Blizzard provokes climate change debate among scientists — Brown Daily Herald

But some argue the storms do not provide enough evidence to draw conclusions about how climate change may affect weather. These types of storms are not unprecedented in this region, and having two such powerful storms within the span of four months does not illustrate future climate patterns, said Mark Seefeldt, an adjunct assistant professor of physics at Providence College who specializes in polar meteorology. Nemo is the fourth biggest snowstorm on record to hit Providence, but three of the top 10 occurred 50 years ago between 1960 and 1962. A “theoretical connection” between global warming and powerful storms is not enough to attribute every recent natural disaster to climate change, he said.

Changes in regional climate can affect weather for years to come without necessarily being a product of climate change, said Baylor Fox-Kemper, assistant professor of geological sciences. For example, North Atlantic oscillation, which is the change in the circulation of the jet stream and its interaction with ocean temperature, can affect the weather, he said.

Even though a single weather event does not signal the overall climate trends for years, it is possible that the “dice get subtly loaded by climate,” Fox-Kemper said. Increased moisture in the air due to global warming could contribute to events like wildfires, droughts and tornado activity, he said.

State of the Union: Obama Urges Action on Climate Change | LiveScience

"As the globe warms, regions of the Earth that have cold winters will still have cold winters, and we will still see the random rolls of the weather dice, like we are seeing this winter," climate scientist Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University told LiveScience last month.

Major Climate Change Bill Coming to the Senate | The Nation

Senators Bernie Sanders and Barbara Boxer will outline the legislation on Thursday morning. Details are scant, though it’s being billed as “major” and “comprehensive” legislation, and will have a carbon tax