Video Credit: Daily Caller/C-SPAN – click for video
By WUWT Regular Just The Facts
First, I’m sure I speak for everyone at WUWT when I say that our hearts go out to all the families in Oklahoma affected by the weather tragedy there today.
In the video above US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse states that:
“When cyclones tear up Oklahoma and hurricanes swamp Alabama and wildfires scorch Texas, you come to us, the rest of the country, for billions of dollars to recover. And the damage that your polluters and deniers are doing doesn’t just hit Oklahoma and Alabama and Texas.”
Read more: Daily Caller
If Senator Sheldon Whitehouse did more reading and less ranting, he might know that Continental US Temperature Lower Troposphere (TLT) – 1979 to Present;
is currently below average.
US Strong to Violent Tornadoes (EF3-EF5) – 1950 to 2012;
are below average. US Inflation Adjusted Annual Tornado Trend and Percentile Ranks;
are currently below average. US Tornadoes Daily Count and Running Annual Total;
are currently well below average.
US Extremes in Landfalling Tropical Systems – 1910 to Present – Annual;
are currently below average.
This US Acres Per Wildfire and the Number of Wildfires Per Year graph;
shows that the number of wildfires have decreased, while the acres per fire have increased.
This is an important distinction as the associated article elaborates:
This graph shows the inverse relationship between numbers and sizes of US wildfires over time. Note the greater number and smaller sizes of fires between the creation of Wilderness in 1964 and the beginning of the modern wildfire era in 1987 and 1988 (with Silver Complex and Yellowstone fires of those years), as compared with the smaller number and greater size of recent fires. One factor may be the shift in USFS policy from rapid suppression to “let it burn,” which has allowed for numerous smaller fires – previously extinguished individually — to coalesce into larger fires and singular complexes.Evergreen
For reference;
“Forest managers agree that the current fire risk is primarily a combination of two factors — higher-than-average temperatures and a profusion of fuel, the product of nearly a century of fire suppression policies.”
“Recognizing widespread overgrowth in American forests, in the late 1970s the Forest Service began reintroducing policies of prescribed burning and allowed many smaller, natural fires to burn out on their own, provided they didn’t threaten lives or property. The decision this summer to attack all fires, while not a direct reversal of this policy, does represent a departure from that practice of natural restoration, said Jennifer Jones, a public affairs specialist with the Forest Service. Scientific America
The shift in thinking was formalized in a 1995 statement of federal fire policy, and strengthened in a 2001 revision. The policy recognizes that fire is “an essential ecological process,” and that decades of trying to keep fires from burning have led, ironically, to “larger and more severe” conflagrations because of the buildup of underbrush and other fuel. USA Today
As such, US Forest Fire data is biased by “nearly a century of fire suppression policies” and “the shift in USFS policy from rapid suppression to ‘let it burn,'”, which begin “in the late 1970s”, “was formalized in a 1995 statement of federal fire policy, and strengthened in a 2001 revision.” Furthermore, given that continental US Temperatures are currently below average, it is absurd to blame to recent forest fire activity on Global Warming.
US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse used the tragic weather events in Oklahoma to spout erroneous alarmist Global Warming rhetoric. Mr Sheldon, less ranting, more reading…
Hat Tip to WUWT Reader “007”
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Anthony: Unfortunately, there is shameful precedence for this sort of opportunistic political rhetoric, WUWT readers may recall when the Center for American progress blamed southern conservatives voting record for tornadoes:
This might be a good time to remind readers of this essay:
The folly of linking tornado outbreaks to “climate change”
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Pete says:
May 21, 2013 at 7:30 am
I noticed that, or it registered, just after I commented. Apparently the usage is more widespread than I thought.
The larger point is that we should not expect people to apply a scientific meaning to words that were in common usage long before the scientific meaning was applied.
From the Wizard of Oz:
Thanks, “Just The Facts,” for writing this. You beat me to the punch, and were more polite than I. I was going to submit the following to Anthony, but think your debunking of Whitehorse was better.
http://sunriseswansong.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/808/
It really irks me how Whitehorse acts like “you people” come to Washington for hand outs. I can only surmise he forgets where the money comes from, in the first place. Perhaps this occurs because they no longer have to tax people to get money; they just print it.
You miss the point. ALL politicians have the bloviation gene implanted in them. You don’t have to know what you are talkng about. All you have to do is BELIEVE you know what you are talking about.
Not long ago, former U.S. Representative Todd Akin makes an asinine comment about “legitimate rape” and he is rightly lambasted across every major media outlet and by the general public. But have a public figure or elected official blame extreme weather and resulting casualties on human-kind’s use of fossil fuels…and it just slides right off. Where’s the media outrage? It highlights the news media and general public’s ignorance towards the science and their willingness to “believe”.
