Here’s a good reminder from Roger Pielke Jr.—professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado—about why it’s intellectually lazy for both the Left and the Right to try to score cheap political points by pointing to the current weather outside as if it tells us something significant about long-term climate change (or lack thereof):
What happens in the weather this week or next tells us absolutely nothing about the role of humans in influencing the climate system.
It is unjustifiable to claim that a cold snap or heavy snow disproves or even casts doubts predictions of long-term climate change.
It is equally unjustifiable to say that a cold snap or heavy snow in any way offers empirical support for predictions of long-term climate change.
This goes for all weather events. . . .
Knowledge of climate requires long-term records — on the time scale of a decade and longer.
Don’t look to the weather to learn about climate, unless you have a long time to watch.
Using the weather to score cheap political points in the climate debate appears to be a tactical area of agreement among those who otherwise disagree about climate change.
HT: Joe Carter
