)
2008 - 2008 will be coolest year since 1997: WMO (Reuters, December 16, 2008)
2008 - St. Cloud, Minnesota sees record cold temp (Post-Bulletin, December 17, 2008)
2008 - The Cause of Cold Weather Is Global Warming? (FOX News, December 18, 2008)
2008 - Global cooling is here (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 18, 2008)
2008 - Record snow fall paralyzing Spokane (The Seattle Times, December 18, 2008)
2008 - Frigid Storm Closes California Freeways, Drops Snow in Malibu (FOX News, December 18, 2008)
2008 - Las Vegas gets heaviest snow fall in 30 years (The Daily Telegraph, UK, December 18, 2008)
2008 - Carports collapse under heavy snow (Las Vegas Sun, December 18, 2008)
2008 - Bihar cold wave death toll rises to 24 (The Bihar Times, India, December 19, 2008)
2008 - The Alps have best snow conditions 'in a generation' (The Daily Telegraph, UK, December 19, 2008)
2008 - Global cooling brings early white Christmas (Ventura County Star, December 20, 2008)
2008 - Albany Breaks 1887 Snow Record (North County Gazette, December 21, 2008)
2008 - The Spotless Sun Continues as Global Cooling Arrives (Joseph D’Aleo, M.S. Meteorology, CCM, AMS Fellow, December 21, 2008)
2008 - Beijing's coldest December day in 57 years (Danwei, Hong Kong, December 22, 2008)
2008 - 40-Year Record Snow Buries Portland Area (The Oregonian, December 22, 2008)
2008 - Heavy snow causes a roof to collapse in Portland (The Oregonian, December 22, 2008)
2008 - Heavy Snow collapses manufacturing building roof - Seattle (MSNBC, December 22, 2008)
2008 - Record amount of snow on the ground in Calgary (Financial Post, Canada, December 22, 2008)
2008 - Snow causes roof collapse at Calgary Soccer Centre (Calgary Herald, Canada, December 22, 2008)
2008 - Cold weather kills 10 in Maryland since October (The Baltimore Examiner, December 23, 2008)
2008 - It's Cold Outside, But Global Warming Industry Still Hard At Work (Human Events. December 23, 2008)
2008 - An inconvenient truth: The Earth is cooling (The Baltimore Examiner, December 23, 2008)
2008 - Snow, again? Vegas sets another record this morning (Las Vegas Sun, December 23, 2008)
2008 - Deep freeze, heavy snows blast US; holiday travel snarled (AFP, December 23, 2008)
2008 - Record snow buries Beaver Creek, Colorado (Vail Daily, December 24, 2008)
2008 - Half of the USA is covered in snow (Anthony Watts, Meteorologist, December 25, 2008)
2008 - San Juan County, New Mexico experiences rare white Christmas (The Daily Times, December 25, 2008)
2008 - Canadians get first national white Christmas in nearly four decades (The Canadian Press, December 25, 2008)
2008 - For the first time in years, western part of Lake Superior freezes over (Pierce County Herald, Wisconsin, December 26, 2008)
2008 - Green Bay snowfall breaks 1887 record for December (Green Bay Press-Gazette, December 26, 2008)
2008 - Heavy snow causes roof collapse at Olympia high school (The Seattle Times, December 26, 2008)
2008 - Snowfall immobilizes rural communities in eastern, central Turkey (Todays Zaman, December 26, 2008)
2008 - Spokane sets snow record, tops 45 inches (Yakima Herald-Republic, December 26, 2008)
2008 - Two Flagstaff strip malls closed after roofs collapse due to heavy snow (The Arizona Daily Sun, December 26, 2008)
2008 - Cold creates record energy demand (Great Falls Tribune, December 27, 2008)
2008 - Thousands trapped in -15 degree snowstorm in Sikkim, India (The Times of India, December 27, 2008)
2008 - First White Christmas for Billings in Years (MSNBC, December 27, 2008)
2008 - White Christmas in Hawaii (Big Island Video News, December 27, 2008)
2008 - Olympia Horse-arena roofs collapse under snow (The Seattle Times, December 28, 2008)
2008 - Record-breaking cold descends on Switzerland (Swissinfo, Switzerland, December 28, 2008)
2008 - Ice age on its way (The Arizona Republic, December 28, 2008)
2008 - It's official: Snowfall record for single month tumbles (Wisconsin State Journal, December 29, 2008)
2008 - Snowfall breaks Fargo record for December (West Fargo Pioneer, December 30, 2008)
2008 - Record December snow at Grand Forks (Associated Press, December 30, 2008)
2008 - Spokane digs out from record-breaking snow (Associated Press, December 30, 2008)
2008 - Spokane roofs collapse under record snow (The News Tribune, December 31, 2008)
2008 - December's 48 inches of snow in Fox Valley Wisconsin buries previous record set in 1968 (Appleton Post-Crescent, December 31, 2008)
2008 - 1958 Parry Sound Canada snow record broken (Parry Sound North Star, December 31, 2008)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is Not Pollution
→ Facts, facts, facts
January 3, 2009 - 23:57 ET by Cool ArrowWhere's a good old anecdote when you need one?
Why, It was 76 here in West Texas today. So I'm pretty sure that proves Global Warming.
I am jealous! Thanks for
January 4, 2009 - 10:01 ET by thebutlerdiditI am jealous! Thanks for the live shots, This n That, and Blonde. I wish we had one or the other, it's 55 at my house, and blah. I guess I can be glad we aren't freezing our butts off, but man is winter boring in Atlanta.
Interesting how they cherry
January 4, 2009 - 11:51 ET by danboInteresting how they cherry picked (sorry randomly selected) 1970 to start. Which even with NOAA highly massaged data. From 1970-2008 the northeast showed a trend increase of 0.9degF/decade. Of course they ignored 1950-1970 which showed a drop of -2.81degF/decade. And an increase of a mier 0.16/decade from 1950-2008. And since 1895 the trend is .18. However the increase from 1895-1950 was .33degF/decade. Far faster than the last half of the centry. Who's SUV caused that?
As I said this is with NOAA's massaged data. The so called warm year of 2008 wasn't as warm as number of years in the 1st half of the 20th centry.
Seems a number of factors could account for this small increase, other than AGW. As land usage. Station siting. Changes in instruments.
But then we have an agenda. So lets spin.
Limited Disclosure: I used to belong to the Sierra Club untill they went crazier. Worse of all, I was bribed by Exxon with free New Orleans Saints glasses with fill ups in the 70's.