bill said:
and you do have to do an whole earth average not just a small spot hear and there as climate changes at just one sample location from year to year and decade to decade.
Yes, but you have to know a LOT about averages to understand what averages mean. !
It has been quoted that a 2 degree AVERAGE rise in the earths temps is liable to mean about 10 degrees most places. Since a 2 degrees rise means 2 degrees each and every day, on every place on earth. And thats not going to happen, common ole weather is just too variable for that.
AND, if summers are 10 degrees hotter than average and winters are 10 degrees colder, on average nothing has changed. If summers are 10 degrees cooler than average, and winters are 10 degrees warmer, on average nothing has changed. Meanwhile, you still have the average local weather, unchanged, and its still average.
Thats a lot of average averages !!!, does the average punter understand that ?
And, are we quoting air temps here - which are transient on a daily basis.
(all the 'spare' heat radiates back into space at night)
Or sea temps, which are much more indicative of rising global temp accumulations.
If the average sea temps rise by say 2 degrees, what has the average global temp risen by ??
Does the article you referred to previously even reference that ?
BTW, China and India are both doing way more about clean energy than most. China has by far the most solar, and that new 3 gorges hydro is massive. They may be starting from a low base, but the projected expenditure is huge - watch this space ? Besides, the pall of atmospheric pollution is keeping global heating seriously at bay, not to mention the brown layer of jet haze at 35,000 ft....