
Pope Francis talking to journalists on Monday, September 11, 2017 while flying to Rome at the end of a five-day visit to Colombia. Credit Pool photo by Andrew Medichini.
“Pope Francis slams ‘stupid’ climate change deniers” was the headline in Al Jazeera this past week. In the report, the current occupant of the seat of Antichrist, Pope Francis I, in so many words said that that you must be stupid if you deny the connection between man-made climate change and the recent hurricanes that devastated the Caribbean, Florida and Texas.
The fact that hurricane activity, contrary to predictions based upon the climate models of the global warming/climate change crowd, has been down in recent years didn’t stop Pope Francis from pontificating as to the cause of the storms. In ex cathedra like fashion, he pronounced them the result of climate change resulting from man’s activities. The pope said it. That settles it. No other explanation is needed or permitted.
The pope advanced the opinions of scientists to bolster his point. But the scientific community is not as united on the issue of man-made climate change or the cause of the severe storms of the 2017 hurricane season as the pope would like you to think. For example, climatologist Dr. Judith Curry has explained that the severity of Hurricane Irma was the result, not of increased sea temperatures, but of weak wind shear. According to her, weak wind shear had a lot to do with the intensity of Irma. As she explains it, strong winds take away the heat and moisture needed for a hurricane to strengthen. Further, strong winds tilt the vortex of a hurricane which also weakens the storm.
Perhaps Dr. Curry’s opinion is correct. Perhaps there is another, better explanation for the intensity of the 2017 hurricane season. But the big takeaway is that there are legitimate climate scientists who have cast serious doubt on the pope’s assertion that Irma was the result of man’s industrial activity.
“I don’t believe in instant Karma but this kinda feels like it for Texas. Hopefully this will help them realize the GOP doesnt (sic) care about them.” Thus tweeted sociology professor Ken Storey shortly after Hurricane Harvey had ravaged Texas. This raises the question, just what were the sins of Texas that called for such dreadful punishment? Apparently, 






