Global warming chaos at the Express

With tiresome predictability, the weather was back on the front page of the Express today. And it's not just any old weather story - that would never do. It's got to be weather 'chaos':


But let's ignore yet another airing of the word 'chaos' (and two days ago, there was more 'taxpayers' fury' - which actually meant TaxPayers' Alliance fury) as it's worth looking at the actual story.

Although it is being quite generous to call it that.

As the sub-head makes abundantly clear, the Express is actually suggesting that because it is snowing in Britain in winter, global warming can't possibly exist.

The article, written by Martyn Brown, begins:

As one of the worst winters in 100 years grips the country, climate experts are still trying to claim the world is growing warmer.

It appears the Express does not know the difference between weather and climate. That's possibly wilful, but probably just ignorance.

Furthermoe, as George Monbiot and Leo Hickman point out in their fisking of Brown's piece:

There's a clue as to where he might have gone wrong in that sentence: 'country' has a slightly different meaning to 'world'.

Quite. Mid-way through the article, Brown is generous enough to quote someone who thinks the Express is talking rubbish:

The Met Office’s Barry Gromett said December and January’s cold weather was 'within the bounds of variability' in a global trend of rising temperatures in which 2009 is set to be the fifth warmest year on record.

Ah. So last year was the fifth warmest year on record and that's still not enough for the Express. The Met Office backed this up with a press release highlighting that in the last week or so:

North-east America, Canada, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and south-west Asia have all seen temperatures above normal – in many places by more than 5°C, and in parts of northern Canada, by more than 10°C.

But look at that sniffy sub-head again: 'And they still claim it's global warming'. The Express clearly doesn't believe a word of it.

But who are 'they'? Who are the mysterious, not-to-be-trusted clique who claim that global warming exists?

Oh:


So three weeks ago, an article by Martyn Brown, on the front page of the Express, claimed that although global warming wasn't caused by human activity, it was definitely happening. Brown wrote:

climate change is natural

and mentioned

the warming we are now experiencing...

And today?

climate experts are still trying to claim the world is growing warmer.

Who needs 'experts' when you have Martyn Brown and the Express?