Media Matters writes that most TV meteorologists recognize that climate change is real, though Fox News is misleading on the subject.
In April, George Mason University published a national survey of TV weathercasters in partnership with the American Meteorological Society, Climate Central, NASA, NOAA, and Yale University.
According to their website, the purpose of the survey was to assess weathercasters’ views on climate change and their interests and activities in reporting on the local impacts of climate change.
Is the U.S. seen as the world’s “last bastion” of climate change denial?
“The church bulletin inserts are nearly ready to go,” claims the New York Times. So are the emails to every Roman Catholic parish in the United States with preaching suggestions for the first Sunday after Pope Francis releases his “encyclical” (report) on the environment.
A week after that, on June 28th, churches worldwide are being asked to ring their bells at noon to commemorate a “Thank you, Pope Francis” march in Rome being held on that day.
Never before, say church leaders, has a papal encyclical been anticipated so eagerly by so many.
Advocates for the environment and the poor are excited, because Francis is expected to make the case that climate change, unchecked development, and over-consumption are exacerbating problems for the poor.
However, the leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States may be harder to win over, writes the New York Times.
At the spring meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops last week, bishops from around the country said they were withholding their enthusiasm until they saw the document on Thursday the 18th of June, writes The New York Times.
Some said they were wary about getting the church enmeshed in the debate over climate change, a contentious issue in the United States.
They also expressed concern about allying with environmentalists, some of whom promote “population control” as a remedy, since the Church sees abortion and contraception as “great evils” writes The New York Times.
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami gave a presentation to the bishops on the climate change encyclical as chairman of the committee on domestic justice and human development.
He said the pope’s message would ultimately “transcend” the divisions over the environment and climate change, writes The New York Times.
“The pope is not approaching this as a scientist, he’s not approaching this as a politician,” Archbishop Wenski said at a news conference. “I think he’s trying to approach the issue of creation care as a pastor and as a teacher.”
In the U.S., climate change is still being debated among many. Above is a vintage video from 2014 of Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn and Bill Nye debating climate change on NBC’s Meet The Press.
Is it “intellectually consistent” to have cold winters and still believe in global warming?
Global warming is all about averages. What if the average summer temperature goes up by one degree, but the average winter, spring, and fall temperatures stay the same? That means the average yearly temperature will still go up slightly (because the summer was hotter). But the winter temperature was still the same = still cold.
What if the area where you live has the same temperature every year, but the average temperature in the desert keeps going up? Or the average temperature of the oceans?
Do the current droughts and floods in the U.S. relate to global warming? One of California’s biggest sources of water – the mountain snowpack – is practically already gone for the rest of the summer.
Scientist Bill Nye sent out a tweet linking the flooding to global warming, with predictable results.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th.
Weather Underground stated that the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season ended up with below average activity. There were 8 named storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 intense hurricanes, and an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) that was 63% of the 1981 – 2010 median.
Fox 12 Oregon states that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued their forecast back in May. They anticipated seven to 12 named storms, with three to six of those becoming strong enough to be classified as a hurricane.
Myfoxorlando.com stated that though the season was quiet, the National Hurricane Center was able to use new tools that could improve the track and intensity predictions.
Meanwhile, the eastern North Pacific hurricane season was its busiest since 1992, with 20 named storms.
OK, Fine. 