2011 was a record year for extreme weather. It’s also set to become the 10th warmest year since record-keeping began in 1850. November temperatures in the UK, France and globally were among the warmest on record, according to meteorological authorities. Arctic sea ice extent was the third lowest since record-keeping began, while La Nina conditions continued in the Pacific, which doesn’t bode well for spring rains in the US southwest.
Climate scientist Phil Jones, head of the British Climate Research Unit (CRU) at East Anglia University, and at the epicenter of “climategate” – so-called after thousands of private emails were stolen and made public late last year – said yesterday that he had “obviously written some very awful emails.” During testimony before a House of Commons Science and Technology Committee,…