John Hinderaker writes for the Powerline blog about another case of journalistic malfeasance from a leading legacy media outlet.
More ignorance from the New York Times: “Without Climate Change, U.S. Heat Wave Called ‘Virtually Impossible.”
“Heat and humidity as severe, prolonged and far-reaching as this week’s would have been ‘virtually impossible’ in the Northeast and eastern Canada before humans began warming the planet, a team of scientists said on Friday.” …
“To estimate how much climate change increased the likelihood of this week’s sweltering conditions, the scientists analyzed records of a measurement of heat stress called ‘wet bulb globe temperature,’ a figure that accounts for humidity, wind and direct sunlight. Given that the heat wave is still unfolding, the researchers combined weather observations and forecast data.”
Of course they did.
The Times article sounds the usual warnings about fossil fuels and global warming. Remarkably, however, it fails to cite any actual data regarding heat waves. Are heat waves getting more frequent or more severe?
No, they aren’t. Heat waves peaked in the 30s and 50s and generally have been in decline since then.
Cold snaps have declined too, for what that is worth.
Why do some people fall for unscientific nonsense about heat waves? Because of air conditioning. Seventy years ago, the temperature may actually have been higher, but hardly anyone had air conditioning. So our bodies acclimated to the heat over the spring and summer. Today, we spend most of our time indoors, likely at around 68 degrees. Then, when we step outside and it is 90 instead of 68, we say OMG! The heat is intolerable! …
… [I]n 1776, we were in the depths of the Little Ice Age. Temperatures were abnormally low. Remember the stories you read in your youth about how cold it was at Valley Forge? And Washington crossing the Delaware through the ice?
Yeah, those stories were true. Happily, the Earth has now returned to more normal temperatures, although it is still colder now than it has been the large majority of the time since the end of the last Ice Age.
