The mixed messaging of global warming

[Nick]

Now I’m sure you’ve probably read that massive debate over global warming that has raged across the forums of late, with various readers’ postings links to prove or refute each others’ points.

Is global warming happening or is it just part of a longer cycle or warming and cooling?

Well, given the reactions of the politicians and yet more footage of David Cameron plating trees and cycling everywhere, you’d think that global warming would be a serious issue that would have us all worried, yes?

Well, no. Not if you go by the Met office and every weather presenter on the telly.

Having just watched the BBC’s Breakfast News they ran a piece about the Government’s ideas about using incentives and education to bring down the carbon emissions thing, which was opposed by David Cameron, (hands no doubt still grubby from planting more trees and fixing punctures on his bike), who reckoned we needed to charge more for carbon high stuff like plane flights.

I can see his point to some extent. The example he used was domestic flights. He quite rightly said that there are flights to Manchester that can be replaced by a perfectly good train service that is already in existence. Quite right.

He missed a minor point in that once you’re on the train you’ve got any number of stops to realise that you don’t really want to go to Manchester and then get off and go back home. The only way you could do that on a plane is by hijacking it, which has the downsides of probably getting shot and definitely getting thrown in prison... but then again going to Manchester will probably get you shot anyway... so perhaps sharing a nervous shower with two big tattooed men in Strangeways isn’t so bad...

But the most interesting thing about this brief item of doom-mongering and one-upmanship from the politicos was the item that followed next. No, it wasn’t some new report that said it was all wrong or that dolphins like tuna nets or anything like that... it was the seemingly harmless weather report.

Now the weather has long been a great British institution. It’s a safe haven of presenting on the telly and launched a few minor celeb careers with Wincey Willis, Michael Fish and that odd looking bloke who did a vet program for a while before Rolf Harris got the gig.

Of course, there are the occasional dangers of getting it utterly wrong and causing mayhem, such as Michael and his condescending “there’s no hurricane on the way” announcement the night before most of the south east of England got ripped apart by 100mph winds.

But other than getting it totally wrong every now and then, which we normally forgive as we know how fickle our weather can be, telling viewers how rainy it’s going to be is a safe job.

Until now.

You see, these weather folk are now in danger of becoming advocates FOR global warming and inadvertently lining themselves up for the wrath of the politicians. (Though it has to be said that that in itself isn’t that much to worry about as the buggers will take two or three years to do an enquiry which will recommend you be asked not to do it again... or something, I don’t know... does anyone know what a QUANGO actually stands for anyway?)

But the biggest point is that weather presenters openly reflect the feelings of the nation when it comes to the weather and this ALONE is the most damaging argument that any supporter of the global warming theory will ever face... in fact, it completely undermines everything the global warming campaigners are telling us, even the most conservative ones that aren’t saying all of Essex will be flooded sometime next year.

What is it that these weather presenters do? Well not much, except harp on about how lovely and sunny and warm it’s going to be.

This, in a stroke, stops the global warming argument in its tracks.

Take this morning’s weather report, which immediately followed the David Cameron tree-planting, bike riding fest.

The presenter stood there in front of her weather map explaining about bands of rain narrowing over Scotland and so on but then up popped the temperature symbols to which, with a big grin on her face, she announced that we’d all be enjoying some lovely mild weather for the time of year with a high of 18 in London.

The grin slipped a little as she told us that it would cool a little to just 15 degrees over the next day or so but then that smile was beaming again when she reminded us that although it was just 15 degrees, that was STILL FIVE DEGREES HIGHER than average so don’t feel too bad if it’s a bit colder.

And that was it, the whole global warming argument totally destroyed in less than 30 seconds.

Smiles for warm weather, frowns for rain and temperature drops, but ease the bad news of colder weather by reminding us how unseasonably warm it is.

What she’s saying there is “yes, it’s nice and warm and the Scots have got the rain (serves them right for living so far North), us metropolitan types have got it good with a nice balmy 18 degrees but that’s going to cool off a bit but hey, it’s still warmer than it should be so that global warming thing isn’t all bad, eh?”

And argue as much as you like, show me as many graphs as you want citing paddling polar bears, sunburnt penguins and birds flying the wrong way at the wrong time of year, all of this is undermined by the weather presenters who are intent on delivering the good news in a happy, bouncy and downright cheerful manner that it’s getting warmer and that’s a GOOD THING.

Sadly, their presenting style is based on what the producer thinks the public want to see... which means that someone, somewhere in a little room has been 100% honest with themselves. This person, he or she, (or maybe a he/she, let’s not be prejudiced) has realised that yes, global warming could be making it hotter but sod it, that’s what everyone wants.

And deep down inside, who can honestly say that they don’t want a bit of warm weather? According to the weather people we all do...

[Lee @ SCAN]

Nick.

I'll find its name later but there was a cracking documentary on Channel 4 the other night stating that CO2 is not the cause of global warming and that the weather always fluxuates warmer and colder.

They stated on the documentary that the levels of CO2 within the atmosphere were nothing to worry about as ice bores from the Arctic regions show the levels have been much higher and that the only real reasons for the countries such as UK, USA, China and all the other big players to limit CO2 emissions is to put pressure on the smaller countries to stop developing their own industry so they rely on the western world for everything.

[Nick]

It's not global warming I'm arguing about... it's the mixed messaging...

Politicians and campaigners are telling us it's all doom and gloom.

