Right from the beginning, the January 6 episode of CNN‘s Crossfire sounded like a bad idea. Here’s the announcement that aired at the top of the show:
How far below zero does it have to get to cool off the global warming debate?
To make things clearer, the top of the show announcement continued:
This week’s historic cold brings out the skeptics. Will it put the climate change debate in the deep freeze?
But while cold weather might “bring out” climate change deniers, it was CNN that decided to put one on Crossfire, creating a familiar—and false— “balance” between those who accept climate science and those who do not.
That “debate” was between Navin Nayak of the League of Conservation Voters and the Heritage Foundation’s David Kreutzer.
To his credit, CNN‘s host from the left, Van Jones, attempted to put the debate in a more appropriate context:
I agree with you that we should have a debate, but we should not be debating whether global warming is real, whether it’s caused by humans…. We should be debating what to do about it, not debating whether it’s happening.
But that’s hard to do when the show was evidently structured to have that very debate, especially when right-wing host Newt Gingrich was busy making erroneous claims about the so-called pause in global warming: “As for the alarmist claim that global temperatures would rise for the foreseeable future, temperatures have flat-lined for the past 16 years.” That’s misleading, but when the point of a segment is to frame a discussion about climate change around the notion that a cold snap suggests the overwhelming scientific consensus might be wrong, it can hardly be anything else.
At times, Kreutzer attempted to shift the discussion towards a different point—yes, global warming is real, but the scientists can’t know that the repercussions will be all that bad. But then he say something like, “They have a zillion models that can explain everything except the lack of warming in the past 15 years.” Actually, while scientists do have a pretty good grasp of what causes short-term fluctuations in surface temperatures, the more important point is that the long-term trend remains steadily upward—with the first decade of the 21st century showing the biggest decade-to-decade warming since accurate temperatures have been measured.
Global surface air temperature by decade in celsius (Think Progress, 9/25/13)
Kreutzer also went to some length to claim that sea ice growth challenges the scientific model, though actual scientists would tell you otherwise. The discussion was, at best, muddled—which is exactly what the fossil fuel-funded climate denial movement wants.
But one of the most interesting things about all of this is watching Gingrich play the role of climate denier. Once upon a time—in 2008, to be exact—he was appearing in a TV commercial alongside Democrat Nancy Pelosi, declaring the need to do something to address climate change. A few years later, as a Republican presidential contender, Gingrich wasn’t even sure there was such a crisis (Bloomberg, 12/1/11). It’s his current job to represent his principles—whatever they might happen to be this year.
In any event, when the inevitable heat waves hit this summer, will Crossfire be doing shows wondering whether it’s time to stop listening to climate skeptics?
What Crossfire calls “historic cold” was not particularly historic, as Wunderground’s weather historian Christopher Burt: “The only significant thing about the cold wave is how long it has been since a cold wave of this force has hit for some portions of the country–18 years, to be specific. Prior to 1996, cold waves of this intensity occurred pretty much every 5-10 years. In the 19th century, they occurred every year or two (since 1835).”
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2606
In the age of information these climate blame “believers” don’t know or care that the scientific consensus belief was nothing beyond; “maybe” by science and the IPCC, (prove me wrong) not the “belief” fed to children by “believers”. Pure Reefer Madness
Nothing short of Central Park renamed Lake Manhattan will silence this pernicious propaganda
And even then, I suspect it would be blamed on a sewer backup.
Welly well. There’s weather. There’s climate. And there’s a difference.
Global temperatures starting in 1881. Hmmm in Africa during that time cannibals were running loose. Are there huge temperature swings you bet its called summer and winter
I wonder how cold it has to get to disprove global warming?
US polar vortex sets record low temps, kills 21
Cold and chaos as storm batters Europe over festive season
Pakistan in grip of record cold wave
and these global headlines is within the last 2 weeks.
and last year
Ukraine and Russia hit by extreme cold snap and heavy snow …
An unusually cold winter across China has some regions hitting their lowest average temperatures in more than 40 years
They say climate isn’t one event but a trend……………This sure looks like a trend to me, how about you?
