A pointed question

Robert B. writes via email with a question that we’ve just never asked readers to weigh in on here before in post, though has been bandied about in comments. I figure it is about time to put it to rest by asking up front.

He asks: 

What is the perfect temperature of Earth?  I’m assuming that climate change-related taxes will be used to bring our planet back to the perfect temperature, and I need to know when that has been reached.

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Latimer Alder
March 8, 2014 9:59 am

Ideal temperature?
About 2C warmer than it is here (Thames Valley near London, England, UK).
We’ve been told for years that we’ll eventually get to the same climate as the Loire Valley in France if we achieve this increase.
Bring it on! Seems to me that the Loire has a near perfect climate. Not too cold in winter, nor too hot in summer. And the many historic chateaux built there suggest that the French aristos agreed with me

Bill H
March 8, 2014 10:10 am

En Passant says:
March 8, 2014 at 12:36 am
The whole article called “The Political Agenda of the Climate Deceivers” is available if you wish.
===============================
Where can i find your article? do you have a link?

george e. conant
March 8, 2014 10:20 am

The Perfect temperature for Earth, hmmmmm, I say that would be one where the arctic and antarctic sea ice maximums and minimums never exceed nor recede beyond 1000 sq km in either direction ever in any season, relative to the 1979 to 2000 base line mean. That the temperate zones are always temperate and the tropics are never too hot nor too cold and that the trade winds are always perfect speed and duration so that neither an el nino nor la nina event may ever occur. Of course this perfect temperature will have completely mitigated any cyclonic action thus eliminating the need for armies of wind turbines. The perfect temperature of earth will also make seasonal rains run absolutely on time like a German train schedule. Floods and droughts of course will be also eliminated as well. The ultimate answer to the ultimate question is of course 42.

john robertson
March 8, 2014 10:28 am

The question is as “stupid” as the observation ; The Emperor has no clothes.

ironargonaut
March 8, 2014 10:54 am

Question underscores basic problem with temperature. Temperature is not a measurement of heat. At what pressure and humidity is this temperature to be measured ? If we dry out the atmosphere it would be easier to maintain an average temperature. However heat loss at night wouldn’t be pleasant nor would the high needed to get that average. As far as I have seen this mythical global temperature is nonsensical as it does not account for pressure or humidity. How do you get a model to output a useful result when you ignore the two biggest influences on your output? Heat is not equal to temperature; it is not even a linear relationship. Why do we attempt to model heat retention of the earth using it?

Colorado Wellington
March 8, 2014 10:55 am

ATheoK says:
March 8, 2014 at 9:43 am


Nah, won’t work. My wife’s feet are also cold until the temperature is 90F or higher.

Same problem with setting the temperature in our household.

Did I mention she is a redhead?

Reminds me I forgot to mention my wife’s hair color when I noted how the dog and I were talked to about carbon footprints in the house.

richard
March 8, 2014 11:02 am

Last 30 years.
NASA earth observatory – “northern hemisphere greening over the last 30 years”

Janice Moore
March 8, 2014 11:10 am

{MOSTLY OFF-TOPIC — just scroll on by for more high-value comments}
#(:))
Lord Wellington of Colorado (re: yours of 9:13am today re: yours of 11:30pm yesterday)
I don’t see what was “fixed” either. Changed, yes,… . Hm. Maybe he has neighbors like that Patrick guy, lol. Re: “carbon footprints” — lol.
A. Theo K. — Thanks — AGAIN #(:)) — for affirming my illustrations as pertinent. Much appreciated. Orchids are a hardy, resilient, tribe. Most house plants need a little watering every day not a BIG DELUGE (not to say that you do this with your orchids, just what many people do with the average houseplant) of it once a month. Hm. There’s lesson in there for many husbands, I think… (Note: this is not sexist — it is about a bona fide, generally observable, trend in the data). Ignore……… ignore……… nothing………. ignore……….. nothing…………ignore…………. nothing………….. LE GRANDE GESTURE 3 TIMES A YEAR (Christmas, birthday, Valentine’s Day). Tends to make a relationship wither. Little things mean a lot — to the average woman. I guess, what most men need is an orchid-type woman; hardy, resilient, and highly independent of his attention. Woo, hoo, wouldn’t THAT be a delightful domestic situation? lol
********************END OF OFF-TOPIC stuff******************

