Energy Saving News
UK Cold Snap Not Disproving Global Warming Reality
As the UK currently suffers an unusual cold snap, questions are being raised concerning the validity of the global warming theory, according to Stephen Dorling, of the University of East Anglia's school of environmental sciences,
However, Mr. Dorling insists the cold weather should not be considered a proof that global warming is not happening.
"It's no surprise that people look out of their window at the snow and find it hard to rationalise what's going on with the longer term trend," he said.
Global warming cannot be evaluated based on single events - whether they were cold snaps or heat waves - as they are merely the product of natural variability.
The focus should be shifted to the underlying, longer term trends for the climate which represent a more ''robust'' evidence of the changes currently occurring.
Dr Dorling said: ''There is no doubt we will continue to have unusually warm and unusually cold Decembers and Januarys but it will be superimposed on what the background climate is doing.''
Mr Dorling stresses that the background issue of climate warming caused by greenhouse gases is not disappearing and remains a very threatening reality.
It is therefore imperative that urgent action is taken to prevent temperature rises breaching thresholds where the more dangerous impacts of climate change could take place.
Saving energy to reduce consumption and associated carbon emissions is the most effective way of preventing dramatic climatic changes. Mr. Ian Wrigley, Council Member of the Energy Saving Association (ESA), believes in energy efficiency as the most certain and cost-effective way of reducing the quantity of greenhouses gases released into the atmosphere.
Energy savings could be made through the implementation of energy efficient technology in the public sector, which is in itself responsible for a third of total carbon emissions. If major reductions are achieved in that sector, by encouraging and facilitating the use of energy saving solutions, a real positive impact on the environment can be reached.
December and January's cold weather was ''within the bounds of natural variability'' within a global trend of rising temperatures - in which 2009 is set to be the 5th warmest year on record, according to The Met Office's Barry Gromett.
''Climate change is likely to give us milder and wetter winters - that's the general theme, but there's always opportunities within that to have colder years. If you look at the temperature graph for the UK or the world, it is a series of peaks and troughs and there's a lot of inter-annual variability within the climbing trend,'' said Mr. Gromett.
He added that it was not currently ''universally cold'' across the northern hemisphere, and while Siberia, the UK and parts of the US were very cold other areas including Alaska, Canada and the Mediterranean were warmer than usual.
Thursday 7th January 2010
