Discussed below is the presentation by Professor Ole Humlum addressing the question: Are we currently in a climate crisis? This is a review by Ken Haapala, President of Scientific Environmental Policy Project of Professor Humlum’s live Zoom lecture and Q&A offered June 19, 2024 by ICSF (Irish Climate Science Forum). Professor Humlum’s Powerpoint slides and the video of his lecture are attached down below.

Professor Ole Humlum qualified at the University of Copenhagen and he served as Scientific Director at the Arctic Station in Greenland. During his career, he was Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, Visiting Associate Professor, Faroese Natural Museum, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, and Full Professor, Physical Geography at the University Centre in Svalbard, Norway, and Full Professor, Physical Geography, at the University of Oslo. Post-retirement, he is director of the Arctic HERO (Arctic Historical Evaluation and Research Organisation). Each month he publishes his http://www.climate4you.com/ updates, summarised annually as a GWPF “State of the Climate” publication. In this lecture, Prof Humlum uses the latest meteorological and climatological data to objectively assess the current state of earth’s climate, based solely on real-world objective observations, with no media hype, no spin. His conclusions provide no evidence of a climate ‘crisis’.

A Climate Crisis? On June 19, Meteorologist Ole Humlum made a thought-provoking address to the Irish Climate Science Forum (ICSF) and CLINTEL addressing the principal question: Are we currently in a climate crisis? The Climate & Energy Realists of Australia provided a video of the event as well as a follow along transcript. As with John Clauser, the slides were unusually good, and thanks to Jim O’Brien of ICSF they are posted on the SEPP website. In discussing the presentation TWTW will reference the slides. Professor Ole Humlum is well qualified to discuss “The State of Earth’s Climate 2024 – No Evidence of a Planetary ‘Crisis’!” His qualifications are stated in the introduction of the video. They are:

“Prof Ole Humlum used meteorological and climatological data to objectively assess the state of earth’s climate. Global air temperatures in 2023/24 are reported to be the “highest on record” – how significant is that? Global temperature records do confirm that observed average global air temperature rise is about +0.15° C per decade – is that serious? Since 2004, the global oceans above 1900 m depth on average have warmed about 0.037° C – are the oceans “boiling”? Are recent variations between El Niño and La Niña episodes in any way unusual? To what extent is atmospheric CO2 concentration actually related to human contributions? Is rising sea level a threat? Are changes in sea ice extents in the Arctic and Antarctic in any way alarming? Are there significant trends in tropical storm and hurricane activity? Are there alarming trends in global precipitation? Ole provides all the hard facts – and will conclude that these observations reveal that there is no evidence of an “existential climate catastrophe.”

Professor Humlum bases his findings on observations from Nature, not speculative models. In physical science Nature Rules, it is the ultimate and final judge. Contrary to the assertions of the UN, IPCC, and many government collaborators, if theories, concepts, ideas are contrary to what nature reveals to us, the ideas and theories are simply wrong. And millions of dollars in supporting publicity or propaganda does not make them right.

Humlum analyzes the current state of the climate using ten subtopics:

1. Atmospheric temperature
2. Ocean temperature
3. Sea level
4. Sea ice
5. Snow
6. Wind and storms
7. Global precipitation
8. Global cloud cover
9. Climate change: importance of oceans
10. Final reflections and conclusions

For atmospheric temperature he uses the surface air temperature numbers from the Hadley Center Climate Research Unit (HadCRUT). [Unlike others such as NASA-GISS and NOAA, this dataset does not include “imputed” data.] Humlum shows his calculations of the Surface air temperature anomaly for 2023 vs last ten 10 years. Importantly, he also shows the entire dataset for the USH MSU global temperature anomaly, which is calculated from satellite data [the only true global dataset of temperature trends].

Humlum also shows the NASA-GISS global temperature anomaly and shows a slide clearly demonstrating how NASA-GISS changed the temperature values a number of times between May 2008 to May 2024. For the most part, NASA-GISS cooled the data from 1885 to 1970 (with a few warming spikes during this period) and warmed the temperatures after 1975. This reflects poorly on the standards of integrity in science demonstrated by NASA-GISS and agencies in Washington that use this dataset. Humlum shows how from May 2008 to May 2024 NASA-GISS changed reported January temperatures over the period from 1910 to 2000 increasing it from 0.45°C in 2008 to 0.67°C May 2024.

