Russ Steele
This article on the 2010 natural disasters in The Union caught my eye this morning, it was an interesting use of online media.
I was OK with the article until I read the write up under the graphic, which I captured below.
Note the mention of global warming as one of the causes for man made disasters. If we remove Mother Nature's volcanos and earth quakes, we are left with the Tennessee floods, Russian heat waves, and Pakistan floods, the Gulf Oil Spill and Hungary sludge spill. I think we can all agree that the oil and sludge spills can be racked up to human stupidity, leaving the floods and heat waves caused by global warming.
Lets check the facts:
Russian Heat Waves: NOAA on the Russian heat wave: blocking high, not global warming
Tennessee Flood: Not an unusual event, unless these events in the great state of Tennessee in 1927, 1947, 1950, 1955, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1986 were also unusual flood events. Details here.
Pakistan Flood: Natural variability, not an unusual event according to a leading climate scientist:
“A rapid transition of the ENSO phase from El Niño to La Niña between spring and summer of 2010 appears to be the key element in triggering a vigorous monsoon of 2010 over the Indian subcontinent…….the 2010 Pakistan floods, although seemingly unprecedented, were well within natural variability of monsoonal climate over the Indian subcontinent.” Details here.
Exit Question: What was it the AP thought was caused by global warming, oil and sludge spills, volcanos, or earth quakes?
