A Newspaper Editorial Columnist This Week Writes a Scathing Attack

question 9

Multiple Choice

A newspaper editorial columnist this week writes a scathing attack on the scientific consensus concerning global warming.His position is that global warming is not occurring,and his supporting evidence is the fact that Sheboygan,Wisconsin,had a record low temperature (in 150 years of record keeping) on February 6 last winter.Which statement(s) about the editorial is/are correct?

• A) Assuming the columnist is correct in reporting the record low temperature, then indeed he is correct in his assertion that global warming is not occurring.
• B) The columnist is confusing weather (day to day and seasonal variation in temperature, humidity, precipitation, and air pressure) with climate (variability in these factors over time scales of decades or longer).
• C) The columnist does not understand that scientists do not expect global warming to produce a gradual uniform increase in temperature for every locality on every day of the year. Geologically rapid warming is expected to increase air and sea temperature averaged across the planet throughout the year (measured over time spans of decades to centuries), but it will also bring shifts in weather patterns that could locally cause extreme heat or cold, drought, or intense flooding.
• D) Both B and C are correct.

---

Definitions:

Federal Budget

The government’s estimation of revenue and spending for a forthcoming fiscal year that includes allocations of funds to various federal departments and agencies.

Defense Spending

Government expenditure on military forces and activities, including salaries, equipment, construction, and research and development.

Means of Production

The facilities, resources, and tools used to produce goods and services in an economy, often discussed in Marxist economic theories.

Economic Role

The function or position that an entity (such as an individual, firm, or government) plays within the larger economic system.