Scitty - After the downtrend in the early 20th C, the temperatures rose. Therefore we knew the warming had paused.
After the flatlining in the 60s and 70s, the temperatures rose. Similarly, we knew the warming had paused. But there are two things to remember out of this:
(i) Just like a stock price, we can't be certain that the next break in an uptrend is a "pause". It may also be the precursor to an extended sideways movement, or even a downtrend.
(ii) The view put to us by the peak scientific bodies - and this was clearly alarmist in terms of outcomes - was that we were most likely headed for catastrophic warming. But now, even if we ARE going through a true pause, it seems almost certain that we won't reach the best estimate of 3 degrees warming by century end, and more likely than not that we won't cross the 2 degree line of catastrophic warming set by the IPCC.
And the longer the pause continues, the shorter the odds of this happening. Which is why we are subjected to increasingly speculative suggestions as to the whereabouts of this supposed "missing heat".
Latest tripe from ABC TV's environment segment was to mention some research to do with the idea that winds blowing across the Pacific agitate the surface, much like a washing machine churns the contents, thus trapping the "missing heat".
Yeah, whatever. Anyone will see this as clutching at straws, given the unconvincing way it was presented.