Robert Clemenzi
March 8, 2014 11:10 am

A couple of weeks ago I attended a lecture on exactly this topic.
Drilling for Human Origins: Understanding Climate’s Influence On Human Evolution
video – 1 hr 29 min

Friday, February 21, 2014
Rick Potts
Curator of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History and Director, Smithsonian Human Origins Program
In 2012, research at the Olorgesailie prehistoric site, located in the Rift Valley of southern Kenya, began a new approach to studying the environmental context of human evolution by obtaining the first long sediment core drilled from an early human fossil site. The drilling operation recovered a total of 216 meters of sediment reaching the volcanic floor of the Rift Valley. The core is expected to provide the most detailed climate record available for the past 500,000 years. This talk summarized the first findings from the analysis of the core, and explained how this study and others, which range from paleontology to experimental biology, are providing novel insights into the processes of human evolution.

The bottom line was that extreme climate change was necessary for human evolution and that if it never occurred we would not be here today!

March 8, 2014 11:38 am

If the perfect tempature were to be speeding away from each of us at the speed of light we might just be fast enough to catch up and see it once we caught up on our real fast hockey skates.

John West
March 8, 2014 11:41 am

As the President and Founder of the TPPS (Tropics from Pole to Pole Society) I can speak for the entire membership in asserting the ideal temperature for Earth is 22 °C.

March 8, 2014 11:43 am

In any event we do not need to know the tempature, we have twitter.
Put that in your temp a ture and smoke it.

Alan Robertson
March 8, 2014 12:03 pm

Janice Moore says:
March 8, 2014 at 11:10 am
“I guess, what most men need is an orchid-type woman; hardy, resilient, and highly independent of his attention.”
_____________________________
While Orchids are really neat, they smell kinda funny. But then, so do I.

Janice Moore
March 8, 2014 12:04 pm

John West — lol.
F.O.B. Danger Close — Do you ever check your blog site? I think perhaps you haven’t been there for quite awhile (ahem)… .
#(:))

dmacleo
March 8, 2014 12:04 pm

42
the answer is always 42

Janice Moore
March 8, 2014 12:05 pm

Alan Robertson — a match made in heaven. lol

Brian H
March 8, 2014 12:35 pm

I’ll take the Roman Optimum, please. Thankyewverrahmuch.

Colorado Wellington
March 8, 2014 12:42 pm

John West says:
March 8, 2014 at 11:41 am

As the President and Founder of the TPPS (Tropics from Pole to Pole Society) I can speak for the entire membership in asserting the ideal temperature for Earth is 22 °C.

As the President of the Flat Temperature Society I am advising you that our membership insists on 70°F as the ideal global temperature.

Colorado Wellington
March 8, 2014 12:50 pm

Janice Moore says:
March 8, 2014 at 11:10 am

My Fair Lady Janice,
I feel gratified that your keen eye did not see the “fix” either. It could be some obscure factional thing.

Pamela Gray
March 8, 2014 12:50 pm

I suppose, for men, it is the temperature that keeps a woman’s fanny and feet warm so they don’t have to.

March 8, 2014 12:54 pm

Kent Clizbe says:
March 8, 2014 at 4:10 am
Global Average Temperature is a meaningless concept used by fake scientists in their scheme to destroy Normal capitalist culture.
Don’t play their game!

Satellites make up for many of the shortcomings you mention. And much of what you say about temperature can also be applied to anomalies in that it is easier to raise -40 to -39 than +39 to +40. However we need to play their game to prove warming is not happening lately.

Janice Moore
March 8, 2014 1:13 pm

My dear Lord Wellington,
How kind of you to say so.
Janice (just can’t put that “Lady” there — blush)

March 8, 2014 1:16 pm

The earth’s temperature is perfect as is – whatever that may be. The wonderful organisms living on this planet are designed to find a way… and they will either adapt or move on to make room for what ever can. Don’t forget the Yellowstone Park history where man tried to preserve it.

William Abbott
March 8, 2014 1:46 pm

Standard Temperature (ISA) – pilots and aviation use a standard temperature of 15C for sea level with a lapse rate of 2C per 1000 feet of altitude to do all sorts of calculations. Perhaps this is the perfect temperature for earth’s pilots.

March 8, 2014 2:15 pm

It is a very good question, although its connection to AGW, which has always been about dollars, not degrees, is tenuous at best.
For the panic-merchants, the ideal temperature is whatever the current temperature is not.