Climate History Ignorance

“Glacier melting and disappearance in the Arctic regions has created a suspicion that the earth is becoming warmer, so an expedition to the Norwegian section of the Antarctic to learn whether a similar phenomenon is in progress there has been financed by Britain, Norway and Sweden. German aviators reported as long ago as 1938 that certain mountain peaks in Queen Maud Land, previously ice covered, were bare at the top.

“Along the Rift Valley, in Africa, and in Central America, a retreat of glaciers has been noticed, and the signs of a changing climate are reinforced by the migration of fish in the North Atlantic to unusually high latitudes. Cod, for example, goes nine degrees farther north than in the past and the herring travels as far as Greenland.

“Spitzbergen, which was open to navigation only three months a year not long ago, is open for seven months now. To cap it all, land which the Vikings cultivated in Greenland and Iceland (which has been under ice for 1000 years) is bare again.”

This news excerpt was from the Barrier Miner, Broken Hills, New South Wales, Australia, January 25, 1950.

I present this because it is obvious that many of our current “scientists” are ignorant of climate history. They agonize over recent drought, which does not compare to the “Dust Bowl” 1930’s. Hurricanes were stronger and more frequent in the 1950’s, yet a tropical storm striking the East Coast during the longest period in US history without a major hurricane strike is considered a sure sign of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming. Powerful tornados are less frequent, wildfires are less frequent and smaller, drought frequency and severity is lessened, sea level is stable, and global temperature has not increased for over 15 years.

Isn’t no news good news?

Fracking is our Energy Future

Concerning natural gas and oil freed by fracking, many environmentalists urge that we “Leave it in the ground.” In other words continue energy dependency, loss of manufacturing jobs, and regressive higher energy costs. The following was adapted from a masterresource.org article.

Fracking boosted shale gas production from zero a few years ago to 10% of all U.S. energy supplies in 2012, and increased U.S. oil production 25% since 2008 – almost all on state and private, not federal, lands.

Fracking created 1.7 million jobs in oil fields, equipment manufacturing, and other sectors. It will generate over $60 billion this year in state and federal tax and royalty revenues, reduce America’s oil import bill by $75 billion, and save us $100 billion in imported liquefied natural gas.

A resurgent American petroleum industry could add about “3.6 million jobs by 2020, and increase the U.S. gross domestic product by as much as 3 percent,” says Citigroup’s “Energy 2020” report. Fracking is bringing new jobs and revenues to states underlain by shale deposits, and could give our nation over a century of hydrocarbon energy that will keep prices low for fuel and petrochemical feed stocks.

That means more manufacturing and other jobs for millions of graduates and unemployed workers, and new prosperity for the “Rust Belt” and other areas. “Plunging natural gas prices have turned the U.S. into one of the most profitable places in the world to make chemicals and fertilizer,” says the Wall Street Journal. It’s also “slashed costs for makers of energy-intensive products such as aluminum, steel and glass.”

It could make North America ‘energy independent’ (really energy neutral) and even a net exporter of natural gas. In fact, this amazing new technology could turn the United States into the world’s #1 oil producer just a few more years.

Frack that!

Natural Climate Change Caused Problems

In a previous post I noted that warmist scientist Kevin Trenberth said Sandy was not proof of man-caused global warming, and a reader noted that Trenberth said that climate change is worsening some recent extreme weather events. Since I am not a natural climate change denier, as are Al Gore and many others, I agree with Trenberth: natural climate change has worsened many extreme weather events over millions of years. The worst drought in the US was in the mid-1930s when 24 of 50 state maximum temperature records were set; only 12 state record maximum temperatures have been set since 1960, and none in the 2000’s.

Other examples abound. Natural warming caused sea level to rise over 420 feet in 10,000 years since the end of the Ice Age, inundating much valuable pre-historical beachfront property. Vineyards in England thrived during the Medieval Warm Period only a thousand years ago, perished during the Little Ice Age (1350-1850 AD), and haven’t recovered since. Thriving Medieval Alpine villages were destroyed by advancing Little Ice Age glaciers, and are only now reclaiming their lost real estate just before the next Ice Age glaciers return.

Only 15,000 years ago Detroit and Chicago were under a mile of ice, making Detroit only slightly more habitable than now. During the much warmer than present Holocene Climate Optimum of 8,000 years ago, sea level was about 10 feet higher, and as the world has slowly cooled since then, the drop in sea level left many bustling ancient ports high and dry.

So yes, Kevin Trenberth, natural climate change has worsened some extreme climate events, and always has.

Natural and Human Caused Weather Disasters

Magazines and newspapers are filled with editorial comment and cartoons about Superstorm Sandy being the fruit of man-caused global warming. However, Sandy was a tropical storm, not a hurricane. It unfortunately struck at high tide with a full moon, resulting in a much higher storm surge.

Was Sandy proof of man-caused global warming? Even warmist scientist Kevin Trenberth says no. Are strong storms hitting the East Coast unique? Again the answer is no. The 1950’s saw an exceptional number of strong hurricanes hit the East Coast, and 1954 experienced the worst. First Carol, a Category 3 (H3) hurricane at landfall, crossed Long Island and passed through New England into Canada. Then Edna, also H3, struck New England and became the costliest hurricane to ever strike Maine. Finally Hazel, the strongest at H4, killed thousands in Haiti before hitting the Carolinas, and caused heavy damage and flooding all the way through Toronto, Canada.

In 1955 three hurricanes, Connie (H3), Diane (H1), and Ione (H3), hit North Carolina and the mid-Atlantic states. Then in 1958 Helene (H3), and in 1959 Gracie (H3) struck the South’s East Coast. The grand finale occurred in 1960 when Donna hit Florida as an H4, then passed through every East Coast state as an H3. Donna still holds the record for maintaining major hurricane status (H3 or higher) for the longest period of time.

In contrast to the 1950’s, no major hurricane has hit the US since 2005. That’s understandable, since Global Tropical Accumulated Cyclone Energy for the past five years has been at its lowest level in over thirty years.

“Sandy was a human-caused disaster. We build cities on the coast. We don’t adequately protect them. We don’t heed evacuation warnings. That is where the blame lies for this one, not climate change.” (Eric Berger)