Click here to view original web page at www.powerlineblog.com
If you read into the guts of the periodic voluminous IPCC reports on climate change (and who can actually do this, since they always run several thousand pages), you pick up here and there subtle signs of the scientific community slowly dialing back the catastrophic climate scenarios. The most recent UN report, for example, lowers the probability of the already remote extreme scenario of future emissions (the RCP8.5 forecast, for people who know the technical jargon).
The politicians, activists, and media always ignore these changes, and repeat the usual cliches of “running out of time,” etc.
So it is interesting to read through the Nature magazine story this week about the latest data on Antarctic sea ice: Cue the gloom and doom? Not so fast this time. Here’s how the story reports it: Antarctic sea ice shrank to below 2 million square kilometres this year, the lowest minimum extent since satellite records began 43 years ago. . . The record low was partly due to strong winds pushing ice out of the Ross Sea, a bay off the coast of Antarctica, to areas farther north, where it is warmer. There, the ice broke up and melted, says Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at NSIDC, who is based at the University of Colorado Boulder. “I think much, if not all, of the event can be ascribed to natural variability,” says Meier. Natural variability you say? Actually you aren’t supposed to say this in the lockstep climate world. Maybe the ice is starting to break in the deep freeze of climatology.
Here’s the chart of the long term trend—or lack of one perhaps:
Click here to view original web page at www.powerlineblog.com
They’re Trying to Shut Us Down
Over the last several months, I’ve lost count of how many times the powers-that-be have tried to shut us down. They’ve sent hackers at us, forcing us to take extreme measures on web security. They sent attorneys after us, but thankfully we’re not easily intimidated by baseless accusations or threats. They’ve even gone so far as to make physical threats. Those can actually be a bit worrisome but Remington has me covered.
For us to continue to deliver the truth that Americans need to read and hear, we ask you, our amazing audience, for financial assistance. We have a Giving Fuel page to help us pay the bills. It’s brand new so don’t be discouraged by the lack of donations there. It’s a funny reality that the fewer the donations that have been made, the less likely people are willing to donate to it. One would think this is counterintuitive, but sometimes people are skeptical because they think that perhaps there’s a reason others haven’t been donating. In our situation, we’re just getting started so please don’t be shy if you have the means to help.
Thank you and God bless!
JD Rucker