The media delight following the “ship in the ice” tells you everything you need to know about denial. Literally dozens of sites are dancing for joy. The Koch roaches are delirious.
This is a juicy cherry to be picked, of course. Who would have expected otherwise?
Look at the NASA temperature anomaly map. It records global temperatures.
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004030/
If you look carefully at this world map you can find a “colder” region (in blue). It’s a tiny little portion amongst the “hotter”red regions. Someone found one of the very rare blue areas (Antarctica) and the Priests of Drivel are howling their victory.
Did anyone mention that Australia had the hottest year on record? Pretty extreme, as predicted.
Denial kills. The Koch Bros. and Friends who have pumped hundreds of million into anti-science distraction/delay has conservatives tied up into knots.
Example: a typical page from the anti-science denier playbook goes like this, given the following hypothetical.
Let’s say scientists predict that 100 year floods will occur five times more often, every 20 years. So, for 19 “normal” years (on average) deniers would crow and hoot, “so where’s your climate change?’ Then on the 20th year (on average), after a massive record breaking flood, their standard meme will be “one cannot say with certainty that THIS flood was the result of climate change; we had a big flood in ____, too”
Can’t lose, right? If climate had actually changed as above, deniers would simply ignore the fact that the odds (and the frequency and the cost to life and property) of destructive floods have increased fivefold.
H0w do they sleep at nigh? Seriously.
This topic brings to mind those maps you see of Manhattan right in the center and occupying most of the page. On the outermost inch or so you start to see the nearby sections of Queens and finally in the last quarter inch you see the outlines of South America, Europe and Asia. The myopic view being conveyed is that, to those lucky souls who live at the center of the universe, i.e., Manhattan, that island constitutes the entire world.
Given this outlook on the world, global warming certainly means Manhattan has to be getting warmer. That’s all there is on the globe after all.
Those of you who have posted comments here that assume global warming is not taking place are uninformed. I admire your interest in a critical political issue and your willingness to speak out, but if you care enough to comment, you should also care enough become at least minimally informed on the subject at hand. The American democracy has been destroyed, perhaps irreversibly, because of pathetic suckers like you.
dan Global temperatures starting in 1881. Hmmm in Africa during that time cannibals were running loose. Are there huge temperature swings you bet its called summer and winter
You must have practiced for hours on end for years to be this idiotic. Trolls need to report to the traffic division for speed bump duty.
In case you didn’t know it, in many places (Like Hawaii, there is no difference in summer or winter, but many a degree or two. So your comment was not only useless, ill-informed, and out of line, but totally stupid.
In the constant back and forth between ‘warmists’ and alleged ‘deniers’ ( putting a pejorative and a false dialogue in place of the usual open ended search for abstract truth ) one line sticks out. “We have no way to tell what is scientifically plausible to think about future climates.” The Climate Elusion | Omnologos
Whilst it may be cold in your neck of the woods, over in Australia we have had temperatures up to 54 degrees C last week and next week in Adelaide, South Australia we are going to have at least 5 days over 40 gegrees C
“In any event, when the inevitable heat waves hit this summer, will Crossfire be doing shows wondering whether it’s time to stop listening to climate skeptics?”
To answer the question above, one simply needs to understand the values of the owners of CNN and the producers and staff of Crossfire. At the time this episode of Crossfire aired, there is a record breaking heat wave in Australia and other parts of the southern hemisphere (it’s currently summer in the southern hemisphere). By the logic of the Crossfire staff exhibited by this episode, they should bring climate scientists on their show, warning about the implications and current consequences of global warming. Instead, the Crossfire staff values having a discussion that promotes climate change/global warming denial.
See, this is why I don’t watch CNN anymore, as if having Gingrich as a host and Wolf Blitzer–well, having him–isn’t reason enough. Glad that FAIR reports on this stuff, so we don’t have to watch.
