2007 Hottest Year In Northern Hemisphere

Larry West reports: "Official agencies from the U.S. to the U.K. have declared 2007 the second warmest year on record—and the hottest ever in the Northern Hemisphere—despite a variety of climate conditions that usually lead to cooler temperatures."

I thought about this ("global warming") as I walked out of my building on campus about 7.30 Monday night ... to a heavy wet snow blanketing everything. In Seattle. I had, in my hand, a brand-new helmet, as I was on two wheels. Fortunately, the snow on the roads was mostly slush.

As I made my way into the city, I started thinking about the framing of climate change and, not for the first time, railed against simplistic sound bite 'global warming.' It's a great one because it's alarmist and partially seated in truth. But the more complete story is that rising temperatures change everything, which results in more extreme weather events. Well, that's my take based on what I've read, anyway.

A question: are we seeing the extremes in record lows as well? What about record rains? And what are we -- individuals and governments -- going to do? This weekend, we installed new low-energy light bulbs throughout the house; 75% energy reduction plus brighter light, plus on sale at Costco, plus Seattle Light rebates. No downsides.

What are you doing? What is your favorite candidate doing (or saying)?

See Not For The Faint Of Heart, The Truth About Global Warming and Katrina and the Risks of Global Warming.