It is not surprising that many people believe that extreme weather events are on the rise. The media constantly exaggerates their weather reporting.
Consider Hurricane Igor, which has 100 MPH winds – a category 2 hurricane. If it drops five more MPH, it will be a category 1. (Update : Igor is now a category 1 hurricane, with 85 MPH winds.) By contrast, a major hurricane is category 3, 4 or 5.
So how is the press reporting on it?
Fox News :
Bermuda Braces for “Monster” Hurricane Igor
Bermuda has been extremely lucky in dodging major hurricanes barreling up the Atlantic Ocean but is not likely to dodge Hurricane Igor, which is on course to make a direct hit on the tiny island sometime Sunday night into early Monday.
Is the author being intentionally deceptive, or does he not understand what a “major hurricane” is?
(CNN) — Bermuda, which hasn’t seen a major hurricane in some seven years, is about to get walloped by Igor, which forecasters termed large and dangerous Saturday night.
If Bermuda does suffer a lot of damage from Igor, it will be because of the path of the storm, just west of the island. The storm surge is greatest in the northeast quadrant. But Igor is not a “major hurricane.”
The press is complicit in convincing people that the climate is changing. Disaster stories sell.
Any thoughts on the two North Atlantic hurricanes?
“Something No Human Has Ever Seen Before”, Brad DeLong (Prof Economics, Berkeley)
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2010/09/something-no-human-has-ever-seen-before.html
“2010 hurricane season has already set multiple records”, Climate Progress — Masters: “It appears that this year’s record [sea surface temperatures] have significantly expanded the area over which major hurricanes can exist over the Atlantic”
http://climateprogress.org/2010/09/16/2010-hurricane-season-records-jeff-masters-global-warming/
http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/would-anyone-have-noticed-julia-80-years-ago/
Thanks! I have a post going up which will link to yours.
Fabius Maximus,
Thanks Fabius for telling everyone what an economist and an animal of politics have to say about the weather.
Fabius Maximus,
Oh, and the economist is from Berkeley, the most unbiased location on earth. 😉
The two are directly relevant to the post. Ignoring or mocking these dynamics will not make them go away.
Joe “most influential climate-change blogge” takes research and exaggerates. Other influential agents (DeLong is a major economist) and further exaggerates it. The combination produces effective propaganda, without jepordizing the reputations of climate scientists (who cooperate in this but keep their hands clean).
Plus, the public seldom hears of contrary research, like “Decreased frequency of North Atlantic polar lows associated with future climate warming”, Matthias Zahn & Hans von Storch, Nature, 16 September 2010.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v467/n7313/full/nature09388.html
Sadly, the weather vs. climate debate, just like the rest of the haggling over details and approach, leads astray from the core of the issue. Is the earth’s climate changed by man-made factors and if so, can their effect be removed or must it be mitigated?
Every effort must be made to show that +[CO2] does or does not make a difference to measurable climatic conditions and when that is clear, it must be used to drive the effort. Anything else is a waste of time and energy.
I am not quite sure how you can prove something is not happening.
Until it is proven that CO2 is having an effect there should not be anything to discuss.
PJB
Every effort must be made to show that +[CO2] does or does not make a difference to measurable climatic conditions
Why? Who made that rule?
Is the sky falling?
It is the “reality” of the debate as it has developed. The alarmists have staked their drama on [CO2] and any other “approach” cannot easily refute their “position” (as I understand it).
This is just my appreciation of the situation.
(CNN) — Bermuda, which hasn’t seen a major hurricane in some seven years, is about to get walloped by Igor, which forecasters termed large and dangerous Saturday night.
In 7 years. That isn’t long ago. Does something not happening in 7 years mean it is unprecedented in the history of the earth? 7 years— does it make it worth reporting? Acorns falling on heads are worth reporting for CNN. But then again, CNN’s ratings have been falling for years.
Pingback: Igor Struggling To Keep Hurricane Status | Real Science