Life imitates Niven, Pournelle & Flynn.

Where have I heard this one before?

Human emissions of fossil carbon into the atmosphere and the resulting increase in temperatures may be holding off the next ice age, according to research from Sweden’s University of Gothenburg.

“We are probably entering a new ice age right now,” Lars Franzen, a professor of physical geography at the university, was cited as saying in an online statement today. “However, we’re not noticing it due to the effects of carbon dioxide.”

Of course, “right now” is a somewhat nebulous concept to a professor of physical geography; he’s probably not talking about the Sumerians, but I wouldn’t bet that he means anything later than, say, the 18th Century AD either.  Which is part of the problem of science reporting, alas (the other half being that both sides fondly think that they’re speaking the same kind of English*)… Continue reading Life imitates Niven, Pournelle & Flynn.

“In 1972, Chicken Little wore a parka.”

That’s the quote of the day, and it comes from McQ of Q&O as part of his post on 1972’s Thing That Was Going To Kill Us All: The Coming Ice Age!

As they review the bizarre and unpredictable weather pattern of the past several years, a growing number of scientists are beginning to suspect that many seemingly contradictory meteorological fluctuations are actually part of a global climatic upheaval. However widely the weather varies from place to place and time to time, when meteorologists take an average of temperatures around the globe they find that the atmosphere has been growing gradually cooler for the past three decades. The trend shows no indication of reversing. Climatological Cassandras are becoming increasingly apprehensive, for the weather aberrations they are studying may be the harbinger of another ice age.

Dun Dun DUN!

Moe Lane

PS: Obligatory ‘Deceiver goes off on Al Gore for the Nazi thing‘ reference. Although, I have to admit: Gore knows what his groupies like.

Crossposted to RedState.