Once in a Lifetime

Thursday, June 04, 2009

I apologize for dragging in the Toronto Star yet again ( http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/645731 ); it is not their fault; you will find reasoning of this kind in all your local media.

“Two bridges were wiped out by a once-in-a-lifetime flood that forced villagers to dump sewage into their pristine waters.”

Sure!

Remember, in every person’s lifetime - no matter when they lived, whether they were dead before you were born, or whether they will follow your great-grandchildren’s generation - there will be, for them, one summer that is the hottest summer of their life, one winter that is the coldest of their life, some other person who runs faster than anyone else in their lifetime, a flood that is higher than any other in their lifetime, and so on.

Always.

Guaranteed by logic.

In every generation there has been a war that claimed more lives than any other war in that generation, or “in my lifetime” as people are quoted.

Do not confuse that previous paragraph with a claim that “This war claimed more lives then any other war in recorded history”. (Why can’t we claim that “This war claimed more lives then any other war in pre-recorded history”?)

In every lifetime there will be a once-in-a-lifetime flood (plague, heat wave, early spring, late fall, wettest winter etc.).

That proves nothing about mankind’s impact on climate or weather.

And remember, about 11,000 years ago, an ice-sheet two miles thick covered Ontario, Canada. Yes, it’s getting warmer when we consider the past 11,000 years, but so little of that warmth can be due to man-made change.

And remember, about 4,000,000,000 years ago this planet was molten rock. Yes, it’s getting colder when we consider a longer time span, but so very little of that chill can be due to man-made change.

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