Ok, let’s try to escape the ridiculousness of a US Senator who, amazingly, manages to go through political life with the last name of Whitehouse. Ok, I know that’s difficult, but he manages to do so.
Now my sister, my older sister, has just informed me that I don’t want to poke fun at somebody for their last name. Ok, so I’ll go straight to his thought processes instead. In the Whitehouse’s emotional slobbering he huffs at the Republican’s obstructionism (because, after all, we’re all in this together – whatever that means) while wishfully longing for them to return as “worthy adversaries”.
Huh? What the hell does he think an adversary does for chrissake? Blow tender love bubbles in their opponent’s face while gently cooing in their ear that they’ll only disagree if it doesn’t hurt any fragile feelings? Or, as those the dainty actions of only “worthy adversaries”? The ones who confront and obstruct are the unworthy ones?
Years ago, I was pressed into long term babysitting duty by two friends of mine. Their child liked me and I liked him. He loved games, any kind of game. At that time he was between 5 and 8 years old. I made certain that he won every single one of those games. I deliberately lost.
Don’t expect the same treatment Mr. Whitehouse.
philincalifornia says:
May 21, 2013 at 8:00 am
Phil – I doubt we will see ANY trolls here today…But we can ALL see the fruits of their labor in Senator Whitehouse.
And that includes “weather” sites like “Weather Underground” (named after a violent anti-US fringe group) and “the Weather Channel” (who are proudly displaying John Cook’s 97% survey in their “Science” section)…
Don’t forget that big Low on the border between the Dakotas (or the position of the Jet stream that ENABLES lift as well!); with spokes of low pressure ‘energy’ (as the mets say, which is a little bit misleading as applied BUT nonetheless is used that way) and more than occasionally presenting itself (low pressure areas) at the periphery … then you have your CAP, your “Cinh” “Cin” (Capping Inhibition, or inversion) factor, which dominates with nothing being able to form until that cap in the mid levels is broken or eroded by heating of the boundary layer … or a different colder airmass replaces that ‘capping layer – then Katie bar the door!
Some think that ‘explosive’ breaking of the cap contributes to the formation of these larger, more powerful tornadoes as the conditions for T-storm and supercell cells are ‘held off’ until a very warm, moist boundary layer is capable of providing the rich ‘fuel’ for rapid supercell formation. Think of it as pulling the pin of a gren ade when conditions are most favorable for fast and rapid Cumulonimbus formation!
WV image for past 5 hrs showing spinning low over Dakotas:
http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/satellite/displaySat.php?region=ABI&itype=wv&size=large&endDate=20130521&endTime=-1&duration=5
This image is dynamic and will change with time (present time 10:42 AM CDT)
.
I was going to post something about politicians dancing on the graves of victims to score political points but then I realized this idiot didn’t even wait for all the bodies to be found let alone the graves to be dug. There really are no standards at all anymore, are there?
Further proof that AGW liberals are living in a separate universe.
For amusement value, however, you can’t beat their rants.
An extrapolation (or prediction) based on an interpretation by a ‘news’ organization from a report written by who-knows-who in the USGS and summarized in a ‘statement’ by the PR dept. in the USGS … is this 2nd, 3rd, or 4th hand predicting (as I’ve lost track)?
I ask … and would also like to know what study is actually being referred to; after the most recent debacle with Cook (there seem to have been several) what with interpreting ‘studies’ every which way, it would be nice to be able to refer to, cite and see the original USGS paper or study and see the author’s originals words (as opposed to multiple interpretations and re-interpretations by multiple organizations and people) …
.
We are spending billions/i> of wasted dollars on “climate change”, when for maybe a few hundred thousand dollars Plaza Towers Elementary School near Oklahoma City could have been provided with underground tornado shelters. Where is the outrage against the freakin’ idiots who are not protecting our children in areas known for strong tornado activity? Hopefully when the school is rebuilt, someone with half a brain will come up with the idea.
dang missing “<"
Execrable moron.
Democrats who condemn conservatives for opposing “global warming science” really mean, “Damn you for believing different writers & sources than we believe.”
What science writers and scientific sources should we believe? You pays yer money and you takes yer chances. I like Christopher Booker’s “The Real Global Warming Disaster.” It’s more measured and has more credibility than Senator Whitehead ever will.
If brute force and bullying propaganda constitute science, then Senator Whitehouse is a brilliant scientist.
Apparently the warmists are still too afraid to show themselves and comment on this post…typical.
I hope, warmists, that you are happy now – Sheldon Whitehouse is your spokesman…
Don’t worry! Help is on the way : Rear Adm. David W. Titley has been appointed as a faculty member in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State, beginning July 1 to direct new center on weather risk solutions in the Department of Meteorology.
http://news.psu.edu/story/276851/2013/05/13/academics/navy-rear-admiral-appointed-direct-new-center-weather-risk
Just heard on ABC News (US) “Special Report” from Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, bolstered by call from Pres Obama:
FEMA is here to help.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled scandal-distracting programming.