Weather presenters are more keyed in to the nation's psyche which is is 'Wahey, warm weather!"

[tiggerai]

Originally Posted by Lee @ SCAN

Nick.

I'll find its name later but there was a cracking documentary on Channel 4 the other night stating that CO2 is not the cause of global warming and that the weather always fluxuates warmer and colder.

They stated on the documentary that the levels of CO2 within the atmosphere were nothing to worry about as ice bores from the Arctic regions show the levels have been much higher and that the only real reasons for the countries such as UK, USA, China and all the other big players to limit CO2 emissions is to put pressure on the smaller countries to stop developing their own industry so they rely on the western world for everything.

The great global warming swindle.

I watched it to... it all makes sense really!

[Skeem]

That program did well convincing me, and the whole Thatcher link was funny and thought provoking.

I think the truth, as with all debates of this nature, lies somewhere in-between. I think it's arrogant of people to think that humankind is solely to blame for climate change, when in reality, our impact on the environment is somewhat minimal.

As people have said on other forums, whatever action we take as a country, or even as a race, in terms of trying to stop or slow down global warming will be futile, and it is better (to use the money) to prepare to adapt than to try and prevent.
At the end of the day, we could all end up going the way of the dinosaur, and through no fault of our own.

Yes, here is an underlying thought in people in this country which is; "Warmer weather?...bring it on..", reminds me of a short thought-for-the-day speech AliG made at the end of one episode.

If the weather is warmer in this country, people will feel they require a holiday abroad less, the tourist economy in this country booms, and there are less flights, just what the government would want.

[Lee @ SCAN]

Nick is wrong though.

Watch Sian Lloyd when she's doing the weather. Either my eyes are deciving me or her face is as expressionless and rather tight as well.

Now she does vary the vocal tones of her voice but her face is totally expressionless with just a cheesey grin.

Anyway - who cares about weather forecasts. Most of the time they get it wrong up here and say it's gonna rain when it's not, be sunny and we have showers and say it's gonna snow and then nothing appears for 2 days.

[Zak33]

Originally Posted by Lee @ SCAN

Watch Sian Lloyd when she's doing the weather.

she's the lass who hands seem to bend backwards, emphasized by her long nails, so she looks like a BollyWood dancer.

[Funkstar]

Yeah i saw the program on C4 the other night too.

I found it interesting that there was no sensationalist outcomes from what any of those scientists were saying. To me that actually makes it more persuasive.

Sure there is evidence of warming in some areas, but the over the top predictions of disaster you hear in the media just scream BS to me.

I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything, we absolutly should, but we shouldn't be predicting end of the world.

[siu99spj]

Then there's the facts that the sun is actually getting hotter and we're coming to the end of the current ice age.

The Earth has been going through these cycles for millions of years, and it hasn't imploded yet. I think I can safely say it will be for millions of years.

Now, whether it will be humans or three headed lizards thingies trying to connect the thigh bone to the hip bone of some skeletal remains, that remains to be seen.

Either way, I won't be here to worry about it.

[ponolops]

Everyone talks about global warming but how many people realise that it could actually become global freezing?

We only have our mild climate because of the 'Atlantic Conveyor' or the Gulf Stream. If global warming continues at this rate and the ice caps melt, just 2 degrees colder would stop the Conveyor.

The Gulf Stream leaves the Gulf of Mexico and heads north along the east coast of America. It leaves US waters off Cape Hatteras and heads towards Europe. In seas between Norway and Newfoundland, it loses its heat due to evaporation and becomes very salty and sinks. It then heads back on the bottom of the North Atlantic.

Scientists believe that the Conveyor has been shut down before but probably not during the lifetime of humans. The Conveyor is very fragile and could be turned off in the near future, whether we heed global warming signs or not.

If that happened, our island would be unihabitable, as would most of Europe. It would herald a new Ice Age.

[Nick]

Erm, Mrs B, I don't want to sound argumentative but the Atlantic Conveyor has nothing to do with ocean currents, global warming or even anything to do with nature itself...

The only reason I say this is cos the Atlantic Conveyor was a cargo ship sunk by the Argies during the Falklands war... it was because of this that our troops had to hike across the Falklands as the Atlantic Conveyor was carrying, amongst other things, a load of Chinook helicopters...

So I guess you could say it helps to keep the Earth warm as a thousand sweating marines must make a fair bit of heat as they yomp over the islands...

[Mousemat]

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that politicians started talking about the end of life as we know it after seeing a very convincing documentary on the subject. I think it was called 'The Day After Tomorrow'

[ponolops]

Nick...........

BUM!

[siu99spj]

Err I just have to comment this Atlanti Conveyor (Or rather Atlantic Drift Currrent) is what keeps the UKs winters warm and wet.

Wander around the world and to Korea, which is similar in latitude to us but has no Atlantic Drift Currents to keep it warm and wet.

What happens? It get's bloody freezing actually with about -23°C (I know, been there and got the T-Shirt). However, it was not uninhabitable and causing all the major crises that 'The Day After Tomorrow' predicted. We're just not Northern enough to cause that kind of cooling.

So, all we'll have to do is become more Korean, figure out how to survive more cold (which could be difficult as the entire transport infrastructure disintegrates at -5°C) and start eatting Kimchi (Cabbage and chilli, stewed together for 6 months, great for keeping warm in Winter). It's not imopssible...