SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Climate Deniers Lose Another Argument as Global Warming 'Pause' Proved False
'Our new analysis suggests that the apparent hiatus may have been largely the result of limitations in past datasets,' says NOAA
Jun 05, 2015
In a revelation that deals a serious blow to the already-bogus claims of climate change deniers, top scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared this week that the so-called "hiatus" in global warming--some have called it a "Faux Pause"--was never a real thing.
"Our new analysis suggests that the apparent hiatus may have been largely the result of limitations in past datasets, and that the rate of warming over the first 15 years of this century has, in fact, been as fast or faster than that seen over the last half of the 20th century," the researchers write in a paper published Thursday in the journal Science.
"These results do not support the notion of a 'slowdown' in the increase of global surface temperature," the authors said.
The Washington Post's Chris Mooney detailed the background of the spurious claim:
Starting in at least early 2013, a number of scientific and public commentators have suggested that the rate of recent global warming has slowed or even stopped. The phenomena has been variably termed a "pause," a "slowdown," and a "hiatus." Pointing to it is a favorite technique of climate change doubters -- recently employed by none other than presidential candidate Ted Cruz -- but it certainly doesn't stop with them.
In its 2013 mega report, no less than the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change appeared to validate the idea of a global warming slowdown when it noted that "the rate of warming over the past 15 years [from 1998 to 2012], which begins with a strong El Nino, is smaller than the rate calculated since 1951." Meanwhile, a bevy of scientific studies have emerged in recent years seeking to explain the slowdown with reference to various modes of natural variability within the climate system, including volcanic eruptions and -- probably the most popular account -- the temporary burial of heat deep within the vast Pacific ocean.
According to United Press International, a major difference in NOAA's new data, aside from including the last two years--which broke previous heat records--is a series of improvements in calculations, most notably in a correction that figures in the difference between temperatures measured by buoys and ships.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
climate emergencyenvironmentnoaanational oceanic and atmospheric administrationunited nationsglobal warmingclimate crisis
In a revelation that deals a serious blow to the already-bogus claims of climate change deniers, top scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared this week that the so-called "hiatus" in global warming--some have called it a "Faux Pause"--was never a real thing.
"Our new analysis suggests that the apparent hiatus may have been largely the result of limitations in past datasets, and that the rate of warming over the first 15 years of this century has, in fact, been as fast or faster than that seen over the last half of the 20th century," the researchers write in a paper published Thursday in the journal Science.
"These results do not support the notion of a 'slowdown' in the increase of global surface temperature," the authors said.
The Washington Post's Chris Mooney detailed the background of the spurious claim:
Starting in at least early 2013, a number of scientific and public commentators have suggested that the rate of recent global warming has slowed or even stopped. The phenomena has been variably termed a "pause," a "slowdown," and a "hiatus." Pointing to it is a favorite technique of climate change doubters -- recently employed by none other than presidential candidate Ted Cruz -- but it certainly doesn't stop with them.
In its 2013 mega report, no less than the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change appeared to validate the idea of a global warming slowdown when it noted that "the rate of warming over the past 15 years [from 1998 to 2012], which begins with a strong El Nino, is smaller than the rate calculated since 1951." Meanwhile, a bevy of scientific studies have emerged in recent years seeking to explain the slowdown with reference to various modes of natural variability within the climate system, including volcanic eruptions and -- probably the most popular account -- the temporary burial of heat deep within the vast Pacific ocean.
According to United Press International, a major difference in NOAA's new data, aside from including the last two years--which broke previous heat records--is a series of improvements in calculations, most notably in a correction that figures in the difference between temperatures measured by buoys and ships.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
In a revelation that deals a serious blow to the already-bogus claims of climate change deniers, top scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared this week that the so-called "hiatus" in global warming--some have called it a "Faux Pause"--was never a real thing.
"Our new analysis suggests that the apparent hiatus may have been largely the result of limitations in past datasets, and that the rate of warming over the first 15 years of this century has, in fact, been as fast or faster than that seen over the last half of the 20th century," the researchers write in a paper published Thursday in the journal Science.
"These results do not support the notion of a 'slowdown' in the increase of global surface temperature," the authors said.
The Washington Post's Chris Mooney detailed the background of the spurious claim:
Starting in at least early 2013, a number of scientific and public commentators have suggested that the rate of recent global warming has slowed or even stopped. The phenomena has been variably termed a "pause," a "slowdown," and a "hiatus." Pointing to it is a favorite technique of climate change doubters -- recently employed by none other than presidential candidate Ted Cruz -- but it certainly doesn't stop with them.
In its 2013 mega report, no less than the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change appeared to validate the idea of a global warming slowdown when it noted that "the rate of warming over the past 15 years [from 1998 to 2012], which begins with a strong El Nino, is smaller than the rate calculated since 1951." Meanwhile, a bevy of scientific studies have emerged in recent years seeking to explain the slowdown with reference to various modes of natural variability within the climate system, including volcanic eruptions and -- probably the most popular account -- the temporary burial of heat deep within the vast Pacific ocean.
According to United Press International, a major difference in NOAA's new data, aside from including the last two years--which broke previous heat records--is a series of improvements in calculations, most notably in a correction that figures in the difference between temperatures measured by buoys and ships.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.