The
new Met Office report, saying that the effects of climate change are now “unmistakable”, is interesting. It seems to be the most comprehensive measure of global change yet, taking into account atmospheric temperature changes at sea level and in the upper atmosphere, ocean temperatures, and sea level rises. We are told “unequivocally that the world is warming and has been for more than three decades”.
What to make of this?
Well, it depends. If you’re a reader on these blogs, almost certainly you’ll say that this is yet another example of the conspiracy by various shadowy forces – the government, grant-hunting climatologists, the Met Office, Al Gore, Big Windfarm – to enforce ineffectual yet economy-crippling measures on the public in an attempt to stop an imaginary threat. You may use the phrase “ManBearPig” at some point.
Conversely, if you work in the press office of an environmental charity, you may see this as an opportunity to push the fear of global warming a bit harder: it’s definitely happening, you could say, and we all know global warming is going to be a catastrophe, so quick, let’s throw a few more billions at it, eh?