Environment

IPCC Report Blames Extreme Weather on Climate Change…But Should It?

IPCC Report Diverts Focus From Rising Temps to Extreme WeatherAn international panel of climate scientists is blaming global warming on the relatively recent severe storms, droughts and heat waves. Not only that but it is stating nations should prepare for an unprecedented onslaught of more deadly and costly weather disasters.

The 594-page report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the scale of recent and future disasters are a combination of man-made climate change, population shifts and poverty. But are these factors really to blame for the weather? NASA explains that there is a difference between weather and climate — that difference is a measure of time:

Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere “behaves” over relatively long periods of time.

When we talk about climate change, we talk about changes in long-term averages of daily weather.

The example of between weather and climate change provided by NASA is a parent describing the big snow storms of yesteryear (this would be weather) are not as severe as those experienced by their children. This “change in recent winter snow [would] indicate that the climate has changed since their parents were young.” Climate scientists themselves note the difference between recent weather events and climate.

In the past, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, founded in 1988 by the United Nations, has focused on the slow inexorable rise of temperatures and oceans as part of global warming. But this report by the panel is the first to look at the less common but more noticeable extreme weather changes, which recently have been costing on average about $80 billion a year in damage.

“We mostly experience weather and climate through the extreme,” said Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field, who is one of the report’s top editors. “That’s where we have the losses. That’s where we have the insurance payments. That’s where things have the potential to fall apart.”

(Related: New poll claims belief in global warming is rising, but that’s not the whole story)

The scientists are citing certain places as more at risk for extreme, damaging weather. They state parts Mumbai in India, could become uninhabitable from floods, storms and rising seas. Other cities at lesser risk include Miami, Shanghai, Bangkok, China’s Guangzhou, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, Myanmar’s Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon) and India’s Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta). The people of small island nations, such as the Maldives, may also need to abandon their homes because of rising seas and fierce storms.

Field pointed to storm-and-flood-prone Bangladesh, an impoverished country that has learned from its past disasters. In 1970, a Category 3 tropical cyclone named Bhola killed more than 300,000 people. In 2007, a stronger cyclone killed only 4,200 people. Despite the loss of life, the country is considered a success story because it was better prepared and invested in warning and disaster prevention, Field said.

Yet, the report seems to contradict some of these warnings with low to moderate confidence levels in the observed changes in some of these weather events:

  • There is low confidence in any observed long-term (i.e., 40 years or more) increases in tropical cyclone activity.
  • There is low confidence in observed trends in small spatial-scale phenomena such as tornadoes and hail because of data inhomogeneities and inadequacies in monitoring systems.
  • There is medium confidence that some regions of the world have experienced more intense and longer droughts, in particular in southern Europe and West Africa, but in some regions droughts have become less frequent, less intense, or shorter
  • There is limited to medium evidence available to assess climate-driven observed changes in the magnitude and frequency of floods at regional scales because the available instrumental records of floods at gauge stations are limited in space and time, and because of confounding effects of changes in land use and engineering. Furthermore, there is low agreement in this evidence, and thus overall low confidence at the global scale regarding even the sign of these changes.

When the summary report was released in November 2011, James Taylor in Forbes called these “scientific gaps regarding asserted connections between global warming and extreme weather events.” At that same time, chairman of the IPCC Dr. Rajendra Pachauri told the Guardian that he expected strong denial over the link between climate change and recent extreme weather events: ”As we said in the 2007 assessment report,” he told me, “floods, droughts, and heatwaves will all increase. We abide by that, and we hope the world accepts it. We can never link a specific event, but the aggregate analysis is totally sound.”

Here’s a video report from IPCC of the report:

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Comments (50)

1 2
  • Bill Wallace
    Posted on March 29, 2012 at 1:27am

    Does it even matter anymore?

    Anyone who thinks this is still about science is a fool. No matter how much is presented contrary to the global warming theory, it gets mocked, ridiculed, excoriated.

    This is not, and never was, about science. It is purely about agenda.

