Global cooling, the '70s, fashion trends.
If Wikipedia can be believed, here are a few facts about Global Cooling Dr. Bunson Honeydew is selectively omitting:
Concern peaked in the early 1970s, partly because of the cooling trend then apparent (a cooling period began in 1945, and two decades of a cooling trend suggested a trough had been reached after several decades of warming), and partly because much less was then known about world climate and causes of ice ages. Although there was a cooling trend then, it should be realised that climate scientists were perfectly well aware that predictions based on this trend were not possible - because the trend was poorly studied and not understood...However in the popular press the possibility of cooling was reported generally without the caveats present in the scientific reports.
The term "global cooling" did not become attached to concerns about an impending glacial period until after the term "global warming" was popularized. In the 1970s the compilation of records to produce hemispheric, or global, temperature records had just begun.
While neither scientists nor the public could be sure in the 1970s whether the world was warming or cooling, people were increasingly inclined to believe that global climate was on the move, and in no small way.
In 1972 [Caesare] Emiliani warned "Man's activity may either precipitate this new ice age or lead to substantial or even total melting of the ice caps"Mallard's entitled to his own set of opinions, but not his own set of facts.
7 comments:
Short bald guy's eyes are open!
And I want to bludgeon that smug look off his cartoon face.
Is he wearing bell bottoms? (They look more like girls' flared jeans of today, too small to trip over.)
That's a politician, not a scientist! I doubt Bruce has ever met a real one (and they exist anti-manmade-climate-change). That's cause they have better things to do (like actual research) than talk to politically charged forums like Townhall.
My mini-rant:
Both sides have done a massive disservice to the debate in general. One by allowing media sensation to take over and falsely present data because they don't trust the viewer to be convinced unless it's shown as 100% conclusive thus leaving themselves open for the "you lied about this so you lied about everything argument". And one by nitpicking bits to wave around as 'proof' from dissenting scientists (and most think it's massively stupid even when pointing out evidence contrary to manmade-CO2-induced-GW to conduct a planet-wide experiment in allowing things to continue as is, or they feel it is wrong to focus solely on the CO2 aspect of it and screw ourselves over by forgetting to work on other aspects of enviromental conservation).
I remember the 70's. There was almost no hysteria regarding Global cooling. That's just the new arguement being presented by the same people who DID say there was Global Cooling back in the 70's. The debunkers are the debunkees.
Speaking as a meteorologist (or as Mallard might call it a "close minded scientist") I can't even begin to describe whats wrong with this strip, and, essentially, the entire week. By saying there is no such thing as global warming, he is basically arguing with thermometors. And yes, the temperature did drop in the middle of the last century, but as has already been mentioned the "uproar" over this was unfounded. I wouldn't be surprised if the rate of climate change is reduced naturally sometime during this century as well. Thats just how the Earth operates, cyclically like that. However, since then we have made great advances in the manner in which we investigate past climates, especially via ice cores, and the overall trend, essentially since the dawning of the Industrial Revolution is exponential temperature increase, globally. Whether or not you want to believe its caused by human action or not, I'm completely indifferent, but in my opinion, the coincidence is compelling enough to be researched further.
In any case, Mallard is an idiot.
How come a meteorologist can't even spell thermometer? Maybe you should hold off on calling someone else an idiot? If you're an example of a scientist, maybe MF's got something after all.
Oh, shoot. I can't spell! I should send my degree back right now!
Why does an anon start a query with "how come"?
Post a Comment