Question: If it's really .5 degrees F. warmer now than it was in the 1971 to 2000 period, does that actually constitute a "new normal"?

Talking Green in Aspen — A blog on Environmental Happenings by Dean Bill Chameides

The forum's theme — “Living in the New Normal” — was inspired by last year’s updated U.S. climatological averages for the years 1981–2010 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These “new normals” depict a nation with a climate under flux, including average temperatures about 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the previous normal from 1971 to 2000.

...In the “Climate and Conflict“ discussion, moderated by ABC News correspondent Bill Blakemore, the consensus was that climate change per se will not cause conflict, armed or otherwise, but will exacerbate existing conflicts and instabilities.