While much of Europe is in the grip of an early winter, the "global warming--carbon dioxide" myth continues to be spread. The other day, while snow was covering the ground and the temperature was well below freezing, the battery of my wife's car broke down. She blamed it on global warming. Of course, that was in jest.
Effects Galore
But seriously, if you look at what all is described as supposedly being caused by global warming, you'll be surprised. There is a website [1], which currently lists well over 800 effects, all claimed to be caused by "climate change" or "global warming" and therefore by carbon dioxide (CO2). These claims cover anything from continental drift to diseases, from extra-marital affairs to the Loch Ness monster's demise. Mostly, the described effects are generally perceived as bad, but a few are good, such as possibly fewer hurricanes or fewer locust plagues. Not surprisingly, some of the reports contradict each other by suggesting exactly opposite effects.
Truly, I find many of these claims as much hilarious as disconcerting. They show a widespread tendency to jump aboard the closest bandwagon and to try to explain nearly anything with the latest buzz words or scientific theory. This gullibility can most readily be seen in many news reports, but is also quite commonly found in scientific papers.
Cooling = Warming
One of the strangest claims of the "warmists" is that any observed cooling, of course, is also caused by "global warming". I have yet to see any scientific (even supposedly scientific) explanation for that idea. Nevertheless, this appears to be a widely held conviction among the "believers." For example, Marlowe Hood reports that "
Counter-intuitive but true, say scientists: a string of freezing European winters scattered over the last decade has been driven in large part by global warming" [2]. Some claim it to be the result of Arctic sea ice loss due to carbon dioxide in the air. The fact that the Arctic has been in a cooling trend for the last ten years appears to have been overlooked [3], and the Arctic summer sea ice extent has not materially changed over that time either. And in terms of Britain's latest bout with unexpected wintry conditions, I think the title of Peter Foster's article "Rosy U.K. cheeks mean red faces at the Met Office" [4] hits the nail on the head.
In a nutshell, the same myths are being repeated over and over again, in the belief that they will prove the fact(s), or cause and consequences. Other examples are the myths that increased carbon dioxide in the air will lead to a catastrophic rise in ocean level s, to the Amazon rain forest drying up, to the ice sheets of Greenland and the Antarctic melting away, to the polar bears disappearing, and so forth.
Anything left?
One really has to ask: Is there anything left that CO2 is not being claimed to be responsible for? Perhaps the number of sunspots can be blamed on (Earth's) "global warming" too?
[1]
numberwatch.co.uk
[2]
physorg.com
[3]
canadafreepress.com
[4]
canadafreepress.com 
