PICK ONE: IS IT WEATHER CHANGE OR CLIMATE CHANGE?

In the past year, the United States has witnessed several natural disasters, including hurricanes, floods, wildfires, mudslides, etc. It is tempting to extrapolate from these short-term weather events to conclude that climate change is real and has caused such events.

Therefore, it is refreshing to read a recent article in the Wall Street Journal pointing out that destructive weather can be confused with climate change.* Parenthetically, one could be hard pressed to come up with an objective definition of "weather" and "climate change" that everyone could agree upon and which did not beg the question.

The article reviews several types of factors, including global temperatures, hurricanes, fires, droughts, floods and the like. It concludes that while extreme short-term weather changes can have harsh impacts, these events do not demonstrate the reality of the earth's climate.

Here in the Midwest in recent weeks, the bone chilling, sub-zero arctic vortex has visited twice, and probably will do so again. As I huddle against a crackling fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate, I have to wonder whether our deep freeze is caused by weather or climate change. Maybe I will think about that more, after I thaw.

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*Peiser and Ridley, "Bad Weather Is No
Reason for Climate Alarm", Wall Street
Journal, January 13-14,2018, p.C3

© Daniel J. Kucera 2018