Follow on Twitter
Email A Friend
Barry Walker (Letters, 10 Feb) seems convinced recent news reports of cold temperatures destroys Mr Gore’s “ Myth of Global Warming”.
In fact he will need to find far more evidence than one or two events to disprove a well established long-term trend. Unfortunately for us all, anthropogenic global warming has been proved to the satisfaction of more than 98% of the thousands of scientists around the world in climate-related research - not by Mr Gore, the whistle blower. Hardly a myth, and his opinion of Mr Gore’s role in the political debate is irrelevant to the science. (Please also note, Wayne Jessop - Letters, 10 Feb.)
Mr Walker’s letter does, however, raise a good point regarding the current big freeze in Europe and Alaska. This effect was actually predicted in advance, due - paradoxically - to the greatly reduced Arctic sea ice cover in recent years.
In essence, this has allowed the release of heat stored in the ocean during winter which has then had a major effect on the weather patterns to the south. As a result, the cold Arctic air has been carried much further south than normal (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02), allowing much warmer air to invade Siberia and much of Canada and the US. Far from destroying the “Myth”, this is yet another example of climate change linked to global warming over the past century.
Peter Otway, Pahoia.
Posted on 22-02-2012 14:23 | By algail
Global warming is it a theory or a myth. Yes it happens. In the middle ages the earth’s temps were 5 degrees higher than they are currently yet we survived. During the various violent ages of planet earth the atmosphere was exposed to billions of tons of almost every known gas that science can detect, the planet and its inhabitants survived as we will again survive. One wonders at the outcry against the car and other internal combustion engines yet one never hears a word about the gases poured out by the exhaling human population of earth. The moisture each person exhales each year is a warming by product of the human existence, animals too of course. Each human and there are billions of us exhale annually enough moisture to fill 500 buckets now that is an enormous warming agent. Then we exhale tons of Co2 per year and then there is the other end producing more noisome gasses. Many of the larger swamps around the planet release more Co2 every hour than all the cars since the first model T rolled of the line have ever released so should we concrete over all the swamps. Yes there is climate change but please remember as recently as the 70s scientists were worried about a combing ice age. Things change and they will continue to change. Planet earth is a living organism and it will continue to change till its death when the expanding sun engulfs it, now that’s real global warming. I understand what is happening up in the northern hemisphere by what the hell is causing me to be wearing the same clothes I wear in winter in what is normally the hottest month of the year. Alastair Bethlehem