Speculation? Or do they have proof?
It's summer.
Well, up here in the real Arctic, which lies about five feet away from my keyboard right outside the window, we are having the third cold summer in a row. Anchorage just had the coldest July on record. There was record ice in the Bering Sea this winter. Yesterday on the “Alaska Weather” program (yes, our state is so big we have a 30-minute show dedicated to just telling us the weather) there was concern that a northwesterly wind might blow sea ice against the shore up near Barrow, effectively blocking passage between the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea. The leaves are already changing. It’s been raining since the Fourth of July, the temperatures remain in the 50s, the beans have turned into a brownish-gray glop, and it looks like a cold front from Russia will send temperatures even lower in the next few days.
From what I’ve heard, global warming will be most apparent here in the Arctic. Instead, it seems to be most apparent in Oklahoma and the Deep South, where it’s been hot and dry for a while.
Of course, weather isn’t climate. On the other hand, the guys at the “Alaska Weather” show don’t forcast any further than two days out.
I believe that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased due to the burning of fossil fuels. And even if that carbon dioxide does lead to an overall increase in temperature, the smart thing would be to adapt to the changed climate. Starting with some apple trees here along the Yukon River.