That may be why you use it, but in general that phrase is used because it's more general, so it's easier to attribute any sort of anomalous climate phenomena to human causes and thus drive public policy.
No one has more than a cursory understanding of how climate works. That's why there was no science called 'Climatology', until people realized it was a vehicle for doing 'Post Normal' Science.
http://buythetruth.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/climate-change-a...
Or we're not retarded, but still enjoy making a mockery of the concept of (A)GW often in the name of snark alone. "skepticism" optional even if implied by the mockery. Also, it was yet another wonderful snowy, cold day for a bike commute. This is the only time of year people give me a whole lane to myself.
People tend to confuse climate and weather, i.e., it's cold out today so there isn't global warming and "we can't predict the weather a week in advance, how can we predict climate years in advance??!11!".
I thought that the scientific community had by and large backed off from the earth cooking to the more easily provable position of CO2 levels rising/oceans acidifying?
[+] [-] hackworth|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ellyagg|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] azgolfer|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ax0n|16 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] Locke1689|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dschobel|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jpwagner|16 years ago|reply
actually, it's quite easy to deny something is "probably" anything...
[+] [-] dschobel|16 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] cantastoria|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jdminhbg|16 years ago|reply