After declaring Dr. Regina Benjamin, the nominee for Surgeon General too fat to survive a confirmation hearing, the Astute Bloggers have turned their attention to debunking Anthropogenic Global Warming:
BRRRRRR!: SEVERE COLD GRIPS ARGENTINA!
They quote a story noting that a cold snap has hit Buenos Aires, then declare:
MAN-MADE CO2 AND MAN-MADE “GREENHOUSE” GASES GO UP ALL THE TIME, BUT GLOBAL TEMPS DO NOT; THEREFORE, AGW = BS.
Two or three things we should probably mention. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
Global surface temperatures have increased about 0.74°C (plus or minus 0.18°C) since the late-19th century, and the linear trend for the past 50 years of 0.13°C (plus or minus 0.03°C) per decade is nearly twice that for the past 100 years. The warming has not been globally uniform. Some areas (including parts of the southeastern U.S. and parts of the North Atlantic) have, in fact, cooled slightly over the last century. The recent warmth has been greatest over North America and Eurasia between 40 and 70°N. Lastly, seven of the eight warmest years on record have occurred since 2001 and the 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1995.
“Climate” is not the same as “weather.”
It’s currently winter in the Southern Hemisphere.