Cold Weather Does Not Invalidate Climate Change
Folks in the Northeast US are being subjected to some serious plummeting Polar Vortex temperatures. It’s so cold out that escaped convicts are turning themselves in to prison to stay warm. It’s so cold in DC my phone’s weather app is displaying temperature in Kelvin. No surprise then that climate change deniers are out in full force, claiming that the current cold temperatures must be proof that climate change is a hoax. Sadly, this isn’t new. Three winters ago I appeared on Fox when much of the Northeast was buried under blizzards and freezing temperatures, and the fact-challenged host tried to assert that the cold snap proves climate change doesn’t exist. Curl up with your favorite quilt, a mug of hot chocolate and watch my interview where I calmly discuss how cold weather doesn’t invalidate science. Or as climate scientist Michael Mann says, “We climate scientists actually have a technical term for this phenomenon: it’s called winter.” And be careful walking out there, because the “polar vortex causes hundreds of injuries as people making snide remarks about climate change are punched in the face.”
Tyson Slocum is Director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program. Follow him on Twitter @TysonSlocum