Gord Stewart's opinion piece in Saturday's Northern Advocate is critical of the the Government's planned reduction of carbon dioxide as being insufficient to prevent climate change or as it was called "global warming".
On the contrary, the Government should be commended on its stance. Mr Stewart should be reminded of a few climate facts.
There has been no global warming for more than 18 years. That is right; the world's temperature, as recorded by satellites, has flat-lined for almost two decades despite the climate models all forecasting increasing temperatures during this period and despite increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The Antarctic sea ice is at its largest extent since satellite records began 35 years ago. Arctic sea ice has recovered from its 2012 low. A few years ago the warmists were predicting the Arctic would be ice-free by now.
Snow in the temperate regions was going to become a very rare event. Mr Stewart should talk to Southland farmers, one of whom, on National Radio, described last winter as "brutal". We were told to expect millions of climate refugees driven out by sea level rises. The Kiribati overstayer claiming he was a climate refugee was sent home to Kiribati where sea levels have shown no trend since at least 1993.
While there is a likelihood of some slight warming in the next year caused by the strong el Nino, many eminent scientists are predicting a cooling during the next two decades due to the lowest solar activity seen in the last century.
Every drought, flood or storm is now blamed on "climate change", whatever that is, although the world has not warmed for almost two decades. In fact hurricanes and cyclones are less frequent than the yearly average.
Peter Fraser Smith
Russell
(abridged)
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