Grist, which labels itself a beacon in the smog, has broken an earth shaking story
Writing in the journal Public Opinion Quarterly, a research team led by University of Michigan psychologist Jonathon Schuldt reports Republicans are far more skeptical of “global warming” than of “climate change.”
A quick Google search of temperature records for the last 2000 years provides information that indicates climate does change. It was warm during the days of the Roman Empire, it cooled of during the Dark Ages, warmed up again about 1,000 when Greenland was settled by the Norse (Medieval Warm Period), and cooled down again during the Little Ice Age, when the River Thames froze in the winter.
I find it hard to believe that anyone who has looked at the historical temperature record would not agree the following statement
“You may have heard about the idea that the world’s temperature may
have been going uphave been changing over the past 100 years, a phenomenon sometimes called ‘global warmingclimate change.‘ What is your personal opinion regarding whether or not this has been happening?”
Climate change has occurred in the past and it would be big news if someone reported that it had stopped changing.
Global Warming on the other hand is subject to some question because it implies warming, but warming compared to what period? Is it warmer today than the Little Ice Age? Yep.
Has that warming trend been caused by the actions of humans? Maybe, but the evidence is mixed and the contribution may be small.
Should we attempt an act of hubris by attempting to control the weather via limiting greenhouse gas emissions? Yep, right after we fix world hunger, achieve global peace, and eliminate poverty.
Should we be prepared to deal with extreme weather events? Why not, because extreme weather will occur with or without global warming or even sudden changes in the climate.
