Another Glorious Day of Climate Change

In 1987 Michael Fish stood in front of his weather map and told everyone not to worry, a hurricane was not about to hit the United Kingdom. While some might dwell on whether it was technically a hurricane or not, the wind picked up and…

Weather forecasters don’t make mistakes like this anymore…. ?

The definitions of Meteorology, Climatology, Weather, Climate are useful and included at the bottom of the post.

The important distiction between weather and climate is a time dependent element. e.g climate is “averaged over a series of years” and that weather can broadly be considered to be local. (climatologists and meteorologists can elaborate on this description if they like)

Why is this important?

It is important because the other main difference between weather and climate is that people are forever talking and obsessing about the weather, but people do not discuss and obsess about the climate. People worry about the weather, they do not worry about the climate.

Why is this?

It is because the public interface with the weather and not with the climate due to the fact that there are any number of regular reports on the weather, usually following the news, and none (few) about the climate.

Therefore the public are exposed to an overload of information about the weather and an underload about the climate.

The news cycle is generally myopic in its vision. News stories that occupy the headlines are usually transient short lived affairs and this is also true of the weather. There is little point in going over yesterday’s forecast to understand it in more detail when there is plenty of new weather about today.

Weather presenters also have a consistent approach to “good” weather. Hot and sunny weather is always potrayed as positive, get out there and enjoy your weekend, whereas rain and snow is portrayed as bad, it might disrupt your commute.

So while the public bask in a 2018 heatwave, which signifies a troubling long term shift towards a climate catastrophe, the weather presenter tells them that this is great as long as you remember to wear a hat.

So it is little wonder that the public don’t care about climate change, when qualified professionals are telling them on a daily basis that it is something to be enjoyed.

Maybe this is because presenters’ qualifications are largely meterology and not climatology.

But wait a minute, when looking at the definition of meteorology, the word “climate” is in there. So are our weather presenters doing half a job?

Which brings us on to the second element of tragic misrepresentation of climate change, the science of attribution.

An explainer on attribution of climate change effects to weather events sums it up neatly

It [the science of attribution] can’t tell us whether global warming “caused” a specific event

So rather than do anything controversial, our weather folk, will leave that part out and not mention climate change over any specific short term event until the bitter and hot end.

Historians of the future (should there be any) may wonder how it was that, day after day, qualified meteorolgists told the public to go out and enjoy another glorious day of climate change.

At least Michael Fish only got it wrong once.

Meteorology:

Climatology

For completeness

Weather

1. 1. the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.

1. 2. a strong wind or storm or strong winds and storms collectively: We’ve had some real weather this spring.

3. a weathercast: The radio announcer will read the weather right after the commercial.

Climate

1. 1. the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years.

1. 2. a region or area characterized by a given climate: to move to a warm climate.

3. the prevailing attitudes, standards, or environmental conditions of a group, period, or place: