Jerusalem, January 6 – Meteorologists and Israeli government officials are warning residents and visitors alike to prepare for a major storm of remarks questioning the validity of climate change observations and predictions, in reaction to an anticipated snowfall and lower-than-average temperatures.
Parts of Israel other than the mountainous Golan and Hermon areas have tended to receive substantial snow on average fewer than once every two years, until recently. If it occurs as predicted, the coming snow, which is expected Wednesday through Friday, will constitute the third winter in a row marked by a significant snowstorm. The close-to-freezing temperatures necessary for the formation and accumulation of snow are several degrees below the average for Israeli winter days, prompting casual comments dismissive of the documented evidence that the world’s atmosphere has warmed since the advent of the industrial age.
The Israel Meteorological Service was predicting Tuesday morning that as of Wednesday afternoon, comments questioning global warming would begin to increase, reaching their peak overnight Thursday. A secondary storm of such expressions of scientific ignorance is possible Friday and into Saturday, in which case, says the IMS, the remarks may accumulate to unprecedented levels.
To prepare for that eventuality, local officials and representatives of various government ministries have issued warnings advising people to equip themselves with the requisite scientific knowledge to handle the storm of ignorance. Key among the toolkit, say the officials, is actual understanding of the mechanics of global warming. “Climate change does not mean it never gets cold again, or even that it never gets as cold as it ever got,” explained Ministry of the Interior spokesman Itze Gruenhaus. “It means that the median annual temperature for a given area will be higher. As polar icecaps melt and more moisture enters the atmosphere, greater instability will occur, and we’re likely to see more extreme weather, including snaps of even more extreme cold and more frequent snowstorms than we’ve become accustomed to.”
In fact, he added, the occurrence of major snowfall in Israel three winters in a row demonstrates the validity of the climate change prediction model, but preconceived notions governing the issue, which has become primarily political, govern most people’s reaction to the weather.
Gruenhaus cautioned that few people will be able to rescue others once they have become stuck under accumulated ignorance, but that with proper preparation, those events can be avoided or minimized. He stressed the importance of thorough preparation, including a sufficient stockpile of gestures and facial expressions indicating shock and disappointment that anyone could be so stupid as to draw long-term scientific conclusions from the data of three or four days.
The previous blizzard, in December of 2013, occurred even before winter had technically begun, and caught the authorities unprepared to deal with the storm of ignorance, let alone with the actual snow. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat dismissed concerns that the municipality’s current intensive efforts constitute overkill. “It’s one thing to be concerned that we’re being a little bit aggressive in trimming trees that might fall, or blocking roads to prevent too many people from getting stuck,” he said. “Those are legitimate questions, and my administration has to contend with balancing them with public safety. But when it comes to the anticipated storm of climate change ignorance, there’s no such thing as too much prevention,” he added as he entered his Hummer H1 vehicle.
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