Climate Change vs. Global Warming

This is being discussed here, thought I'd show you this:

Global Warming vs. Climate Change Use of the terms "Global Warming" vs. "Climate Change" in books

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If global warming is the cause, climate change is the effect. If one considers one's local climate, speaking of global warming might make one think that the effect would be their local climate getting warmer. If the actual local climate change caused by global warming is colder winters, this might be considered evidence against global warming. One often sees any local colder event cited as evidence against global warming.

By Jim Thomerson (not verified) on 20 Feb 2013 #permalink

Surely "global warming" is a type of climate change. Individual cold events are not climate change, because individual events are not climate. "Climate" is the long term average weather.

"Global warming" doesn't predict everywhere on the globe to get warmer. If a particular local climate gets colder, that's not evidence against global warming, it's just an irrelevant exception.

Greenhouse gases are the cause of "global warming" and (anthropogenic) "Climate change." Global warming is one aspect of the changes we can expect due to increased greenhouse gases.

Local climate is, of course, the local averages for the last 30 years at your place (back in the 1950's when I took courses in meterology and climatology, it was 40 years.) There are predictions about the results of global warming which say that some areas will get colder winters, more snow, etc. These predictions are not irrelevant exceptions. However, the naive person, who expects the effect of global warming to be a simple increase in average temperatures at their house, can think that predicted colder winters where they live are evidence against global warming.

By Jim Thomerson (not verified) on 21 Feb 2013 #permalink

I think that the term Climate Change is far more appropriate, even though it was proposed by Frank Luntz the Republican pollster to make it not seem so bad. Drought here, harsher winters there, carbon dioxide being absorbed at higher concentrations in the oceans, all results of a higher global average temperature.

By Michael R Haubrich (not verified) on 23 Feb 2013 #permalink

I have come to the conclusion that we all have a little blame global warming and its consequences and guilt even more politicians who do not slow down.

http://www.globalwarmingweb.com/