Unfortunately, this is a topic that is filled with much misinformation. Most people ask the wrong questions and the activists appear to be incapable of objectively looking at the numbers and instead consider the worst case scenario to be the most likely scenario. Is the climate warming? Of course it is, we are in an interglacial period and the climate has been warming for the last 12,000 years, and will continue to warm until we enter the next ice age. Is there an anthropogenic component to the warming? Of course there is because we know that there is a radiative transfer response to increases in CO2. How much of the current warming is anthropogenic? Perhaps 0.5C? We don't know for sure. Are we looking at catastrophic outcomes in the future? Probably not, but we don't really know. The dire predictions are based on climate models which, in my opinion, are still a research tool and have not been all that accurate with retrospective integrations. In addition, I believe there is a tendency to focus on the most extreme possibilities instead of the most likely possibility. Should we try to decrease CO2 emissions? Probably but in reality our best solutions will be adaptation as CO2 emissions are only going to go up for the next several decades. Regardless of the level of the anthropogenic warming, we will continue to warm because we are in an interglacial period. Should you try to decrease your carbon footprint? Sure, if it makes you happy but don't think that your individual actions will have an impact.
Full disclosure: undergraduate and graduate degrees in meteorology, retired research meteorologist and developer of atmospheric models for NASA and the National Weather Service.
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Originally Posted by Ski Bum
Just read the chart. It says, "with respect to the 1991-2020 base period." That's just 30 years of data. Not too hard to be one of the 10 warmest years in 30. It's junk, not science. Climate change is, of course, real. But this kind of propaganda doesn't help convince folks.
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