Just the Facts

 

First: Weather and Climate Are Not the Same Thing

Weather = what happens in the present.

• Today’s temperature
• This week’s snowstorm
• That single brutal cold snap that killed your car battery

Climate = long-term pattern.

• Averages over decades
• Typical seasonal ranges
• How often extremes happen
• What “normal” looks like over 30+ years

Second: Global Warming = Planet's Average Temperature is Rising

• It does not mean winter is canceled.
• It does not mean cold air disappears.
• It does not mean snowstorms have been politely asked to leave.

Third: The Polar Vortex Has Always Existed

• Cold air stays mostly north
• The jet stream stays tight and fast
• Winters are cold but relatively predictable

Fourth: The Arctic Is Warming Faster Than Everywhere Else

• The Arctic is warming two to four times faster than lower latitudes.
•  Ice melts. 
• Snow cover shrinks. 
• Dark ocean absorbs heat instead of reflecting it.

Fifth: A Weak Jet Stream Lets Cold Air Escape South

• When the jet stream buckles, Arctic air spills
• Severe cold snaps then happen in places that aren’t built for them
• Unseasonably warm Arctic conditions happen at the same time
• Weather systems stall instead of moving along

Sixth: Extreme Cold During Warming Is Not a Contradiction, it's a Symptom

• Sudden freezes
• Rapid thaws
• Wild temperature swings
• Long-lasting weather events that refuse to move on

What a Fact Is

• A fact is something that can be verified independently.
• It can be measured, observed, recorded, or tested
• It does not change based on belief, opinion, or repetition
• It holds up whether anyone likes it or not

What “True” Often Means

• “This feels right to me”
• “I heard this a lot”
• “This matches my experience”
• “This fits my worldview”

Examples (Real Life)

- Our car battery froze. (fact) 

Verification: Turned key, car didn't start. Hooked up battery charger, battery voltage showed low. Replaced with new battery, car starts.

 - Our indoor hot water line in the bathroom froze. (fact) 

Verification: Turned knob, no water. Checked temperate inside cabinet where lines are, temps below freezing.

Truth claim:

“Our car battery froze and we can’t shower in the middle of winter, so global warming does not exist.”

Facts after intervention:

Changed battery → car works. Temperature outside is still in single digits.

Took Amish showers → temperature still below freezing inside the bathroom cabinet, Water line remains frozen.