Former Vice President Al Gore used a temporary spike in high Arctic temperatures as evidence for man-made global warming, conflating a short-term weather phenomenon for the climate.
This is the exact sort of thing scientists and reporters attacked President Donald Trump for just before New Year’s Eve when the commander in chief joked the eastern U.S. could use some “good ole global warming” amid a cold snap.
Trump’s tweet set off a media firestorm. Numerous pieces went up quoting prominent scientists on how cold weather in the U.S. did not disprove global warming over time. But will Gore’s comments get the same sort of scrutiny?
Probably not, but Gore is also using a weather event as evidence of man-made global warming.
It’s concerning how warm the Arctic is right now, with record temps and low sea ice. As @thinkprogress says, what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic. https://t.co/R3URlMrAE3
— Al Gore (@algore) February 27, 2018
High Arctic temperatures hit record levels in late February. Climate scientists were described as “aghast” and “stunned” at the spike in polar temperatures that started about one week ago and has now ended.
Of course, their “shock” at above freezing Arctic temperatures came with dire warnings about global warming. But these sorts of temperatures spikes happened in the past and at pretty regular intervals.
University of Missouri climate scientist Anthony Lupo said there are similarities between the recent blocking event and one in early winter of 1987 that was centered over Great Britain.
“This has happened in the more distant past, the comparability of the heights indicates the total column energy is similar, and not due to anthropogenic global warming,” Lupo said.
Ironically Gore’s tweet came after temperatures in the Arctic started to fall again.
The “heat wave” at the North Pole is over. Temperatures -25°C for the next several days. ECMWF 12z forecast model update (https://t.co/XcmEbEJxko) pic.twitter.com/AVeh8XnZok
— Ryan Maue | weather.us (@RyanMaue) February 27, 2018
Climate scientist Zachary Labe told the Atlantic a “blocking pattern” over Scandinavia “played a significant role for this warm air to intrude into the Arctic.” Warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean also came through the Bering Strait, contributing to a decline in regional sea ice cover.
Like in 1987, a blocking pattern over Europe forced warm air northward over Greenland and the Arctic, leading to a spike in polar temperatures. Lupo recently published a study projecting no changes in jet stream character due to man-made warming.
“If the arctic temperatures are warmer (and I don’t doubt they are), it is not by that much,” Lupo said in an email. “It is a leap to go from record arctic warmth to humans are responsible. This would happen no matter the climate change mechanism.”
“There is nothing special about warming due to CO2 versus most natural mechanisms,” he said.
Read more at Daily Caller
What kind of movement hires Al Gore as its spokes person? Greenhouse effect / global warming / climate change / do a little side shift…
C’mon Big Al. You’re done like dinner.
Unless your willing to make another billion by coming clean. Tell us all..
Say. Did you notice the picture in Al’s Tweet? The one with the poor endangered Polar bear stranded on the melting ice. He looks rather well fed considering. Kind of round and full like Al.
Well not exactly like Al. With Al it’s usually his second chakra bursting green energy. Anyway, the Polar bear just happened to be dining on seal when his picture was taken?
Probably his last meal……….right Al????
How come when there is a cold snap, such as what the eastern part of the United States experienced recently, that is just weather. Yet, when there is a warm event, that is sure sign of disastrous climate change and reason to make to make big sacrifices to fight it.
Trump’s election has shown what matters to voters . Under Big Brother, voters wouldn’t matter.
Man-made global warming is fraud.
Al Gore is no Donald Trump.
Trump’s election has shown without a doubt how biased and incompetent most of the MSM is . Is it any wonder Al Gore
is given an audience ? Gore has become a little mouse squeaking
to people that are tired of his climate doom show .
Celebrate global warming . It’s long term cooling that would be a problem .
Al Bore is hystarical and out of his mind the Arctic Ice Cap is still there and getting thicker the Polar Bears are not Drowning as he has claimed and his poem totaly sucks