Why is the media pretending not to know why we're having record-high temperatures?>

[Survivoreesta]

I'm not just talking about Fox! Earlier tonight, Brian Williams and a guy from the Weather Channel were discussing the non-winter most of the country is having, and they blamed it on the jet stream! Neither "global warming" or "climate change" were mentioned! And it's no different on ABC or CBS or any other of our networks.

On BBC, GW & CC are presently as FACTUAL, the way they ought to be. Our "free press" is bought and paid for!

[jberryhill]

1. Because climate and weather are not the same thing

[Survivoreesta]

11. But they are very much related>

And when you keep having abnormally warm weather over and over and over, it becomes climate!

[Zoeisright]

38. Exactly.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. One year you are correct

a decade becomes a pattern.

[treestar]

58. Some have suggested using "climate change" rather than "global warming"

Though you can bet on one thing - extremely cold weather and the M$M would be on it and how it proves there is no global warming - even though it would just be weather.

[kestrel91316]

2. They like to pretend that upward trending temps are not happening.

So they make like this is all perfectly normal, that temps are always swinging wildly up and down and seasons are reversed all the time and always have been. It's just part of denialism, but this way then can't be accused of OVERTLY denying climate change.

[Moostache]

3. the entire system is threatened and teetering on collapse...

you can't expect to find truth on the decks of the Titanic! The band is going to keep right on playing to placate the sheeple as long as humanly possible. In the meantime, Empire USA and unregulated capitalism are going down by the bow and sinking faster every year...

[NBachers]

4. It's the cold, foggy, rainy season here in San Francisco, but every day's sunny and warm

I'm enjoyin' the weather, but something's a little . . . off

[Saving Hawaii]

7. Hanging out near Mt Shasta and there's no snow on the ground here.

Hasn't been any. You can see some on Mt Shasta and off in the Trinity Alps, but usually there's plenty down here too. And you can drive all the way to Vancouver without seeing any on the side of the road. Not very typical for January in the mountains.

Can't complain too much about the sunny weather, but bad things are going to happen this summer if we don't start building a snowpack.

[redqueen]

48. " bad things are going to happen this summer ...

if we don't start building a snowpack."

See, avoidance of addressing climate change and global warming, I'm used to that.

But ignoring the consequences of this, the lack of substantially snowpack... that is startling to me, and also distressing.

[DCKit]

5. If it were the jet stream...

Everything to the north would be frozen solid since all the cold air would be trapped up there (by the jet stream).

By now, everything from the southern Canadian border to the north pole should look like a scene from "The Day After Tomorrow". Strangely, I haven't heard that.

[Kalidurga]

6. Today I went shopping with my daughter.

We take the bus, so in the winter we are usually dressed in several layers or just stay home when it is an optional trip like today. We wore light jackets and felt over dressed when we got our price reduced winter apparell, wore it anyway cause it is new and all and winter...

[Odin2005]

8. It got to 57F in Fargo. No global warming my ass.

[provis99]

22. that's bad. North Dakota farmers will be screwed this spring.

if there's not a layer of snow in early spring, the soil won't retain moisture, and the crops won't grow.

[Zoeisright]

39. No snow in Minnesota either. It's 40 degrees F right now.

On January 6, which is supposed to be the coldest time of the year.

We're fucked.

[Survivoreesta]

42. Farmers across the whole country>

will be fucked! I wonder how the wingnuts will react when we have to buy our food from Russia and Yanukovich's Ukraine?

[PurityOfEssence]

9. In the 80s here in Los Angeles

There has been no rain. None. It's usually in the 60s and falling to the 40s this time of year, and has been for the over 20 years I've lived here.

The weather is most pleasant, but it's scary.

[XemaSab]

10. Here's the snowpack:

Note well the almost complete and total lack of said in California.

And the water year graph for the northern Sierras:

[Zorra]

19. No snow in the Oregon Cascades? Wow! nt

[redqueen]

49. Is it just me

or is that frightening?

[Burge]

12. Last half of 2011 close to breaking record for warmth

The past six months were relatively warm in the Twin Cities.

The average temperature of 56.3 degrees in the second half of 2011 was the second-highest on record, according to the Minnesota Climatology Working Group.

That's 4.8 degrees above what's considered normal.

In records dating to 1873, the only warmer July-December period was in 1931, when the average was 56.8 degrees.

