Recently, “The World Meteorological Organization has published a detailed analysis of the global climate 2011-2015” and declared it the Hottest five-year period on record.
But still skepticism is high, especially among those of the conservative Republican persuasion (though that is changing). Click to enlarge.
And to a degree, one can understand why denialism persists. Not only are people distracted enough by their own daily affairs not to give the issue the kind of in-depth thought it deserves, but when they rise each morning, the world on that day doesn’t necessarily look all that different to them than it did the day before. When you add in the fact that there are a lot of people out there spreading disinformation, many of which are on the pay-roll of big dirty energy, “some 4,556 individuals and 164 organizations”, actively propagating the line that it’s all a big lie (in an effort to delay action as long as possible, because, as we all know, time is money) you have a recipe for real confusion.
Doubt is our product since it is the best means of competing with the “body of fact” that exists in the mind of the general public. It is also the means of establishing a controversy. ~
The American Prospect. See also the report Dealing In Doubt
“Their [the tobacco companies] legal strategy is always obstruct, delay, create confusion and buy more time,” said Ruth Malone of the University of California, San Francisco. Deja Vu.
Still there’s no denying that the world is warming.
I don’t know about you, but I’m finding November to be unseasonably hot. I just checked the temps predicted for tomorrow in my area and it’s showing a forecast of 88°. Wow. Traditionally we get our first frost on the 10th, just two days from today. Now I’m no meteorologist, so my opinion on the matter doesn’t carry much weight, and maybe things will suddenly change, but if I were a betting man, I’d predict, based on how it’s going so far at least, that November 2016 will go down as one of the hottest, if not the hottest ever recorded to now. We’ll see.
Update: Yep.
We did it again! November is hottest on record
NSIDC: Record Low Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Extent for November
I guess it was a pretty safe bet. “2016 is set to break even the temperature records of 2015.”
2016 Temperature Records. Via Real Climate.
For more see, A Global Warning.
Opalescence 