    Report Post »  
    • amdoktor
      Posted on March 29, 2012 at 11:45pm

      http://wakeup-world.com/2011/05/13/solar-system-climate-change/
      Here’s the proof its a scam. Scientist who are not bought and paid by the agenda driven groups looking for grants, say it is a solar system wide event. Article above presents facts from a scientific point of view.
      Who was it who said“ Never let a good crisis go top waste” Yes, is is warming, Man has nothing to do with it.
      God bless us all

      Report Post » amdoktor  
  • FugMan
    Posted on March 29, 2012 at 1:23am

    I remember being indoctrinated while in the 5th grade about “Acid Rain” and how terrible it was. Did that just simply go away too like “Global Warming?“ Now it is ”Climate Change?” How conveniant.

    Report Post » FugMan  
  • wvernon1981
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 11:51pm

    And that kind of reasoning is why religion is dangerous.

    Report Post »  
  • Robert999
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 11:34pm

    Global warming is a liberal myth. God will not allow man to destroy the world.

    Report Post »  
  • Black Manta
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 10:48pm

    It’s called H.A.A.R.P research…do your homework…..

    Report Post » Black Manta  
  • MrObvious
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 10:46pm

    Good thing there’s still the NIPCC report – to help counterbalance the IPCC’s factually challenged presentations.
    http://nipccreport.org/

    Report Post »  
  • South Philly Boy
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 10:44pm

    ipcc, algore or ANYBODY ELSE = FRAUD

    Report Post » South Philly Boy  
  • MrObvious
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 10:41pm

    Of course MMAGW is bunk. Anyone capable of reading and doing basic math can figure that out – if they start with an open mind, and a willingness to do their homework.
    Of course storms cost money – they really needed 523 pages to say that?
    As long as the suns output remains variable, our global climate average is going to change.
    Nothing, people do or don’t do will change that – at least not anytime soon; as, the tech is not even on the drawing boards yet. One thing is for sure though. If you want to manipulate the global climate average, CO2 won’t work. Putting measuring stations on parking lots, and near ovens can get you higher reported numbers; but, their not real. We don’t even have a system in place to accurately measure the global average, to the precisions listed in the media and IPCC reports. We have a system that’s accurate to, maybe, within a few degrees; and, they’re panicking (or expecting us to) over 10ths of a degree. Meanwhile, the EPA have (as expected) begun a Cap & Trade system, via regulations. O joy, more court battles and higher electric bills, to go alongside our higher gas prices.

    Report Post »  
  • capitalismrocks
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 9:37pm

    So, the dust bowl must’ve been global warming 80 years ago, the droughts, tornado‘s and other severe weather in the 1800’s, 1700′s, 1400′s, and prior… that must all be global warming too, huh?

    I suppose the 40 days and 40 nights of rain and the great flood of Noah…. yup, those damned animals, two by two and all their carbon emissions causing all that severe weather….

    Report Post » capitalismrocks  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 10:08pm

      “I suppose the 40 days and 40 nights of rain and the great flood of Noah…. yup, those damned animals, two by two and all their carbon emissions causing all that severe weather….”

      Not caused by climate change because the flood never happened.

      Report Post »  
    • mr.goodvibe
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 11:40pm

      The flood never happened huh. Why does every ancient culture have a deluge story? Cause if everyone says it then it must be true, right?

      Report Post » mr.goodvibe  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 11:53pm

      Shared mythology? Where is the geological evidence of a world wide flood? Is the entire geological community conspiring to hide evidence of a global flood?

      Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:52pm

    A Scientist giving an Opinion or Prediction… is Not Science… rather, just another Human stating some thoughts upon a subject!

    Dear Scientist… tell me how Yeast functions?

