Letter: Climate change measured over decades, not weather patterns

By Letter to the Editor on January 16, 2024.

Dear editor,

A writer in Ticked Off/Tickled Pink on Jan. 11 stated the warm 2023 December was not evidence the “world may be ending,” a veiled attack on global warming.

This attack misleads because it is the average temperatures for decades, not for one season in a year, that is evidence of global warming.

Climate scientists look at temperatures as far back as records have been kept, for decades, and observe a trend of rising global annual temperatures.

There have been discrepant months, even years. But the overall trend, proven by the records, has been higher annual average temperatures. Based on the past it is most likely the annual temperature average in 2024 will be higher, more evidence to show a warming trend.

Even if the average temperature for 2024 is below past decades, it does not disprove that a trend of rising temperatures, global warming, has been observed.

It would weaken the evidence a bit, but that is all. It takes more than one discrepancy to disprove a trend.

The “end of the world” writer needs to examine the appropriate evidence.

Michael Seitz

Medicine Hat

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