Obama Believes In Climate Change – But What Are The Facts?

President Barack Obama took the time to answer a question during his press conference yesterday.  The question involved Mayor Michael Bloomberg's support of the President based on the issue of climate change.  The President was asked what was ahead in a second term on this topic.  President Obama said,

What we do know is the temperature around the globe is increasing faster than was predicted even 10 years ago. We do know that the Arctic ice cap is melting faster than was predicted even five years ago. We do know that there have been extraordinarily — there have been an extraordinarily large number of severe weather events here in North America, but also around the globe.  And I am a firm believer that climate change is real, that it is impacted by human behavior and carbon emissions.

Based on that answer, it sounds like the President has some facts that have him thoroughly convinced that climate change, or global warming, is taking place.  But, as we all know, the devil is in the details and that is what many do not realize on this particular issue.  According to The Daily Mail, a British publication, global warming has not actually been taking place for 16 years.

16 years!  That is a significant problem for the President's argument that something needs to be done about climate change.  He seems to think that we need to regulate our way to a cleaner and cooler Earth.  Still, there is no explanation on how we are having such a horrible impact on the environment when there really has been no major difference in the temperature for 16 years.

Truthfully speaking, we are all believers in the idea of climate change.  If you doubt it, just go outside when its cool in the morning.  Once the sun comes up, the temperature rises and, presto, instant climate change.

In all seriousness, I do think that common sense needs to apply to this topic.  Its a basic lesson that we all learned in Kindergarten.  If you made a mess, clean it up.  If you have made a problem for people because you or your company has done something poisonous, then it is up to you to clean it up.  That said, it is not up to all of us to regulate so severely that we can't live just simply because someone thinks that the temperature is not to their liking.

The most amazing thing is that people seem to think we have some kind of serious impact on the planet.  The humbling thing is to measure what is done to the atmosphere when a volcano erupts.  One volcano spews more greenhouse gases into the environment than any of us ever could.  When humankind can do that, then we need to talk about doing something else.  Until that time, it makes you wonder why this is even an issue.