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • TheBurningTruth
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:46pm

    The Economist (a British magazine) had an excellent article on exactly this subject this past year. They analyzed the biggest storms of the last century and concluded that the size / severity of the storms hadn’t changed over the last century, what HAD changed was that man had in general built in many areas where things like flooding or tornadoes already occurred. Just look at the US East Coast if you want to see an area where hurricanes pass through EVERY SINGLE year. Damage tolls have consistently gone up as a result of more property destruction, NOT worse storms. Same with the mid-west, and with earthquakes on the West Coast.

    But, since the IPCC needs to “prove” these false allegations to justify their allocations, they surely do. If I could get a job where I had to prove that the sun rose every day to justify a huge salary, I’d be out every morning with a camera to prove just that.

    Report Post » TheBurningTruth  
  • Maxim Crux
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:28pm

    They are using the excuse as part of their agenda to tax the air we breath.

    Report Post »  
    • Ruler4You
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:45pm

      Well, you go to all the trouble of creating an ‘IPCC’ with a bunch of self important know nothing morins, the last thing you want is to all sit around eating catered food looking like a bunch of elitist idiots. You have to blame some thing, even if you can’t prove anything. That was your purpose from the start. H e l l the name comes with a bias built right into it.

      This ‘panel’ isn’t about science and there was no pretense about it from the beginning. The agenda “IS” about how to apply “punishments” for IPCC perceptions of violations of what they have decided violates their policy on pseudo science conclusions with ZERO merit.

      Report Post » Ruler4You  
  • LKYPRL
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:58pm

    IPCC is just perpetuating the global HOAX that they started. They would not know the difference between the truth and a crap sandwich!

    Report Post » LKYPRL  
  • Joel Knows
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:48pm

    They need to learn to hold their breath…one of the best ways to beat man-made CO2! That would only be right for them to lead by example!

    Report Post » Joel Knows  
  • REPUB1
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:45pm

    how can man do such severe damage in such a short time??? He CAN’T why ?????? because God is still on the Throne. AMEN show me the MONEY TRAIL SUKA

    Report Post »  
  • REPUB1
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:42pm

    what a bunch of MORONS it WAS ME ALONG!!!!!!!!!! HA HA HA HA HA try and catch me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOOLS

    Report Post »  
    • scuba13
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 9:27pm

      You better be careful, that sounds like something Encinom would say.

      Report Post » scuba13  
  • TROONORTH
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:37pm

    As long as the so called ‘green industry’ can point at ‘man made global warming’ to justify their industry and the billions of dollars governments throw down that particular rat hole, we will continue to be lied to about the myth of global warming. Follow the dollar.

    Report Post » TROONORTH  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:44pm

      I say follow the dollar to the super rich oil companies who put out this anti-green propaganda that the right has bought into.

      Report Post »  
    • TheObamanation
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:49pm

      Like Solyndra wv ?

      Report Post » TheObamanation  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:18pm

      My actual point was that it’s easy to throw out conspiracy theories based on intuition. It’s harder to make an actual case for them.

      Report Post »  
    • TheBurningTruth
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:40pm

      Oil companies don’t need any kind of hoax, they just need to keep selling their product. It’s frauds like Al the Wh*re Gore that’s amassed over $100M and all the corrupt deals like Solyndra that need the Green story to be true. After all, the “big” oil companies in the US are small potatoes on the world oil market. They own and control less than 10% of the world’s oil.

      People that blame the oil companies for everything are the “Chicken Littles” scared of the boogeyman. After all, those dirty mean oil companies provide you with your very living standard. Try living without ANY oil if you think so poorly of them.

      Report Post » TheBurningTruth  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 10:34pm

      I actually don’t know if there is a conspiracy by the oil companies to keep pushing against climate change. I have no evidence they are engaging in a conspiracy as I have no evidence climate scientists are engaging in a massive conspiracy to fleece the public. I do think it would be easier for the hydrocarbon companies to engage in a conspiracy to discredit climate science given there are far fewer scientists and organizations that are involved if this is the case. You would otherwise have to believe that 97 percent of published climatologists are frauds and that they have been perpetuating the fraud since the late 1800′s when atmospheric CO2 was first postulated to cause global warming.

