The global warming mob has blamed CO2 for the Western EU heatwave felt during the last week of June.
They blame everything on this hapless little molecule. Pointing the finger at the wrong culprit is a disease of the politicized Left.
But any relation to CO2 is an alarmist’s fever dream.
What then is the direct and immediate meteorological cause of the heatwave in which France, for example, experienced temperatures between 100 to 104 degrees F?
The cause of this particular hot weather event is clear: an upper-ridge high-pressure system sat on top of the western EU like an umbrella.
What’s unusual is that it was the largest and strongest upper-ridge high-pressure area since recordkeeping began, and it was having two effects on hot air streams coming north from Africa into the EU.
First, the high-pressure umbrella was causing the hot air to turn down onto the Earth’s surface directly. High-pressure areas have a downward airflow in their center.
Secondly, the huge high-pressure area sitting over western Europe kept the hot air originating in Africa from rising to the upper atmosphere and becoming cooler.
So, the next question is: what caused this historically huge upper-ridge high-pressure system? CO2 has zero effect on high- or low-pressure areas, or in fact on any type of climate, so we have to look elsewhere.
The new solar minimum we are in could be a cause, though that is only a theory for now.
That a solar minimum could cause a heatwave is counterintuitive because the result of a solar minimum is cooler temperatures on the Earth’s surface. Less heat from the Sun is absorbed by the planet’s surface in solar minimums.
However, solar minimums have been shown in historical studies to cause extreme weather events, including warm weather in unusual places.
For example, studies of weather in Europe and North America during the Little Ice Age of AD 1300–1800 and particularly the deepest solar minimum of that period, the Maunder solar minimum of AD 1645 – 1715, show the solar minimum causing not only cooler weather but unexpected and unusual extreme weather conditions as well.
Extreme weather events are covered in detail in the new book, ICE AGE 2025.
During the Maunder minimum, while it was very cold though much of what is now the US, the area which is now Alaska was relatively warm.
Uneven heating of the Earth’s surface is what causes uneven pressure distribution. High- and low-pressure systems originate from solar influences.
In fact, every weather event originates from solar influences including pressure distribution, air movement, the water cycle, cloud formation, and rain.
Relative to France, there are generally more zones of high pressures at high latitudes of the Earth. And these tend to slow down the progress of weather systems such as the African hot air trapped over France.
It’s known that strong high-pressure systems over Greenland, sometimes called the Greenland Block, are more prevalent during solar minimums. It’s not outrageous to look at the present solar minimum as having a role in the recent roasting of French citizens.
The weather in France—and generally in Western Europe—that followed the collapse of the upper-ridge high-pressure area supports to some extent these views.
The temperatures then dropped and continued their below-normal plunge. Temperatures were between 12 degrees F to 28 degrees F below normal.
Holland is experiencing the coldest July in its history with frost coming for the first time ever in early July. Tell the tulip farmers the world is experiencing global warming and see how they respond.
What then are the odds that the present solar minimum was a key contributing cause to the recent ‘heatwave’ in Western Europe? Probably about 75 out of 100. What are the odds that it was caused by CO2? Zero.
In the climate debate, however, facts don’t matter to the global warming mob. The only way to win the debate for honest and rational science and policies is to start having one.
Dr. Joel Glass is an engineer working in infrastructure design for cold climate water systems. His new book ICE AGE 2025 shows how to prepare for the cold of the coming Super Grand Solar Minimum.
