Global Warming, Without the Warming

World leaders are gathering at the United Nations today to discuss climate change, but progress on global warming is facing a hurdle – things don’t feel any warmer. In fact, temperatures have been stable for a decade, and may even drop in the next few years.

Explaining why there’s no “warming” in global warming to the public and policy makers has been a challenge. Scientists point to cyclical shifts in the oceans, and say current temperatures don’t show the long-term warming effects of rising concentrations of greenhouse gases.

The anti-regulatory movement has wasted no time cashing in on the confusion and knocking down alarmist warnings of rising seas and other environmental disasters.

Without images of stranded polar bears or oil-covered birds, climate change may remain just an abstraction.

New York Times: Momentum on Climate Pact Is Elusive

(Photo by Sebastian Niedlich via Flickr/Creative Commons)