On 26/03/2013 11:12, Tim Watts wrote:
On Tuesday 26 March 2013 11:01 Mike Tomlinson wrote in uk.d-i-y:

In article , Bob Martin
writes

[Please could you snip your quotes? Thanks]

Just what does a spell of British weather have to do with global climate?

It may mean that we actually get weather more appropriate to our high
latitude in a world that is on average globally warmer but not for us.

But it's not just in the UK that we're experiencing weather extremes,
it's worldwide.

That can still be a sampling effect we get much better reporting of
weather extremes now than we have had in previous decades.

There's "climate change" and there're "fluctuations in weather sometimes
hitting extremes".

It is impossible to tell from any single incident, but if it keeps on
happening then I think you have to accept that the climate is changing.
When "hundred year floods" occur every couple of years I think you have
to pay attention to the risks of building new homes on flood plains.

Plenty of homes have been built on fields that locals knew were very
dodgy but that doesn't help the incomers until they get wet feet.

BTW What happened to the uninsurable flood insurance showdown?

I contend we are dealing with the latter until a majority or respectable
meteorologists agree otherwise.

The vast majority of respectable meteorologists have long since agreed
that global warming is a real effect and that CO2 and other greenhouse
gasses are responsible for driving it. It is hard to decide whether or
not the warmer world will be stormier with more extremes or not. You can
argue it either way from a physics point of view and either could be
correct depending on the circumstances - thermal gradient from pole to
equator will decrease as the poles warm faster but a warmer atmosphere
will carry more water vapour and with it latent heat. Vertically there
may be a steeper thermal gradient at some latitudes.

There is a rearguard action by US coal, Exxon and it's deniers for hire
to prevent the general public hearing what scientists have to say. They
honed their disinformation skills working for big tobacco manufacturing
doubt to keep the suckers smoking. And it is a very effective tactic.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown