Environmentalists: Is all of this cold weather the result of global warming?

Question

We just came out of one of the coldest winters in decades, worldwide, and this spring seems unseasonably cold, too. I'm not sure how the planet can cool if the factors that cause global warming are not abating. Doesn't that stretch the meaning of causality?

Answer 1

I've thought the same thing about the recent (decade or so)cold weather...perhaps we've stumbled across the begining of another ice age. It's about time, we're a few thousand years over due.

Answer 2

NASA pretty much proved global warming false. They recently found out that the sun's temperature is fluctuating every certain amount of years. (I think it was 20-30)

We've had global record lows. The Ice at the north and south poles has gotten back to... I THINK it was 70% of the lost ice.... over the stage where the climate was changing. (If you don't think the ice can be restored on the continental glaciers, you need to do some studying about evaporation.)

Al Gore fans have been SADLY misinformed. It'll be funny when the news comes out that Global Warming is totally natural, so we had nothing to do with it. Even funnier when they say it's not a problem anymore.

Answer 3

First of all 10 year is not climate. That is just ridiculous to say that. The only way to measure the climate of Earth is to look back 1000's of years, if not millions.

Second of all, the first comment is just horrible! 10 hours o research from NBC is nothing; it's all liberally biased and Will say anything to make people believe them.

OK well back to the question. You right and wrong. By saying that you just proved several points at once. Global isn't real first of all, that's obvious though. One year means nothing in the overall climate of Earth. This says that GW is not real, and neither s Global cooling.

$10 says that within the next 50 years we will have the hottest month ever, and the coolest too.

Answer 4

Picture lots of cars travelling around the globe generating heat through oil  and the heat from their engines. Picture all that heat trapped in the atmosphere. Picture the miles cars drive add heat they generate. Do you feel warm sensation as if oil is getting into your clothes when a car drives by.

Think atmosphere plus this  and picture many cars travelling distances equivalent to the equator every day at 60 miles an hour. A huge circle of cars around the Earth.

Answer 5

Hot spells have cool interludes. Just as cold spells have warm interludes. I think that if there is any global warming it is likely caused more by nature than by man.  I do think it would be wise for mankind to be more careful about just spewing all of his wastes into the biosphere.

Answer 6

I don't know where you read or heard that we "just came out of one of the coldest winters in decades, worldwide", but that is simply false.  

January was cold, but still warmer (by 0.34 C) than the average computed for the period 1951 - 1980.  The 3-month average (winter) from Dec 07 - Feb 08 was 0.43 C warmer than the average from 1951 - 1980.  And we had a colder winter just 8 years ago in 2000.  And all but about 5 winters before that (going back to 1880) were colder than 2008.

Scientists know the reason this winter was cold is because deep cold water from the ocean came to the surface, in what's known as a La Niña.  La Niña doesn't mean global warming has stopped or the planet is actually cooling, it's merely a short-term redistribution of the heat energy.  You can actually watch the ocean surface cooling decline, as the effect  subsides:

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/an...

Answer 7

That's because one year=weather. Same for 98's anomalously warm weather.

10 year mean=climate

Answer 8

South Africa and South America had hot summers in what was for them summer Australia also had heatwaves Adelaide broke the most number of days over 35c (95F) record, 11 days in the high 30s, Hobart (quite far south and usually much cooler) had its warmest March day in 75 years 39.6c (103F).

And even now in May it is still quite mild, So what global winter are people talking about.

Answer 9

'We just came out of one of the coldest winters in decades, worldwide'

no we didnt! it was about back to the average for last few decades. sweden had a warm wet winter. anyway that was just the northern hemisphere.

'this spring seems unseasonably cold,'

spring was ordinary here in the u.k., but the global temperature in march was record high;

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008...

oh i bet you are in america! i see its still a bit blue. but look at the whole globe, you will see more red than blue;

http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs...

you can also see that even for january, the average anomaly was +0.13.

'I'm not sure how the planet can cool if the factors that cause global warming are not abating'

it's not. some of the heat is going into deep ocean (due to la nina) but its still there!

Answer 10

Last year 2006-2007 was the warmest winter ever.  Even though Colorado had three feet of snow, the Midwest had zero degree temps at night and struggled to get past 10 degrees during the day for the whole month of February and this year we had the 4th snowiest winter in 100 years and the Spring has been the coolest in awhile.  What cracks me up is it's "global warming" either way.  Or it's "climate change" so Al Gore will be sure to collect money from us.

Answer 11

--  still can't tell the difference between weather and climate.

--  we've already set high temperature records this spring.

Answer 12

look please honostly investigate this. there is evidence proving global warming is a myth i am asking others to just reaserch the evidence please and decide for yourselves. look at the evidence and see what you think. i have a couple links below. please be open minded and research it. it's important to look at what is being said about global warrming and what you may not know about it. i recomend others to research it and come to a conclusion.

Answer 13

yes, hear about the coldest winters and lots of ice this year. I guess that was also global warming.

Answer 14

environmentalists just want to make up stupid lies about global warming. we too had one of the coldest winters ever and it's still cold. that's enough proof that there is no such thing as global warming

Answer 15

One year does not disprove global warming. However, since the last decade has seen no warming, that pretty much puts the last nail in the AGW coffin.