A quick plea to the Global Warming passionistas:
Please refrain from from using local, short-term weather patterns as your evidence for global warming. Lincoln's recent heat wave doesn't prove global warming; it proves that it is summertime. When you use short-term events as the weapons of your crusade, you set yourself up for really annoying conversations like this:
Global Warming Dude: See how hot it is? That's cuz of global warming.
Fan of Fossil Fuels: No it isn't, it's just summer.
GWD: No, Al Gore says it's Global Warming, and I believe him because he made a really great movie.
FFF: You trust the dude who invented the internet to predict the weather?
GWD: He didn't claim to invent the internet!
FFF: Whatever, dude. Besides, it snowed in Johannesburg today. First time in 25 years. If anything, we're entering an ice age.
GWD: What? That's baloney. It did not snow in Johannesburg.
FFF: Did too. I saw it on The Weather Channel.
GWD: Well that just proves that global warming is happening.
FFF: What?! How the heck does snow prove global warming? Snow is cold, moron!
GWD: No, see, Global Warming is just a shorthand name. It's really all about Global Climate Change. Global Climate Change explains everything from the heat wave in Europe, to your snow in South Africa, to droughts and monsoons.
FFF: So basically if the weather isn't precisely average, then it's the result of Global Climate Change?
GWD: It explains everything, because it's happening right before our eyes.
FFF: Are you familiar with the word "tautology"?
And on and on it goes. I realize "global average temperatures have trended upwards since the dawn of the Industrial Age, and the rate of increase is accelerating" doesn't sound sexy, but c'mon, you're never going to win an argument by pointing out that it's hot in the middle of summer.
By the way, my plea can be applied to passionistas in other areas, too. I'm only picking on the Global Warming crowd because they've been chirping a lot lately about how hot it is.
Comments
See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
Let us know when there is a forum of debate that meets your approval. Time for a bicycle ride! Regardless of temperature you still have to pedal.
I’m not quite sure what you mean. It’s not the forum that bugs me, it’s the evidence brought to the forum. Watching somebody spar in a debate with weak arguments—especially when much better arguments are readily available—is like seeing somebody go into battle with a rubber band in his holster.
Well, I was thinking that the entire history of man has been filled with debate by people with strong and weak arguments depending on one’s point of view no matter what the subject was. So, I guess I wasn’t sure where you where going with this. If it was to point out the irony of typically warmer temperatures in the summer months and cooler temps in the winter I suggest you check out Stephen Colbert’s, Colbert Report. He is having a lot of fun with this!
After my bike ride at Pioneer Park. (Thanks to whomever made that map on this site!) I wanted to know why there are so many military planes flying around burning jet fuel like it was cheap. On my ride I must have seen 20 big planes banking over the park preparing to come in for a landing. What’s that all about???
I apologize for being off topic here but I wanted to know if somebody had any info on this.
I believe there are still a bunch of planes from Offutt being temporarily housed at the base here in town. The runway up at Offutt is being repaired this summer.
I understand your point Mr. Wilson. However, the dialogue you present is like something out of Plato’s The Republic (ie Socrates reduces opponents to idiots nodding in agreement). But come on, I think you’re being a bit harsh.
Yes, I have heard many people remark in recent days about the heat and linking it to global warming, both in jest and seriously. To the average person on the street, they are aware of the global warming issue, and watch the news and know that the entire country has been experiencing a major heat wave. I wouldnt expect everyday people to start citing climatology journals or what have you. Because they don’t doesnt make them “global warming passionistas.”
By the way I might add - there is a lot of information from scientific experts which support the global warming theory. And when I mean experts I am not including Al Gore under that label (and no I havent seen his movie yet).
I wouldnt expect everyday people to start citing climatology journals or what have you.
Oh no, I don’t expect citing journals. I just wish, in the Global Warming example, that folks wouldn’t conflate today’s weather in Lincoln with larger global trends.
By the way I might add - there is a lot of information from scientific experts which support the global warming theory.
Oh now you went and did it! 😉 I don’t think there even remains a question of whether or not the basics of Global Warming are true. (Earth is getting warmer, in part because of the increased presence of certain gases in the atmosphere.) The debate seems to have moved on to: (1) how much are humans at fault and what can/should we do to reverse the damage we’ve caused? and (2) what are the implications of warming? I, for one, am glad the debate is starting to move on, because I find these “new” questions to be much more interesting.
I wanted to know why there are so many military planes flying around burning jet fuel like it was cheap.
Though it’s been hot, the pilots of those airplanes would like it to be a little bit hotter. The scientific evidence supports the theory that flying jets increases the temperature of Earth’s atmosphere, so they’re trying to do as much flying as they can. I’d give those planes and the Hummers they use to get to the airport credit for these awesome 100+ degree days we’ve had.
Ha, Dave. I was thinking the same thing. Wasn’t there some study that showed the average temperature during the days following 9/11 dropped nationwide by a not insignificant amount that could possibly be attributed to the lack of air traffic?
Swoof, this study might be what you’re thinking of.
Uhhh ... my previous post was completely sarcastic. That CNN.com story is a laugher. But not as good as these:
Scientists blame sun for global warming (no s**t)!!!!
Scientists respond to Gore’s warnings of climate catastrophe
Share your thoughts with the community.
Commenting is no longer permitted on this post.