How does rising atmospheric CO2 affect marine organisms?

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Global Warming and Floods
Reference
Pielke, R.A., JR.  1999.  Nine fallacies of floods.  Climatic Change 42: 413-438.

What was done
As described in one of nine sections of this large analysis of floods, the author discusses the truth behind the oft-reported fallacy that "damaging flooding in recent years is unprecedented because of 'global warming.'"

What was learned
Pielke notes that the media has been prone to associate "almost every extreme weather event with global warming;" and flooding has been no exception.  However, as indicated by the author, "it is essentially impossible to attribute any particular weather event to global warming."  On the other hand, the author does list a number of important non-climatic factors that have the potential to influence flooding in the future, including deteriorating dams and levees, changes in land use, building in flood-prone areas, governmental policies, as well as other societal influences.

What it means
The author demonstrates that it is impossible to attribute any particular weather event to global warming.  Hence, the next time you read a headline, or listen to a news broadcast, proclaiming global warming to be the cause of a particular weather event, perhaps you should shake your head in disgust, as we do.


Reviewed 15 October 1999