One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other...

Pop Quiz!

Which of the following headlines appeared in the Arizona Republic newspaper on December 12?

Scientists fear Arctic thaw has reached 'tipping point'

OR

Arctic Sea Ice Re-Freezing at Record Pace

Answer....

BOTH! That's right: Arctic ice is disappearing and reappearing at record rates--simultaneously! As a result, as the website Climate Skeptic notes,

The re-freeze continues in December, such that the ice coverage is pretty much at the median level today. The AP/Republic article is admirably free of any new facts except the oft-repeated "Arctic ice at all-time low," all-time of course meaning not all-time but in the last 30 years that we have been able to observe by sattellite. And neither article bothers to mention the high coverage record that was set in the South Pole this very same year.

In other words, ice comes and it goes, but the final result is not catastrophic change but a return to the climatological median. So can someone remind me why are we proposing a trillion-dollar tax increase and mandatory car confiscations?