[CSPP note: Click  HYPERLINK "http://global-warming.accuweather.com/2007/10/an_interview_with_joe_bastardi_1.html" here to see a video of the interview.]

An Interview with Joe Bastardi

AccuWeather.com, October 25, 2007

In part one of her interview, Katie Fehlinger sits down with our own expert senior Meteorologist and hurricane specialist Joe Bastardi, who has strong opinions on climate change. We would also like to hear your feedback. Do you agree or disagree with what Joe is saying?

Katie also discusses a new climate change bill that might have a chance of getting through Congress.

UPDATE........

In Joe Bastardi's column from Wednesday night he voices his frustration about the idea that global warming is being blamed for so many disasters lately. An interesting read....here it is

It's simply astounding how when anything out of the ordinary happens, global warming is blamed. That leaders of this nation can, within a period of 24 hours, make such pronouncements about the wildfires ought to instantly call into account their reasons for such things. How can you come so quickly to such a conclusion? Have you researched all this?

For instance the hidden reason for the SoCal drought may be because the water is so darn cold off SoCal this year, much below normal, it is leading to large-scale sinking that is retarding precip. The amount of cold water showing up in the Pacific now certainly is helping tip the balance away from the warmth over land in the means. So we are dealing with a case of anomalously cold water leading to the dryness that can set this up.

Perhaps, with arson suspected in some of these fires, we will blame

global warming for driving people to such things, setting fires.

Let's take the problem with Delaware River flooding that seems to be more common. Global warming is being blamed by many of the people on the river, and they seem to be perfectly happy with ignoring the change in damming policies of lakes in the watershed. We now dam the lakes up, and for good reason, to make sure that there is water in dry times, not likely to occur in sustained fashion anyway in the Northeast in warm cycles of the AMO. But the fact is, the lakes are never almost parched as they were sometimes in previous years. They are dammed up; it takes much less water to cause them to rise to levels where water has to be released. A 10-inch rainstorm now, is like a 20-inch rainstorm before as far as what can happen on the river. Why, the water is there to be released much quicker, because it was dammed up and preserved.

Is this global warming? Yet no one wants to seem to bring this up as a reason for such things, but instead the finger is pointed at the bogeyman that like many, may not exist, or if it does, not be the monster in the closet that people seem to want to portray. What could be the possible reason for hiding facts like this from you? Facts like the idea it's the COLD WATER that may lead to more drought and set the stage for wildfire, or that the change in water conservation methods (in the case of wildfires, even forest management may be in there) that is helping with it. Yes, man may be the cause, but not for the reasons that are being pushed.

What happens in a week to 10 days if a hurricane is hitting Florida at the end of the month or early November? Who will say this has happened before, or not as extreme as Kate, later and stronger in '85? No one, but you know what the blame will be, and the conclusions will be almost instant.

And that people get upset when deductive reasoning is used as a way to argue the other point of view, should speak volumes as to who is opened-minded in this crucial societal debate, which sadly is political now, and who is not. People will scream, "Stick to the weather!" Well, the weather has been invaded by something I never dreamed would intrude upon my peaceful little world: politics.

It's funny, in days gone by, complex answers required long, thoughtful process, and debate and very, very hard work. Those days are leaving, and will soon be gone, never to return. Somehow the words of Margaret Mitchell may apply as far as thinking about the kind of hard work that was needed to solve problems: "Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind.