Chicago PM Wednesday 16 January 2013

Voice of the People, Chicago Tribune  

Gentlepeople:

The Chicago Tribune article “2012 among hottest on record,
US Agencies find” [Wednesday 16 January] opens “The
average global temperature in 2012 was among the 10 hottest
since official record keeping began in 1880...” then proceeds
to demonstrate this  with statements: “Last year’s average
global temperature was about 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit, or
about 1.0 degree Fahrenheit warmer than the mid-20th century
baseline” and  “2012 was the 36th year in a row that the global
average temperature was above the 20th century mean of 57
degrees Fahrenheit,” even quoting a NASA climatologist:
“One more year of numbers isn't in itself significant... What
matters is this decade is warmer than the last decade, and that
decade was warmer than the decade before. The planet is
warming.”

What matters is the pathetically small amount of data available
 to back up these claims.  This can be demonstrated by using
a mathematical model projecting the 4.5 billion year age of the
planet on to something easier to comprehend: an 80-year
human lifetime.  Such a model  shows a single year of earth
time equivalent to 0.562 seconds of that 80-year lifespan.  In
this model humans first appeared on earth 39 days ago. They
had no idea of measuring temperature before Galileo's 1593
thermometer invention, 4 minutes ago to our geezer. Discovery
of carbon dioxide in 1630? 3 minutes 30 seconds ago.

Applying this model to some of the landmarks given in the
article: that 'official record keeping' that began in 1880, began
74 seconds ago in the model, and that ”36th year in a row that
the global average temperature was above the 20th century
mean” is the 19th second in a row in the model.

If a doctor takes an 80-year-old's blood pressure and gets
120/80, five minutes later does it again and gets 124/76. does
she call an ambulance?

Arnold H Nelson

 ah_nelson@yahoo.com