In the Loop: February 5, 2007 Archive

Global warming? Have you stepped outside lately?

Posted at 1:00 PM on February 5, 2007 by Jeff Horwich (6 Comments)

When the temperature drops to 15 or 30 below, like it did in Minnesota last night, and you're shielding your face from the bitter wind, it might feel natural to cock an eyebrow at all the global warming brouhaha. It's a nice line for office small-talk right about now: "If we're warming up, it sure doesn't feel like it out there!"

Of course, let's not forget that January was the warmest on record in the state, and 2005 globally was perhaps the hottest year ever recorded.

This prof in Arizona attempted to answer a newspaper reader's suggestion today that a cold winter counters global warming.

Of course, to some people like the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the chill of winter apparently makes global warming look somewhat appealing: "I don't think too many people would complain if winters in Minneapolis became more like winters in Kansas City." Hmmm...sounds nice. But what are those trade-offs again?

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