It's little surprise that so many folk are ready to listen to the climate sceptics, uninformed, uneducated and deceptively-agenda-ridden as so many are. While the Jet stream sits enjoying its break in the Med, we continue to shiver and watch our central heating costs spiral under repeated blankets of snow and nights of hard frost.
But the climate is complicated. Really, really complicated, and the disciplines involved in its study are hard: fluid dynamics, Physics, Chemistry, Meteorology, Engineering - the science of Climatology involves all and more of these. So when the sceptic sticks its head above the snow-covered parapet and squawks 'Wot global warming?' you can be pretty sure their maths and intellect are both restricted to double figures.
New Scientist - one of the more respected scientific journals - has a piece about this today. It's long, but written in lay terminology, and it's worth reading. Essentially, it talks about the chemistry of the atmosphere and what can be learnt from volcanic eruptions. Specifically, Sulphur Dioxide - which has a cooling effect on the world's atmosphere. The climate is changing - that's beyond doubt - but we're only just starting to understand why and how.
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