Climatologist rebukes Inhofe's claimsMay 6 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - James Bright The Express-Star, Chickasha, Okla.
Comments made by Senator Jim Inhofe stating Oklahoma's recent cold snap was evidence against global warming may have been an exaggeration, according to Associate State Climatologist Gary McManus. "When we look at things like a cold snap here or there, those are instances of weather vs. climate," McManus said. "When you about these sort of things on global scale, like the warming patterns we've seen, you have to consider, if its warm somewhere, it's going to be cold somewhere else." Inhofe referenced an article from The Economist magazine, stating it said several scientists are beginning to backtrack on their theories regarding global warming. "The Economist reported in March that scientists are beginning to backtrack their concerns for man-made climate change, citing that temperatures globally have not risen over the past decade," Inhofe said in a release yesterday. "Maybe it's time some of this hot air surrounding the global warming debate be sent down here to relieve Oklahomans and our farmers." A March Economist article, "A Sensitive Matter," does state there has been a recent increase in greenhouse gas emission with no rise in temperature, but that this data does not show the theory of global warming to be an illusion, as temperatures in the last decade have stayed a steady 1 degree C higher than the previous decade. McManus said although he has not read the article Inhofe references, the research still shows overwhelmingly that warming is occurring. "I stick to peer review research," McManus said. McManus said last week's unseasonably cold temperatures were not evidence of anything out of the order, but rather air that was funneled down the United States from the arctic. "We have folks looking into climate and weather shifts as arctic ice continues to melt," said McManus. "I hesitate to say any cold snap is evidence one way or another." http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=28497834 |