Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Democrat, recently pronounced that the earth had just experienced its warmest day in 120,000 years, asserting that this necessitates the declaration of a “national climate emergency.”
“In recent times, the earth has seen its hottest day in 120,000 years, breaking the record not just once, but thrice,” Omar posted on her Twitter account.
She emphatically called for the immediate recognition of a “national climate crisis.”
However, substantiating such an extraordinary claim is highly challenging, if not impossible.
We must remember that it wasn’t until 1714 when Daniel Fahrenheit invented the first reliable thermometer, and only in the 19th century did we start maintaining consistent weather records. Also, these records weren’t collected on a global scale, making worldwide weather data inaccessible until the 20th century.
The source of Omar’s statement seems to be data from the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, complemented by a passionate climate change essay by WFLA-TV weather reporter Jeff Berardelli.
Interestingly, while the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing a typical summer heatwave, many parts of the Southern Hemisphere are going through a cold winter. Johannesburg just experienced its first snowfall in over ten years last week, and last month, Australia faced unusually chilly weather. It appears that few, if any, are writing impassioned essays about these cold temperatures.
Furthermore, beyond the contentious assertions about temperature records, Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, highlighted a potentially more significant concern with Omar’s tweet: her call for a “national climate emergency.” Lee interpreted this as a veiled attempt to increase government influence.
“It’s the oldest trick in the progressive handbook – every move towards socialism is prefaced by an ’emergency,'” he countered.
