Global cooling

From a (mainly) physics blog, via Tim Blair:

despite the new El Nino that has been warming the Earth again for a couple of months at the end of 2006 and that will probably continue in 2007. Yes, right now it seems that 2006 will become the coldest year among the most recent five years, and it will belong to the colder half of the years in the last decade.

The number of hurricanes in 2006 was below the long-term average. The total number of Atlantic tropical storms was the second lowest number during the last 12 years, after 1997.

George Monbiot has expressed his relief and said we can relax, the whole global warming worry seems to be fading and he's going to roast an ox over an open pit fire to celebrate.

OK, I made up the last bit. But imagine his response if this curve were inverted. His inconsistency might have a reason... He has written about the vested interests that deny or minimise climate change fears. But as a co-editor of a book called Anti-capitalism: A Guide to the Movement he is no more dispassionate himself. Neutrals need to make an independent effort to review the scientific evidence. I'm going to try this myself over the holiday.