The Snow and Climate Change

Last nigh was the coldest night in Britain for a number of years. While it was not a record breaking cold, it and the snow has remained at the top of the news. As Homer would say, Doh, its winter. The one thing that we can normally expect to happen in winter is that it will snow. While I realise that news and information is needed in any adverse weather, the way the snow is being reported you would think that snow has never fallen in Britain before. Yet on the other hand, especially in the way statutory bodies have reacted, you would think that we have these conditions every year. And why have these statutory bodies not coped or planned better.

As I posted previously, local councils have been criticised in the media regarding gritting the roads. Particularly the minor roads. All through this snowy weather the main roads have been kept open. However, now there is rationing of the rock salt and only the main routes will be salted. The problem has been an irresponsible media putting pressure on local authorities to do more than was reasonable.

Yesterday I heard a report on national radio that mentioned a local shop where people panic bought all the bread and left the shelves empty. It really does seem that people are very selfish, as I could only think of the older folks in that village, Rolands Gill, who were not able to get out to shop easily. But clearly the media has contributed to this.

Even the BBC were carrying a report that people could make “a claim” against local authorities if the slip and fall in the snow. While if there really has been negligence then perhaps there may be a few genuine claims, but in reality the question should be asked what was the faller doing out in adverse conditions in the first place. I normally have a high respect for the BBC as a news source but my reaction to this was to wonder if some tabloid editor had taken over the news room.

That was bad enough, but last night the BBC were even questioning if Climate Change was real as we are suffering a cold winter. Now I have grown rather frustrated with the BBC over the reporting of Climate change as they seem to think that it has to be reported as a balanced political view. Climate change is a scientific fact, not a political view and giving people who doubt that climate change is happening when the facts show that it is, only hinders efforts to combat the problem.

Weather is what happens now, climate is the weather that happens over a number of years. Even this cold event is likely to be part of the way that the climate is changing as a result of Climate change. Therefore the BBC reports were misleading and very ill informed.