As we end the year 2018, how did Climate Change perform? We are all familiar with the bad news of two hurricanes hitting thee U.S. one major, and one almost major but slow moving causing major flood damage. Wildfires were running rampant, the drought returned to the West, major earth quakes, a very wet year for the Eastern U.S, but other than that it was a perfectly normal year.
Better than that, it was a very good year, not widely reported.
Let me count the ways:
- The first year on record with no major tornadoes (EF4 or EF5) in the continental U.S.
The trend is down, and the trend for all tornadoes is also down.
2. The U.S. November Temperature was the 16th lowest on record.
3. The oceans have stopped rising for over 2 years. and the natural tectonic plate drift causing some land to sink, other land to rise is not increasing.
Amazon is moving its headquarters from Seattle to The proposed property sits next to the East River in the floodplain. It and all joining streets were flooded in Hurricane Sandy. According to U.N. it is sure to be flooded occasionally in 2020, frequently in 2030, and constantly in 2080.
Where the trees are, there is where the new headquarters are to be built. Amazon management is not worried. Flooding risk, anyone?
4. The global temperature pause is now a full 20 years! In the meantime global CO2 has risen about 10% (from about 368 ppm to about 405 ppm) and if increasing CO2 is the major contributor to climate change there should have been some increase in global temperatures!
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 