Prominent Meteorologist Unloads on Ocasio-Cortez over Her Climate Claims
After Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York used a storm that hit Washington, D.C., on Monday as proof for her theory that climate change was an imminent disaster only progressive legislators could solve, a meteorologist said the freshman legislator was all wet.
On Monday, the District of Columbia was hit with about 3.5 inches of rain, causing flash floods and widespread flooding, WRC-TV reported.
Ocasio-Cortez, who has championed a “Green New Deal” as the answer to America’s future, was quick to put a partisan spin on the weather.
“Unprecedented flooding is quickly becoming a new normal. Despite that, Republicans are tripling down on fossil fuels w/ no plan to transition off them, or make the critical infra investments we need to prep for the climate crisis. Each day of inaction puts more of us in danger,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
“Climate change intensifies flooding, wildfires, & extreme weather. It’s more than 1 day or 1 storm; it’s all of them. Places are flooding where they haven’t before; there are 90-degree days in Alaska in June. The GOP will mock & sow confusion until it’s their home swept away,” she tweeted.
Climate change intensifies flooding, wildfires, & extreme weather.
It’s more than 1 day or 1 storm; it’s all of them. Places are flooding where they haven’t before; there are 90-degree days in Alaska in June. The GOP will mock & sow confusion until it’s their home swept away.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 8, 2019
Meteorologist Ryan Maue had some thunderbolts in response.
“First a tornado and now a flash flood. The Congresswoman does not miss an opportunity to turn a weather event she experiences into a political statement and blame Republicans. She’s right that cities need to invest in infrastructure but a slow-moving t-storm isn’t ‘climate,'” he said on Twitter.
First a tornado and now a flash flood.
The Congresswoman does not miss an opportunity to turn a weather event she experiences into a political statement and blame Republicans.
She’s right that cities need to invest in infrastructure but a slow-moving t-storm isn’t “climate” https://t.co/X4zoNP0lXW
— Ryan (@RyanMaue) July 8, 2019
“You should resist the emotional temptation to blame EVERY weather event on climate change. Consult the National Academies ‘bubble chart’ on our understanding & confidence of weather events + climate change: Severe convective storms = low confidence & low understanding,” he later tweeted.
Maue concluded by cautioning Ocasio-Cortez not to offer policy conclusions when the facts remain unknown.
“Extreme rainfall is still low/medium confidence and medium understanding — pretty clear that in a warmer world, rainfall extremes will increase. But, attributing an individual t-storm or slow-moving area of rain to climate change is (currently) beyond our capability,” he tweeted.
Extreme rainfall is still low/medium confidence and medium understanding — pretty clear that in a warmer world, rainfall extremes will increase.
But, attributing an individual t-storm or slow-moving area of rain to climate change is (currently) beyond our capability.
— Ryan (@RyanMaue) July 8, 2019
Maue added one more tweet to make it clear he was speaking with the facts on his side.
The reference from the National Academies:
Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change (2016)https://t.co/hyY5TxVHTzThis science is cutting-edge … but the politics obviously isn’t. pic.twitter.com/l3dKxluoYo
— Ryan (@RyanMaue) July 8, 2019
This isn’t the first time Maue has explained the difference between climate and weather to the congresswoman.
In May, the meteorologist responded to a post on Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagram story, which suggested “casual tornados” and severe thunderstorms proved the “the climate crisis is real, y’all.”
I thought this was fake but it’s from @AOC Instagram story.
No idea what she means with “casual tornadoes” and how this line of severe thunderstorms is proof of any “climate crisis”.
It’s just the weather in D.C. ?♂️ pic.twitter.com/r015cScVZg
— Ryan (@RyanMaue) May 23, 2019
“No idea what she means with “casual tornadoes” and how this line of severe thunderstorms is proof of any “climate crisis,” he wrote. “It’s just the weather in D.C.”
Maue provided Ocasio-Cortez with an example, describing the difference between climate and weather in simpler terms.
The Congresswoman @AOC does not know the difference between weather and climate.
Let’s try an easy analogy:
Weather is what outfit you wear heading out the door.
Climate is your closet wardrobe. pic.twitter.com/mmdLr6F2mD
— Ryan (@RyanMaue) May 24, 2019
“The Congresswoman @AOC does not know the difference between weather and climate,” Maue tweeted.
“Let’s try an easy analogy: Weather is what outfit you wear heading out the door. Climate is your closet wardrobe.”
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