@ Phil

Is there any meaning difference between the terms climate change and global warming? Both refer to the same thing and are synonymous in the minds of most people. Why bother trying to insist on speaking only about climate change?

Because climate change is what the people who study the subject call it, and I'm inclined to use the same terms they do. I also call a black hole a black hole, and not a light-eater or whatever.

There is a meaning difference. Climate change is generally used to refer to major changes to the climate of our planet as a result of human actions (mostly greenhouse gas emissions). Global warming was a term that was used long ago, before people had any idea what climate change would be, and now is only used by the "cold weather disproves global warming" crowd because it is a somewhat easier term to argue against.

So much concern for my intellectual well being on this site. It's amazing really.
Smeck, PE, phil, they're all just lookin' out for me like the older brothers I never had.

Plenty of people who have studied the subject are quite happy using both terms, just as most astrophysicists are happy enough using light-years as well as parsecs. I also completely disagree that it is easier to argue against. By itself the words climate change have little meaning as climate has always been changing. It lends itself to the "climate change is natural" argument just as easily as your global warming & cold weather example.

Valis, you're not the only one I was talking about when I criticized "strawman" as a valid dismissal of an argument.

Octavious, I still think climate change is more accurate than global warming as a term.

@ Octavious: I'd just like to respond to your remarkably courageous claim that weather in the UK has not become more extreme in recent years.

I have three words for you: Floods. Floods. Floods.

Why? Because the MORONS of the world think that the term GLOBAL WARMING means that everything must be getting WARMER - as opposed to CLIMATE CHANGE which indicates that the climate is CHANGING.

@ Jamie

The headline floods in Somerset, if that's what you're referring to, were unremarkable. The floods on the levels and moors in 1929 were significantly worse, and there have been floods of similar magnitude roughly every 20 years or so.

@ Octavious: No, I'm not refering to one single flooding incident. The general trend has increased. We have had a *lot* more significant flooding events in the past 15 or so years than was the case in the decades prior to that.

We have had a significant increase in flood events, yes, but they are almost entirely because of building in floodplains. You can point to very few events and say climate change has played a significant part. There is perhaps a bit of mileage to be made with events like Boscastle in rapid response catchments, but they remain very much freak events.

That's partly because England has always had an incredibly stable climate. Until climate change starts playing around with El Nino, England will be somewhat cold and rainy.

I opened this thread just now and began wondering who must have actually have tried to refute Global Warming in order to start this debate. Surprise surprise, it was Tolstoy.

At least I have the reassurance that this is the topic that a majority of the site can agree one.

Global warming is a conspiracy!

@phil

The Wizard of Oz is fiction dude. In reality straw men do not even have feelings. No one is going to be offended by the use of the word strawman to refer to a fallacy argument. You're being sensitive over nothing.

Bumping for any last few forum users that haven't seen the first comment.

Arguing about climate change is boring, I just want to point out I had the highest liked "real" post before Leon's magnificent entry into the field. But I also hate Leon now for taking away something I didn't know I had.

@ckroberts

"I just want to point out I had the highest liked "real" post before Leon's magnificent entry into the field. But I also hate Leon now for taking away something I didn't know I had."

That sounds completely reasonable.