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I want to shout out a specific man quoted in the article. > “I’ve been doing this for 46 years and it’s never been like this,” says Alabama meteorologist James

I want to shout out a specific man quoted in the article. > “I’ve been doing this for 46 years and it’s never been like this,” says Alabama meteorologist James Spann. I grew up in Alabama, and I am positive James Spann has saved my life more than once with his tornado outbreak coverage. I can still hear him saying, "get to shelter now". He was a comforting voice at 2am when you and your family are huddled in the most central room of your house because mother nature is actively trying to kill you.

robmccoll 2y ago
Yes! James Spann was and is an excellent source of meteorological information. I remember him coming to our school and talking to kids about his job and encouraging us to take an interest in science and the world around us. Alabama needs more people like him and fewer people who are likely to encourage conspiratorial thinking for political points at the potential cost of human life. Also, appreciate the username - great game.
ZeroGravitas 2y ago
James Spann has also claimed that climate change isn't happening and it's just scientists chasing funding that explains their findings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Spann#Global_warming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Spann#Global_warming So a bit of a "first they came for the climate scientists and I did nothing" vibe.
- VyseofArcadia 2y ago
  That is unfortunate, but the man still does good work every time weather is putting lives at stake in Alabama.
- gitaarik 2y ago
  On his wiki page it says: "He asserts that climate change is naturally caused, as part of the climate's cyclical nature." So you are, like many people, misunderstand him, and many other people like him, that they don't deny climate change, but just aren't convinced that it is primarily caused by humans. There is actually no scientific data that proofs the idea that humans are the primary cause of climate change, so it is still an open question, and therefore different beliefs about it should be respected. But it's such a controversial and sensitive topic, that many people don't even want to be open to another perspective, which is sad.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - Smoosh 2y ago
    So, stage 2 of denial? “there are five clear stages of climate denial: arguing that climate change is not real, that humans are not to blame, that climate change will be a positive force, that it will be too expensive to fix, arguing it will be too late to tackle it. ” https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/five-stages-climate-denial-how-counter-them-according-climate-scientist-1266030 https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/five-stages-climate-den...
    - gitaarik 2y ago
      So then you come with a campaign article backed by celebs? Where is the actual scientific data? Data that it is a clear indicator that climate change is driven by human actions? I would rather say these people are science deniers.
      - defrost 2y ago
        > Where is the actual scientific data? * Records of fossil fuel extraction volumes and knowledge of by products. * Atmospheric "libraries" that have documented the increase in greenhouse gases, coupled with proxy trapped atmospheric samples. * Records of global mean temp. increases. Couple that with a good understanding of thermodynamics and material properties and we're good to go. You'll find references for all that along with milestone papers on the science in the IPCC report(s) that are regularly updated. Happy reading.
        gitaarik 2y ago
        This is all evidence for climate change. We're talking about whether humans are the primary cause for this climate change.
        defrost 2y ago
        * Records of fossil fuel extraction volumes and knowledge of by products. * Atmospheric "libraries" that have documented the increase in greenhouse gases, coupled with proxy trapped atmospheric samples. These are evidence of human activity .. you understand isotopes 'n stuff, right? They fingerprint sources. I suggest you read the IPCC reports and some of the primary works - you'll have a better understanding and maybe refrain from saying silly things like your comment above. Even Spann has changed tone: in more recent years Spann has taken a more publicly neutral stance on the topic, refraining from going in-depth when pressed about climate change in more recent interviews.[citation needed] In a VICE news interview in 2018, Spann told the host that "I do weather, not climate" and that they should "ask a climatologist" for more information. Spann's original viewpoints have been criticized by many in the meteorology community. In a blog post for Inside Climate News, Katherine Bagley explained that the short-term models used by many TV weather forecasters are too short-term to demonstrate long-term climate patterns, and that most meteorology degrees do not include any education on climate or climate change.

robmccoll 2y ago

Yes! James Spann was and is an excellent source of meteorological information. I remember him coming to our school and talking to kids about his job and encouraging us to take an interest in science and the world around us. Alabama needs more people like him and fewer people who are likely to encourage conspiratorial thinking for political points at the potential cost of human life. Also, appreciate the username - great game.

ZeroGravitas 2y ago

James Spann has also claimed that climate change isn't happening and it's just scientists chasing funding that explains their findings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Spann#Global_warming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Spann#Global_warming So a bit of a "first they came for the climate scientists and I did nothing" vibe.

VyseofArcadia 2y ago
That is unfortunate, but the man still does good work every time weather is putting lives at stake in Alabama.
gitaarik 2y ago
On his wiki page it says: "He asserts that climate change is naturally caused, as part of the climate's cyclical nature." So you are, like many people, misunderstand him, and many other people like him, that they don't deny climate change, but just aren't convinced that it is primarily caused by humans. There is actually no scientific data that proofs the idea that humans are the primary cause of climate change, so it is still an open question, and therefore different beliefs about it should be respected. But it's such a controversial and sensitive topic, that many people don't even want to be open to another perspective, which is sad.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- Smoosh 2y ago
  So, stage 2 of denial? “there are five clear stages of climate denial: arguing that climate change is not real, that humans are not to blame, that climate change will be a positive force, that it will be too expensive to fix, arguing it will be too late to tackle it. ” https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/five-stages-climate-denial-how-counter-them-according-climate-scientist-1266030 https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/five-stages-climate-den...
  - gitaarik 2y ago
    So then you come with a campaign article backed by celebs? Where is the actual scientific data? Data that it is a clear indicator that climate change is driven by human actions? I would rather say these people are science deniers.
    - defrost 2y ago
      > Where is the actual scientific data? * Records of fossil fuel extraction volumes and knowledge of by products. * Atmospheric "libraries" that have documented the increase in greenhouse gases, coupled with proxy trapped atmospheric samples. * Records of global mean temp. increases. Couple that with a good understanding of thermodynamics and material properties and we're good to go. You'll find references for all that along with milestone papers on the science in the IPCC report(s) that are regularly updated. Happy reading.
      - gitaarik 2y ago
        This is all evidence for climate change. We're talking about whether humans are the primary cause for this climate change.
        defrost 2y ago
        * Records of fossil fuel extraction volumes and knowledge of by products. * Atmospheric "libraries" that have documented the increase in greenhouse gases, coupled with proxy trapped atmospheric samples. These are evidence of human activity .. you understand isotopes 'n stuff, right? They fingerprint sources. I suggest you read the IPCC reports and some of the primary works - you'll have a better understanding and maybe refrain from saying silly things like your comment above. Even Spann has changed tone: in more recent years Spann has taken a more publicly neutral stance on the topic, refraining from going in-depth when pressed about climate change in more recent interviews.[citation needed] In a VICE news interview in 2018, Spann told the host that "I do weather, not climate" and that they should "ask a climatologist" for more information. Spann's original viewpoints have been criticized by many in the meteorology community. In a blog post for Inside Climate News, Katherine Bagley explained that the short-term models used by many TV weather forecasters are too short-term to demonstrate long-term climate patterns, and that most meteorology degrees do not include any education on climate or climate change.