Humlum discusses the urban heat island effect, focusing on Oslo Norway, and concludes: Much is still to be learnt about urban heat islands!

Using the UAH-MSU data he shows the differences in changes in the Arctic and Antarctic. Then he shows the recorded temperatures for six locations in the Arctic and concludes: As to temperature, the Arctic is more complicated than is often communicated.

Humlum then discusses ocean temperature recorded by Argo drifting floats that measure the temperature, salinity, and velocity (speed of ocean currents) of the upper 2000 meters (6500 feet) of the oceans. He concludes: Much is still to be learnt about the oceans!

Humlum addresses the other subtopics mentioned above. With sea levels, Humlum shows that short term data can produce all sorts of trends. Long-term data must be the focus of any honest researcher. For example, for Korsor, Denmark, the trend from January 1897 to December 2017 is plus 0.83 mm/year, or 0.033 inches per year or slightly more than 3 inches per century. For Oslo, Norway, the entire data record shows sea levels are falling at a rate 3.39 mm/year or 13 inches per century.

With topics such as sea ice, Humlum concludes: Much is still to be learned about sea ice! For snow, Humlum concludes: Snow cover is rather stable! Humlum shows that claims of more extreme weather events are false. He then goes into cloud cover and reflects.

“If all clouds suddenly were removed, then planet Earth would gain about 17 W/m2 in net radiation and warm.”

Humlum then shows two graphs that TWTW has never seen paired on one slide: 1) Global cloud cover (%); Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) from January 1982 to June 2019, and 2) UAH MSU global temperature anomaly for the same period. This indicates that the warming of the atmosphere in UAH MSU data may come largely from a reduction in cloud cover. Since the reduction in cloud cover started about 1995 and has not continued to fall since about 2004, it is not from recent requirements to convert fuel used by ships to low sulfur fuels. Further, cloud cover is not the only explanation for increasing atmospheric temperatures, which are not uniform, but only one possible contributor. As Humlum states:

“Much is still to be learnt about global cloud cover!”

This statement supports what John Clauser asserts, as discussed in the previous four TWTWs. No one has successfully modeled clouds. William van Wijngaarden and William Happer are working on it. Without successful modeling of clouds, the science is not settled, regardless of what some scientists claim. Further, global climate models are hopelessly simplistic, no matter how complex they may appear. Any projections/forecasts from them are pure speculation, not science built on nature.

Humlum concludes his slides with Principal question: Are we currently in a climate crisis?

1. Atmospheric temperatures: Ongoing corrections in data. Possible global increase of up to 1.5°C by 2100, and likely less. Antarctic temperatures remain stable.
2. Ocean temperatures: Much still to be learnt. Oceans are definitely not “boiling.”
3. Sea Level: 15-20 cm further global rise by 2100? [6 to 8 inches]
4. Sea Ice: Much still to be learnt. Arctic sea ice is not disappearing.
5. Snow: Snow cover is quasi-stable, and snow is not disappearing.
6. Wind and Storms: Recurrent (periodic?) variations. No trend in hurricanes.
7. Precipitation: Recurrent (periodic?) variations superimposed on upward trend since 1900.
8. Cloud Cover: Cloud cover declines since about 1980. This development is probably contributing to observed atmospheric and ocean warming.

Why did I not speak anything about CO2?

This is because CO2, although being very important for life, in my opinion, is not overly important to understand meteorology and climate.

Humlum then presents a simple diagram of what matters for air temperature – the oceans.:

“The global temperature signal originates at the ocean surface!

What controls the ocean surface temperature, controls the global climate.

Two overall conclusions and one suggestion for what should be the main climate research focus:

1. Observed data do not support the notion of a climate crisis, but reveals many and partly recurrent natural variations.
2. Ocean surface temperature controls the atmospheric temperature.

PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT CLIMATE RESEARCH QUESTION:

What controls the ocean surface temperature?”

Video lecture: https://www.icsf.ie/lecture-series-2024

Professor Humlum’s slides, and his most recent GWPF State of the Climate Report may be seen at: https://www.thegwpf.org/publications/the-state-of-the-climate-2023/. His regular monthly updates may be seen at: http://www.climate4you.com/.

Hat tips and a big mahalo and aloha to Jim O’Brien, Chair at ICSF.ie and Ken Haapala, President at SEPP.org