Global What?

Proponents of Global Warming point to summers with record high temperatures. Opponents point to winters with record lows.

I can vouch for the high temperatures - although last summer seemed a step back towards the average, it's felt generally warmer and warmer here in LA. Cold is out of my experience, unless it's the cold felt 100 feet down in the chilly Pacific, or the icy blast that knifes through gaps in the jetway in frozen midwest airports. But it does seem the winters have been tougher and tougher - at least the winter we are experiencing now has been a brute.

So what will it be, runaway greenhouse or Ice Age revisited?

That is an important question. Our human culture can prepare for one or the other, but not for both. Actually, if it was just a technical problem, we could probably deal with a future of increasing extremes of both heat and cold, but only if all countries cooperate. From what I've seen and heard, there's little chance of that without clear and unequivocal evidence. And that's exactly what we won't get if the world is getting both warmer and colder. 'Experts' will shout each other down at conferences and media pundits will rail against whatever position they feel will garner the highest ratings.

At the moment, the argument is one of Global Warming versus Status Quo. Either we are getting warmer or we aren't. I haven't heard any advocates of Global Freezing yet, which is fortunate since that would only complicate the debate. And our representatives can't handle a complicated debate. Nuance is anathema to politicians, unless it's about politics.

So, I cringe when asking for it, but could Mother Earth allow us a year or two of clear directions in temperatures, warmer or colder but not both? We need the clarity to spur needed action.