Even for a warmist ecoloon, that was a pretty disgusting comment, apart from being pig ignorant and stupid.
The loony Ecotards crawl out from under their rock and scream at the sky it’s global warming, without a shred of evidence much less some basic research- Pathetic!!!
1. Chris4692 says:
May 21, 2013 at 8:01 am
Pete says:
May 21, 2013 at 7:30 am
For the record, the good (?) Senator Whitehouse is from Rhode Island, that Northeastern enclave of self-believed omniscience far removed from the Plains of the US.
To which Chris replied: I noticed that, or it registered, just after I commented. Apparently the usage is more widespread than I thought.
Pete notes: AGW proponents rely a lot on the idea of “apparently”.
Chris continues: The larger point is that we should not expect people to apply a scientific meaning to words that were in common usage long before the scientific meaning was applied.
Pete notes: Why yes, there are always “larger points” to justify one’s rationalizations.
Pete concludes: Then cometh the “Wizard of Oz” supported by an “apparent” assumption that the good (?) Senator Whitehouse has memorized its lines as well as has Chris.
Yagottaluvit.
Raptor says:
“….Maybe we can avoid this with some breakthrough desalination technology and replace the lost water with the Gulf of Mexico?”
I’ve been thinking about desalination plants along the Gulf Coast and California for some time now. I believe I remember reading about a company which has created a new desalination filter which they hope will bring down the cost of desalination. It was still in the testing phase the last I heard.
If ignorant politicians like Sen Whitehouse hadn’t been squandering billions of dollars chasing this bogus CAGW theory over the years, we could use that money to build desalination plants along the Gulf, east and west coasts when areas like the southeast (especially Florida), Texas and California experience droughts and water shortages. Canals or pipelines would need to be created to send the water inland to areas where it would be needed for crop irrigation. Think of the massive crop losses that could be prevented. But nooooo, this makes way too much sense, something there is waaaay to little of in Washington. It is granted that salt water desalination is an energy-intensive and costly process. But isn’t crop loss even worse?
It’s not just of matter of brains, but also one of priorities. Priorities, priorities, priorities. What should our priorities be in this country?
Newsweek in 1975: Tornado outbreak blamed on global cooling
Over the past several years, one of the knee-jerk reactions from political and media personalities following natural disasters has been to blame man-made global warming.
As part of his crusade on the issue, former vice president Al Gore blamed it for Hurricane Katrina in 2006.
In 2008, then-Democratic Sen. John Kerry went on MSNBC and blamed global warming for a tornado outbreak in the southeastern United States.
And on Monday as the tornado responsible for the deaths of at least 91 was making its way through Moore, Oklahoma, Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse went to the Senate floor to condemn his GOP colleagues for not seeing man-made global warming as the cause. And then Sen Barbra Boxer crawls out from under her rock – proving that Climate lunacy is a left of center disease.
http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/21/newsweek-in-1975-tornado-outbreak-blamed-on-global-cooling/
Pete says:
May 21, 2013 at 11:08 am
You think I am a AGW proponent? Whatever makes you think that? My comment was on word usage, and a caution that words in common use do not always match their scientific definitions. Because of that you think I am one side or the other on the AGW issue. That is called jumping to conclusions.
The Wizard of Oz piece is just an example of word usage: that tornadoes have also been called cyclones for a very long time.
old construction worker says:
May 21, 2013 at 3:27 am
“CodeTech says:
May 20, 2013 at 8:26 pm
And, being dropped on your head causes people to be Democrats. Got it.”
He’s not a Democrat. He is a Progressive Socialist.
###
Same difference.
SkepticGoneWild says:
May 21, 2013 at 9:02 am
The people of Oklahoma City are capable of evaluating their risks on their own and deciding how to spend their own local funds on their own schools. This tornado was very strong and very unusual. It is possible that the school would have withstood a lesser tornado, and had that capability built in, considering that they have had tornadoes before. It is presumptuous to conclude that the risks had not been examined.
With the human tendency to overemphasize the most recent event in their memory, that may influence them to build their schools as bunkers, but it’s going a bit far to call those hit with this tragedy “idiots.”
It is also a false dichotomy to compare billions of dollars spent, on a national level with the funds that the people of Oklahoma City spend on their local level. The people of Oklahoma City do not choose to spend money on climate change instead of schools, they do not have the choice to spend or not spend on climate change. That is imposed on them. They choose only what to spend on their schools, a local need met with their local funds, as they see fit. The rest of us should not impose our evaluations in retrospect on them.