Comments on: Clearing the Air

By: JPierce

JPierce — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:24:57 +0000

rem, I didn’t miss the point at all. Yes, the term global warming is often understood—much like the concept of irony—so I was seeking to clarify and correct the common misconception. The original author advocates a different position: accept people’s misinterpretation and potentially cloud the issue further by using a different—arguably vague—term. Both have their (de)merits.

Although some of the comic authors probably misunderstand the term, others may be practicing a modern form of “irony” and playing upon the public’s misunderstanding via “a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs” (WordNet 2.0 #3); vs. 1913 Webster #2.

Thanks for the feedback though.

By: rem

rem — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:48:30 +0000

I think you’re missing the point of this post. The argument the author makes is from a popular front, not a scientific one, even stating that global warming is indeed scientifically correct.

While “global warming” is an accurate term, it is so often misconstrued to mean “the weather should be getting warmer.” This incorrect understanding then allows people to claim that when it feels particularly cold, global warming isn’t happening.

Witness the incredible number of comics surrounding this theme: http://ifglobalwarmingisrealthenwhyisitcold.blogspot.com/

By: JPierce

JPierce — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:19:19 +0000

Global warming is a perfectly valid term. It does not mean that temperatures rise everywhere, but rather that the global mean temperature rises. When one speaks of 4.5°C it obviously does not mean that is always exactly four and a half degrees warmer everywhere on the planet… weather is not climate. Although many scientists now favor climate change as being more accurate, it is just as vague and deceivingly innocuous in my opinion. Here are some interesting thoughts of others on the matter: