Global warming activists in academia and the media are now seeking to link record-breaking cold to man-made “global warming.” The problem is, the science is failing to support their claims.

Time Magazine was one of the first media outlets out of the gate with an article by senior writer Bryan Walsh blaming the “historic cold snap” on “climate change” and warning readers that global warming will bring more record cold! “This week’s events show that climate change is almost certainly screwing with weather patterns ways that go beyond mere increases in temperature—meaning that you’d be smart to hold onto those winter coats for a while longer,” Walsh wrote. See: Polar Vortex: Climate Change Could Be the Cause of Record Cold Weather | TIME.com

Walsh went on to refer to the ubiquitous phrase “polar vortex” to attempt to explain how carbon dioxide emissions have essentially made the polar vortex “wobble like a drunk on his 4th martini.”

Time: Polar vortex is ‘wobbling like a drunk on his 4th martini.’

The only problem for Time Magazine is the publication is on record in 1974 blaming the same phenomenon on – global cooling! See: Time Magazine Goes Both Ways On The Polar Vortex: ‘In 1974, Time Mag blamed the cold polar vortex on global cooling’ — In 2014: ‘Time Magazine blames the cold polar vortex on global warming’ (via Real Science)

Other warmists have joined in blaming record cold on “global warming.” Meteorologist Eric Holthaus, who announced in 2013 that he was going to have a vasectomy to help save the planet, boldly proclaimed on Twitter “Yes, you can thank global warming for this taste of the ‘polar vortex’.”

The Weather Channel weighed in with this article: “Though it seems counterintuitive – global warming bringing about extreme cold – the answer may be yes, according to scientists like Weather Underground’s Dr. Jeff Masters and Dr. Jennifer Francis.” And the UK Guardian writes: “Deep freeze gripping America may be tied to shrinking Arctic sea ice caused by manmade climate change, reports Climate Central.”

But scientists were quick to reject any link of record cold to man-made global warming. See:

Princeton Physicist Dr. Will Happer refutes claims that global warming is causing record cold: ‘Polar vortices have been around forever. They have almost nothing to do with more CO2 in the atmosphere’

Meteorologist Dr. Ryan Maue rejects claim that global warming is causing record cold: ‘This polar vortex episode is the global warming media’s most recent ‘Snapchat’ message: after a few seconds, explanation just dissolves’

Wash Post Throws Cold Water on Idea that Global Warming Is Causing Record Cold: ‘It’s still heavily debated…Elizabeth Barnes of Colorado State disputed the link’ – WaPo: ‘For now, the consensus view still holds that global warming will bring fewer cold snaps to places like the U.S., not more. The IPCC in 2007 predicted that there was ‘likely to be a decline in the frequency of cold air outbreaks… in [northern hemisphere] winter in most areas.’

U.S. News: ‘Is Climate Change Causing the ‘Polar Vortex’? Article rebuts: Claim ‘appears unsupported by the observations’

Warmists Claim: ‘Global warming is probably contributing to the record cold’ – ‘Global warming can make cold snaps even worse’

Real Science rebuttal: Experts : Cold Used To Be Caused By Cold, But Is Now Caused By Heat – ‘How can anyone claim that a rapidly warming Arctic would produce record cold air? How can -65F Arctic air be melting ice? The assertions are ludicrous beyond comprehension. Arctic ice extent is normal. Northern Hemisphere snow has been near record highs.’

Time Magazine Goes Both Ways On The Polar Vortex: ‘In 1974, Time Mag blamed the cold polar vortex on global cooling’ — In 2014: ‘Time Magazine blames the cold polar vortex on global warming’

Via Real Science:

In 1974, Time Magazine blamed the cold polar vortex on global cooling. ‘Scientists have found other indications of global cooling. For one thing there has been a noticeable expansion of the great belt of dry, high-altitude polar winds —the so-called circumpolar vortex—that sweep from west to east around the top and bottom of the world.’

Another Ice Age? – TIME

Forty years later, in 2014, Time Magazine blames the cold polar vortex on global warming: ‘But not only does the cold spell not disprove climate change, it may well be that global warming could be making the occasional bout of extreme cold weather in the U.S. even more likely. Right now much of the U.S. is in the grip of a polar vortex, which is pretty much what it sounds like: a whirlwind of extremely cold, extremely dense air that forms near the poles.’ — Polar Vortex: Climate Change Could Be the Cause of Record Cold Weather | TIME.com

Record cold from global warming causing ‘polar vortex’ debunked – ‘Paper confirms there is no evidence that climate change has slowed the jet stream or increased frequency of jet stream blocking’

‘Another paper finds no evidence of any unusual or unprecedented changes in the latitude or speed of the North Atlantic jet stream over the past 142 years since 1871’

Climatologist Dr. Roy Spencer: ‘Does Global Warming Theory Predict Record Cold?’ Answer: ‘NO.’

