NOAA: Warmest June Ever! Caveat: We Made It Up (Corrected)
There are at least four hurdles that need to be met to support the ‘science’ of global warming, and recommend a response:
1. Evidence of synoptic (global-scale) temperature trends upward over time. Data is mixed on this, but show a slight increase, averaged worldwide over the last 100 years or so, since records have been kept. Scientists disagree on the nature and weight of this evidence (see the “Oregon Petition”). Apparently, the GW believers have some doubts as well, hence the change in terms in 2008 from “global warming” to “global climate change”.
2. Evidence that the trend is not part of a cyclic event, i.e. that taken over a longer span of time, temps will continue to rise — not slow — and then begin to decrease. Given our climate data, we cannot know this; we have to extrapolate from tree ring, glacier ice studies, etc.
3. Evidence that human activity is the proximate cause of the increase. Again, this is an unknowable; the closest science can come is correlational data, which does not exactly establish cause and effect.
4. Evidence that civilization can reduce or halt warming at the global scale. See Item 3.
When GW’s most ardent supporters (Al Gore, John Edwards, etc.) have multiple 8000+ sq. ft. homes and daily fly on their private jets, one has to wonder how firm their faith is in what they preach. And when you toss the East Anglia emails into the discussion, an honest searcher of truth can be forgiven for remaining somewhat agnostic.