      Report Post »  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 11:02pm

      Why
      The Super Rich oil Co’s make 2-3 cents per gallon profit ,, after actually employing people and creating jobs. The Federal Gov makes 17.4 cents (Profit????) per Gallon for no work and no jobs created. The State of CT makes 34.7 cents (Profit????) per gallon for no work and creating NO jobs. Get your head out of BARRY”S posterior

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • HKS
      Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:03am

      Wow, some great points here, gasoline and tobacco are government business. Someone said follow the money and it looks like the government is getting it all for nothing here. In the case of tobacco the government is using Prohibition style promotion to ensure it goes on forever. If you think they really want people to get off the stuff you are buying into it and politicians win again. In the case of gas, the price going up is like a free raise, they get percentages. Looks like the Obumer group got us all again. Obama is out on tour trying to make you like it.

      Report Post » HKS  
  • TheObamanation
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:32pm

    They can believe what they want to believe … just don’t make me pay for it

    Report Post » TheObamanation  
  • HorseCrazy
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:29pm

    the educated idiots at it again. one needs to look no further than the farmers almanac to figure out that weather changes and has cycles.

    Report Post »  
  • Stoic one
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:22pm

    What connection is there that this is caused by humans activity? what about the past decade of cooling?

    What there evidence this is a power-grab? A money-grab? Resource -grab?

    I see more grabbing than empirical evidence.

    Report Post » Stoic one  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:38pm

      And are you an expert in the current state of climate science? Have you spent years reading the research in the journals? If not, you don‘t get to say there isn’t any empirical evidence.

      Report Post »  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:15pm

      Nope, Repub. I don’t know the truth. I just hate it when people rely too much on their own intuition and expertise. I’m not saying this is the case for Stoic. He or she might be a climatologist.

      As far as you go, Repub, you’re not making a very good case for your own intelligence with that response.

      Report Post »  
    • TheObamanation
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:24pm

      wv I hate when people rely on their expertise too … I’d rather listen to man-bear-pig

      Report Post » TheObamanation  
    • RightThinking1
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 9:15pm

      @wvernon1981
      Uh…, and what is Pachauri’s background? Climatology? Meteorology? Physics? Why, no, none of those. It’s economics, of course! By golly, *he* certainly is someone we ought to listen to.
      I have to give Pachaun credit for one thing…, the world’s worst comb-over. Take a look at this guy. Does he look like someone you might take seriously?…, or a nut-job?:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajendra_K._Pachauri

      Report Post »  
    • Therightsofbilly
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 10:28pm

      Hey Vern,

      How do you decide which “Fairy Tales” you do, or do not believe in?

      Flip a coin?

      http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304636404577291352882984274.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

      Report Post » Therightsofbilly  
    • HKS
      Posted on March 29, 2012 at 8:16am

      There is nothing happening today that has not happen before, in fact and history will confirm, what we are seeing is mild in comparison. Illinois was once a tropical state, if you have ever looked into the Grand Canyon you have no doubt that something violent happened there at some point in time. I don’t think there were many humans around then.Entire civilizations are missing and who know what else, crying wolf when the weather changes is just plane stupid.

      Report Post » HKS  
  • ReddirtOkie
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:22pm

    What’s the old saying – Figures don’t lie but liars can figure.

    Report Post »  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:20pm

    I‘m partial to the ice age these ’scientists‘ predicted we would have back in the 70’s.

    Report Post » progressiveslayer  
  • Greenwood
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:12pm

    Cap and Trade that should fix it…………….

    Report Post » Greenwood  
    • oldguy49
      Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:21pm

      can’t believe they are still beating this dead horse…………

      Report Post »  
  • stang289
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:06pm

    Keep Geoengineering the climate. What else would you expect ? http://treasurecoastskywatch.blogspot.com/

    Report Post » stang289  
  • trolltrainer
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:06pm

    I blame climate change on the extreme weather. Damn climate changes minute to minute…

    Report Post »  
1 2

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love