George Will of Washington Post changes the numbers on global warming

February 18, 3:22 AMProgressive Politics ExaminerKaren Harper

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Last weekend, George Will, conservative columnist and naysayer on global warming wrote a piece about global warming in the Washington Post.  Unfortunately, Mr. Will got his facts wrong.  Will is in the fast shrinking minority of public figures who denies that global warming exists. 

Will wrote:
 

As global levels of sea ice declined last year, many experts said this was evidence of man-made global warming. Since September, however, the increase in sea ice has been the fastest change, either up or down, since 1979, when satellite record-keeping began. According to the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979.
 

Will used the above information to support his contention that the earth is not warming but the information he used is false.  And the Illinois Arctic Climate Research Center wasn't happy about it.  Here is what they posted on their website on Sunday:
 

February 15, 2009
In an opinion piece by George Will published on February 15, 2009 in the Washington Post, George Will states "According to the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979."
 

We do not know where George Will is getting his information, but our data shows that on February 15, 1979, global sea ice area was 16.79 million sq. km and on February 15, 2009, global sea ice area was 15.45 million sq. km. Therefore, global sea ice levels are 1.34 million sq. km less in February 2009 than in February 1979. This decrease in sea ice area is roughly equal to the area of Texas, California, and Oklahoma combined.

It is disturbing that the Washington Post would publish such information without first checking the facts.

Not only did Will not check his facts, he also distorted the information available.  He referred to the World Meteorological Organization or WMO having said there had been no recorded global warming for a decade.  Will used a neat trick to support his argument but it's based on twisting the information.

1998 was one of the hottest years recorded in history.  Though it's true we haven't had a hotter year since then, the earth has continued its warming trend.  The Secretary-General of WMO, Michel Jarraud, speaking to journalists in January said, "If we look at the trajectory over the last 160 years, it overlays a large natural variability, and that's what causes confusion."  

To understand global warming, one has to look at the trends since weather conditions first started being recorded.  To look at a period of ten years and say that there hasn't been any global warming in the last decade is misleading. 

Though there remains a small group of people who deny global warming, the overwhelming majority of scientists and laymen acknowledge that global warming exists and needs to be addressed.  There will always be those who are reluctant to leave their old ideas behind even when presented with facts and evidence.  There are those who still believe the earth is flat and perhaps those people will always be with us. 

It is unfortunate when those few individuals who are outnumbered by both facts and evidence resort to distorting or changing the facts to suit their arguments.  It is surprising and disappointing that George Will has done so.

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