The average temperature in the Twin Cities for the entire year was 47.7 degrees, the 11th-warmest since 1871 and 1.5 degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_19672484?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com

Looks like the press in St. Paul isn't ignoring it.

[joshcryer]

13. ABC with Diane Sawyer actually did make the link to AGW and had on scientists.

I was pleased with the coverage.

[Survivoreesta]

14. Almost everyone in this thread seems to agree>

But only 3 recommendations. This is an odd place sometimes!

[Survivoreesta]

15. My bad!>

Four!

[ronnie624]

25. I would if I knew how. n/t

[Survivoreesta]

43. Lower left-hand corner of message "box">

But it's all right either way. Thanks for the thought!

[ronnie624]

44. Found it already. Thanks.

[pa28]

16. A November snowstorm in D.C. during a climate change hearing is national news.

Melting polar regions and snowless winters across the US are not. Big shock.

I live in a mountain town that normally has highs in the 20's or 30's this time of year and all the ski areas are closed due to lack of snow. Today was warm and sunny.

[redqueen]

50. Yeah, funny how that works.

Just like the tea party is a huge nation wide grassroots movement deserving flattering coverage but OWS is just a few dirty hippies and silly students.

Mainstream news is a very bad joke.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Here is partly why

http://nadinbrzezinski.posterous.com/a-media-critique

Read on that blog

Or here on DU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002126686

(Same effective post, one has no photos)

Car chases and crashes are easy to cover... complex things not so much.

While talking about a specific occupy story... that one is relatively easy when compared to... global weather change....

And then there is who owns them.

But as I said, that is partially the answer.

[Motown_Johnny]

20. It is the jet stream.

OK, so climate change has altered the jet stream and the jet stream is effecting the weather.



The reason is that the jet stream goes through a cycle where it sometimes holds all the arctic air up near the pole (as it is now) and sometimes drops it down to the lower latitudes (as it did last year). If we try to blame one part of the cycle on climate change then as soon as the other part of the cycle kicks in all the deniers will claim it is evidence that climate change isn't real.


More Extreme Weather Patterns



We are in one now, a warm dry one.

[thesquanderer]

32. Correct. It's not global warming.

Global warming predicts that the average temperature of the planet will increase by about 2 degrees by 2050.

The fact that some areas are experiencing temperatures of 6+ degrees above normal at the moment is not evidence of global warming, any more than the fact that we will no doubt have stretches that are well below normal in the future would be evidence that global warming does not exist.

There are connections between weather and climate, but individual short term weather events are not evidence for or against any climate projection.

[ronnie624]

34. Last year was the hottest year on record.

This year will probably be even hotter. Research shows conclusively, that since the advent of the industrial revolution, there has been a steady increase in the average global temperature, with the last thirty years seeing a rise each year.

When current weather patterns are placed in their proper context, conclusions about them can be logically drawn.

[nebenaube]

46. um... it's about 60-80 degrees above normal in Wisconsin.

We'll see on 1/18 which is usually -40 with -50 to -70 wind chills. it was in the 40's there today.

[thesquanderer]

47. Thanks for the even better example.

Some days that are 60-80 degrees above normal are not "proof" of something that is supposed to increase, on average, only 2 degrees over 40 years. Just as some other event somewhere where some days might be far below normal would not "prove" that global warming is a hoax. Individual weather events, as extreme as they may be, individually, do not prove anything here.

[nebenaube]

76. it's not some days, it's along the lines of month long trends. n/t

[hack89]

37. You are referring to the Arctic Oscillation

a very well known climate phenomena.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_oscillation

[raouldukelives]

21. Because they don't want people to question

the choices they make or Wall St makes for them. Imagine the tremors felt all across the world financial markets if people actually learned and grew a conscience about flying & driving or the consequences of the massive pollution and deforestation they profit from by investing in the stock market. The 1% care nothing for that to happen. Only the future children of this planet who won't be able to afford the comforts and safety of the privileged elite will suffer for the selfish choices of man today.

[intaglio]

23. To an extent it is the "jet stream"

Checking the http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/ NSDIC Arctic Sea Ice News gives some information.

Quote: The past two Arctic winters were dominated by a negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, a large-scale weather pattern that brings generally warm conditions to the Arctic and colder conditions to Europe and North America. In contrast, the winter of 2011 has so far seen a mostly positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation. While temperatures were above normal in the Kara and Barents seas, the positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation tends to keep the coldest winter air locked up in the Arctic, which keeps the middle latitudes free of frigid Arctic temperatures and strong snowstorms. This weather pattern helps to explain the low snow cover and warm conditions over much of the United States and Eastern Europe so far this winter.

[ronnie624]

24. Because the media establishment,

or the MSM, is owned by big corporations, the interests of which mesh perfectly with those of other big corporations. They all have an interest in promoting the status quo, because it is comfortable and profitable. There's no conspiracy or anything. It's just that there is little profit and much hard work, hard thinking and hard sacrifices associated with the type of radical change that will be required to prevent our extinction from the damage we are doing to our biosphere.

[FirstLight]

26. technically...

we are still in the 'fire season' here in the high sierras...no water at all to speak of...and after last winter lasting till july, i am relieved, but know it is bad juju.

still...a little warming would be okay, can we just skip to beach weather?

[eridani]

27. Everybody's doing something about the weather

--but nobody wants to talk about it.

[NNN0LHI]

29. When I mention to the righties around here that it sure is odd that we don't have any snow this year

They mumble something under their breath and then change the subject.

That has happened several times already.

Don

[slay]

30. Shhhh we're not supposed to question the FACT that we are causing climate change

our mainstream media has totally failed us. seem like in America these days - facts truly don't matter - reality is whatever pro-corporate conservatives want it to be cause they own and run just about every big business - including the media.

[Quantess]

31. climate change also can cause extreme cold in winter

so maybe it's a good thing that people don't always assume that warm winter = climate change.

But yes, I agree that climate change and global warming needs to be addressed. We need to do an intervention of sorts, for people still in denial that there is a problem.

[ronnie624]

41. For now.

Last edited Fri Jan 6, 2012, 03:17 PM - Edit history (1)

More energy in the atmosphere can translate into more precipitation events, even in the form of snow. At some point however, the ice at the poles will be so diminished, that there will be no more snow below certain latitudes. If we experience the feedback loops that have been theorized in recent years, such as the release of large quantities of methane from the sea floor and permafrost (a gas that is many times more potent than co2 as a catalyst for global warming ), who knows where it could all end?

[redqueen]

51. If? The massive increase in methane release has started already.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/12/1044726/-Breaking:-Bubbling--the-news-isnt-good?via=siderec

[ronnie624]

52. Thanks.

NOTHING is more important than this issue. ALL the conflict and aggression between states has to stop. Governments MUST work together NOW to address this issue. If not, I can't see our civilization surviving this century.

[redqueen]

53. At the last climate summit

it seemed like business as usual.

Maybe they're hoping for a massive negative feedback loop. I don't know but I don't have much hope.

[stuntcat]

60. yah, the snowy winter in VA couple yrs ago convinced evryone I know that environmentalists are WRONG

I was already losing hope in people.. and then came that year of absolutely idiotic comments from everyone I went near.

[DeathToTheOil]

33. The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) ALSO Recognizes it as Fact

Us Godless Commie Canucks believe in---shh, don't tell Washington---science!

[laundry_queen]

64. Still...

The weather network (here in Canada) was droning on today about the jetstream too as it was showing people golfing in January. No mention of climate change.

I'm in Edmonton. Last year we had so much g'damn snow I had no place left to shovel it (although it wasn't a particularly cold year, just tons of snow). This year I've shoveled once. And we've been on the positive side of melting more often than not. Tomorrow the high is forecast to be +7 C (43 F) and those are the kind of temps we've been having all winter. When I was growing up we often had very cold weather punctuated by numerous Chinooks. Over the last few years, only one year was snowy and none were as cold as when i was growing up - there is no cold between the chinooks. Right now, I can see my neighbour's green grass. We're under a freezing rain warning. I don't remember freezing rain ever when I was growing up. This is our 3rd time this year.

The biggest problem we have is most people in the cities (Edmonton, Winnipeg) aren't particularly concerned with global warming b/c they are rooting for it. They are loving this weather. Intellectually they know it can't be good but they are enjoying it too much.

[Uncle Joe]

35. The American People need to understand, most of the corporate media have written them off.

Last edited Fri Jan 6, 2012, 02:50 PM - Edit history (1)

You're expendable to the almighty dollar and the rule of corporate supremacy, selling commercials, making mega-bucks, brain-washing or dumbing down the people and enabling corporate supremacist loving politicians to power is what the corporate media is all about.