A story today in Variety about CNN CEO Jeff Zucker’s (remember “Airplane”?) feud with Fox’s ferret-in-chief Roger Aisles seems to indicate that he understands something about news media today: “CNN chief Jeff Zucker fired back at Fox News Channel CEO Roger Ailes on Friday, saying his understanding is that an upcoming Ailes biography “confirms what we’ve known along, which is the Republican Party is being run out of News Corp. headquarters, masquerading as a cable channel.” The story later says “Zucker referred to rivals Fox News and MSNBC as “two partisan networks, that are looking out for their viewers.” He suggested, as the network long has, that CNN can occupy a neutral middle ground.”
There’s no neutral ground when you give Gingrich a plaform, or lend credence to the phoney “debate” on climate change, or even countenance such a thing as if cold weather supports the deniers.
No, Zucker may be a nice Hollywood liberal (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but CNN as a news organization lost its mojo years ago, and it’s clear Zucker doesn’t see why.
My children learned the difference between climate and weather in 8th grade. Apparently, Newt Gingrich and CNN did not.
For accurate information about climate change, please watch the Weather Channel. During the inane comments on cable news this past week (How can cold be caused by hot?) the Weather Channel gave a clear, comprehensive overview of global conditions (really helpful maps and temperature changes), with cautions NOT to draw conclusions of the relatively small area of the U.S. It’s time to open a good atlas and look at a map of Russia – then look at the changes in higher temperature in that zone. Before drawing conclusions, commentators should be thorougly informed and not go wandering off into the “vortex” to offer their audiences misinformed, misguided, and just plain wrong information.
And the rest of the planet’s Global Warming? Australia’s blazing summer of record temperatures is ignored. Republicans and their bought off mainstream media lie about everything. They get this tactic from the CIA. Mass stupidity works for them. It is all they have.
Just as we can count on the media’s “war on Christmas” every holiday season, so too can we count on their climate change/global warming “debates” every winter. Just as we can also count on nothing but crickets from them during the blistering heat of summertime.’
This “debate” nonsense has grown old and tired. Van Jones is right- it’s way past time to focus on the solutions.
Temperatures over a short time prove little.It is funny though that during these brutal winters the global warming theorists sound so silly.And no-one sees the irony in 50 global warming scientist getting trapped in an ice field(that they said did not exist)200 miles from where they believed ice to be.But there is a simple fact.The ice fields expected to be gone are returning.In many places at alarming rates.Global “warming” of a degree or two was a fact between 1948-1995.The reasons why up for debate.Since then- temps have stopped climbing and are now dropping.Again at alarming rates.Polar bears and seals are exploding in population.But the smell of blood in the water(money) ws to much for libs.And they tried to pull a fast one.Yes libs being the greedy little mongers they are, dove in with both webbed feet.Money money money.Now they are furious that once again they were thwarted from forcing the world to agree to their every pronouncement.It seems that those scientists who prognosticated that due to the lack of sun activity ,that the earth was on a general cooling trend have been proven right.Their models are being vindicated.The global warming models are not standing up to scrutiny.On any level.The problem is models aside….pollution is pollution.We should all be working to do better on that front irregardless of the short or long term guesses about what the effects may be.Obama tried to politicise this as an end run for more tax hikes.Too many Dems are still fishing those waters.Now they call it global climate change(instead of warming)Thats called Im not giving an inch on my argument no matter what happens.Well here is a news flash.We are not giving you any more tax hikes.Maybe once you get that through your thick heads…you will stop worrying these theories to death.Tell a kid not to throw trash.Not because the world will end, but because it is wrong.Dont tax to stop pollution.Give tax breaks!
And… (the other shoe) will they have this “debate” (read Reich Wing circle-jerk) again, when we get our next, inevitable, heat wave?
Don’t count on it. They only like the preprogrammed “answers” that dumb people (their core audience, duh) will infer from the cold part of the energy cycle.
Wha a joke your reasoning is! One degree Fahrenheit over 120 years. Ooou, how scary! Why don’t you examne the methodologies for these reports, which are less than accurate to say the least. Why don’t you notice the investment of the “climatologists” on this topic: they are in it for power and influence, and are getting it, despite the lousy job they are doing. Even when there was a downturn in temperatures by their own accounting, now actually six years long, true believers, viz., damn folols all, still never mention these palpable facts, while the graphs show it plainly. These folks never heard of the word, “counterfactual.”