Wednesday, May 14, 2008

WSJ: Human-Induced Warming Is Major Cause of Climate Changes

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Long time readers will recall that I've complained in the past about the idiocy of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page regarding global anthropogenic climate change. The irony of the WSJ is that bloviation on the Op-Ed page will frequently clash with its factual reporting. Well, this just in on the WSJ RSS feed:
A new study has found that human-induced climate warming is the main cause of significant changes seen in the world's biological and physical systems, outstripping the more modest disruptions to habitats caused by human encroachment.

The latest research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, also establishes a strong link between climate change and the effects seen on a narrower, continental basis -- such as the earlier spring flight of butterflies in California, the earlier release of pollen in the Netherlands and the increased growth of pine trees in Mongolia. The localized focus provides more evidence confirming the impact global warming is having on the planet's ecology and terrain.
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Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change could conclude only that human-induced climate change was "likely" behind the shifts seen in biological and physical systems since 1970. The group estimated there was a 66% to 90% probability of such a link.

The latest effort is a "study of studies" that incorporates and analyzes data from scores of on-site measurements noted in previous research papers. Dr. Rosenzweig and her colleagues used nearly 30,000 data sets to statistically establish that higher recorded temperatures -- on a global and continental basis -- are the result of human activity rather than any natural variation. They then statistically linked the warming trend to observed physical and biological changes, such as the faster melting of glaciers and the earlier flowering of 89 plant species in Washington. The conclusion: In about 90% of the cases, such trends were consistent with the predicted effects of warmer climes.

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