rod mclaughlin

You can't make it up LXXXII - extreme weather events and WMDs (28 dec 15...18 jan 16)

"Extreme weather events" is a conveniently vague phrase, a bit like "weapons of mass destruction". That expression was used to amalgamate biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. If even a couple of chemical weapons had been found in Iraq, the hypothesis would have been confirmed, and the US invasion of 2003 justified.

"Extreme weather events" is even more vague. If it's warmer or colder, wetter or dryer, it seems to be confirmed. At one time, global warming experts claimed that climate change would cause severe droughts in Australia. This prediction was followed by severe flooding. In fact, Australia has always had extreme weather:

http://pindanpost.com/2012/07/16/land-of-droughts-and-flooding-rains.

In the UK, warmer winters were predicted: "Children won't know what snow is" claimed one alarmist. This prediction was followed by years of exceptionally cold winters. But this winter, the prediction has been confirmed. Not only is it warmer, it's a lot wetter. The press gleefully seize on this as evidence that anthropogenic carbon dioxide is causing extreme weather:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/27/floods-army-called-continue-devastate-northern-england.

Gaia Vince, in the Telegraph, states boldly that "the changes humans have introduced by heating the atmosphere have made the climate system more energetic, increasing the amount of moisture the air holds and making extreme events – such as these floods – more likely and more common":

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/weather/12071000/UK-floods-After-this-deluge-we-must-face-a-new-reality.html

But there were worse storms in February 1287 and December 1703, to name but two: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_tides_of_the_North_Sea.

The amount of climate change induced by anthropogenic carbon dioxide is unknown. Droughts are also "extreme events" - caused by less moisture, not more. Alarmists also claim that a drought in Syria caused the civil war:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-hastened-the-syrian-war.

There is one thing we can be sure of. If bad stuff happens, it's because of climate change, caused by human beings producing unprecedented quantities of CO2.

Portland

London