Is Global Cooling Happening?

Around New Mexico we’ve had some interesting weather variations this fall. Well above average temperatures have been followed quickly by temperatures that are far below normal. Of course, unpredictable weather is nothing new. Interestingly enough while Obama, who has embraced Al Gore’s views on global warming, is going to be President, the planet seems to be experiencing cooler weather.
According to Investors’ Business Daily:
* In October, the Swiss lowlands received the most snow for any October since records began; Zurich got 20 centimeters, breaking the record of 14 centimeters set in 1939.
* In the United States, Ocala, Florida, experienced its second-lowest October temperature since 1850, October temperatures fell to record lows in Oregon and Boise, Idaho, got the earliest snow in its history.
* In the Southern Hemisphere, Durban, South Africa, had its coldest September night in history in the middle of the month, some regions of the country had unusual late-winter snows and New Zealand’s Mount Ruapehu had its largest snow base ever.
* The International Arctic Research Center reported in October that there was 29 percent more Arctic sea ice this year than last.
These are indeed anecdotal examples of a potential cooling trend, but those who are skeptical about warming should not have to bear the burden of proof. Rather, those who believe that global warming is a crisis need to prove: 1) that warming is taking place; 2) that it is a crisis of epic proportions; 3) that humans have caused it and human action can resolve it. Anything short of proving those three hypotheses should lead objective observers to question whether we need to abandon Western Civilization as Al Gore would have us do.