Thanks for the thread, Survivoreesta.

[Quantess]

66. That is the truth, and not even the slightest overstatement.

People don't want to believe that humanity is capable of such soulless greed. Soulless greed orchestrated on a massive scale is one thing we can rely on to be true in the world.

[ItNerd4life]

36. Last year was a record cold year and many Democrats said it wasn't climate change

that weather and climate aren't related. They said this because Republicans were denying global warming
because it was so cold.

[hack89]

40. They are not pretending - they are referring (indirectly) to the Arctic Oscillation

which is a very well known climate phenomena.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_oscillation

[chrisa]

45. Because it's not evidence of climate change.

We're having a different weather pattern this year.

[MineralMan]

62. And that may well be influenced by

global climate change. Or, it may not. We don't know, one way or the other at this time.

[Broderick]

54. 70 yesterday and mid 60's today

strange even for Virginia

[Survivoreesta]

67. I've seen posts from Detroit and Chicago here today>

Also reporting of oddly-warm weather, so you're not alone!

[getdown]

55. because there are certain things about the weather

that we are allowed to know

[spanone]

56. if it was extremely cold, they would be mocking global warming....you betcha

[Survivoreesta]

68. FUCK YEAH!>

Remember Inhofe and "Al Gore's New Home"?

[Generic Brad]

57. They do not hire "Climate Men"

They hire "Weather Men".

[99Forever]

59. Why?

Big oil---> Big money---> Big advertising---> Any more questions?

[MineralMan]

61. The jet stream is the reason for the weather we're having

right now. That does not mean that global climate change isn't influencing the jet stream, though. Small warming trends may well affect weather patterns. In fact, it's almost certain that it will.

So, it's not one or the other. The weather this year may be caused by the jet stream, but the jet stream is influenced by global patterns, which may include an increase in global temperature.

[neverforget]

63. Warm weather in Europe too

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html

December 2011 jet stream pattern the most extreme on record

The cause of this warm first half of winter is the most extreme configuration of the jet stream ever recorded, as measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The Arctic Oscillation (AO), and its close cousin, the North Atlantic Oscillation (which can be thought of as the North Atlantic's portion of the larger-scale AO), are climate patterns in the Northern Hemisphere defined by fluctuations in the difference of sea-level pressure in the North Atlantic between the Icelandic Low and the Azores High. The AO and NAO have significant impacts on winter weather in North America and Europe--the AO and NAO affect the path, intensity, and shape of the jet stream, influencing where storms track and how strong these storms become. During December 2011, the NAO index was +2.52, which was the most extreme difference in pressure between Iceland and the Azores ever observed in December (records of the NAO go back to 1865.) The AO during December 2011 had its second most extreme December value on record, behind the equally unusual December of 2006. These positive AO/NAO conditions caused the Icelandic Low to draw a strong south-westerly flow of air over eastern North America, preventing Arctic air from plunging southward over the U.S. and Europe.

[Survivoreesta]

69. One crucial difference>

The Europeans acknowledge that Earth is heating up. They're not afraid of the religious extremists!

[Iggo]

65. Because they're addicted to their paychecks?

[Survivoreesta]

71. No>

They're afraid of the Holy Rollers! Remember James Watt, Reagan's Interior Secretary?

[Iggo]

74. Oh yes. I remember.

The appointment of James Watt was my first inkling that there were people in the highest level of government who didn't care about people, the environment, the future, or anything other than themselves. I never got that before then. But I was starting to.

[ddeclue]

70. not here in Florida... cold spell.. it only got into the low sixties in Orlando today..

[DeathToTheOil]

75. See?????

Those climate-change liberals are just silly! Silly, I tells ya!

[former9thward]

72. What about all of the blizzards just last year?

Should the networks have had people on them denying climate change just because of all the snow last year? You don't know the difference between climate change and weather.

[Time for change]

73. Because the media is corporate owned and

concern about climate change will cut into their profits.

I'm sure they all have strict orders from the top to mention it as little as possible.

[Crabby Appleton]

77. Cold weather kills dozens in eastern Europe

[link:http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002247991|

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16817162

At least 60 people have died due to freezing conditions caused by a cold snap in eastern and central Europe.

The drop in temperatures, forcing some countries to deploy the army and set up emergency shelters, is set to continue to Friday, forecasters say.