Wash Post Throws Cold Water on Idea that Global Warming Is Causing Record Cold: ‘It’s still heavily debated…Elizabeth Barnes of Colorado State disputed the link’ – WaPo: ‘For now, the consensus view still holds that global warming will bring fewer cold snaps to places like the U.S., not more. The IPCC in 2007 predicted that there was ‘likely to be a decline in the frequency of cold air outbreaks… in [northern hemisphere] winter in most areas.’

‘There is a theory for how global warming could cause severe cold in the U.S. — but it’s still heavily debated. Right now, the Arctic region is warming rapidly. And a few scientists think this could cause the jet stream to slow down and weaken and meander all over the place more often. This is a relatively new idea, and there’s still a whole lot of debate over the link between Arctic warming and extreme weather. Jennifer Francis of Rutgers sketched out the theory here. In August, Elizabeth Barnes of Colorado State disputed the link (and Francis responded here).

Update: Climatologist Cliff Harris: ‘The claims that greenhouse warming causes more cold waves like we have seen this week really seems to be without any basis in observational evidence or in theory. The media needs to stop pushing this unsupported argument’ — Harris: ‘All this bogus reporting has done substantial damage, with many American’s believing that global warming is already causing our winter weather to become more extreme, while the observational evidence suggests no such thing. One day some sociologists will study this situation and the psychological elements that drove it.’

Update: Climatologist Dr. Judith Curry, Chair of School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology: ‘Is global warming causing the polar vortex? In a word, no.’

More Links:

From get vasectomy to save planet guy – Warmist Eric Holthaus: ‘Yes, you can thank global warming for this taste of the ‘polar vortex’ — Flashback: A weatherman breaks down in tears and considers having a vasectomy, vows NEVER to fly again due to grim UN climate report: Eric Holthaus tweeted ‘no children, happy to go extinct’

TIME Mag blames global warming for frigid temps across US. CO2 made polar vortex ‘wobble like a drunk on 4th martini’

Time Magazine Senior Writer Bryan Walsh: ‘Climate Change Might Just Be Driving the Historic Cold Snap’ — ‘Climate Change Might Just Be Driving the Historic Cold Snap: Global warming is sometimes thought of more as “global weirding,” with all manner of complex disruptions occurring over time. This week’s events show that climate change is almost certainly screwing with weather patterns ways that go beyond mere increases in temperature—meaning that you’d be smart to hold onto those winter coats for a while longer.’

Related Links:

‘It’s too darn cold’: Even polar bears and penguins moved indoors

NYC breaks 118-year-low

Flashback 2010: NYT’s Climate Astrology: ‘Bundle Up, It’s Global Warming’ — ‘Overall warming of the atmosphere is actually creating cold-weather extremes’

Flashback 2010: Watch Now! Climate Depot’s Morano in MSNBC TV Debate — Morano: ‘Now [the warmists] are trying to say global warming causes blizzards, that’s the level of climate astrology — it’s like a daily horoscope — nothing that happens falsifies the [warming] theory’ — ‘He (Weiss) need’s Tarot cards, that is what he needs, he is peddling astrology’

Climate Astrology: Blizzard blamed on global warming?! Is there any weather event that is inconsistent with global warming? — Climate Depot Round up – ‘No matter what the weather is like, it always turns out to be exactly the kind of weather we should expect if human activity were causing global temps to rise’

NOAA’s 2010 Report Rebukes Gore’s (& Other Warmists’) Snowstorm Claims! NOAA Finds ‘Record-setting snowstorms were the result of natural causes’ — not man-made global warming!

2009: Climate Fear Promoters Try to Spin Record Cold and Snow: ‘Global warming made it less cool’ – Switch from warning of ‘climate crisis’ to ‘global warming made it less cool’

Gore’s Back: ‘We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change’ — Claims global warming ‘causing heavier downfalls of both rain and snow’ (Why didn’t Gore warn of blizzards in his film?)

‘Planet Earth currently has the most sea ice ever measured this time of year’

Forget global warming!? Earth undergoing global COOLING since 2002! Climate Scientist Dr. Judith Curry: ‘Attention in the public debate seems to be moving away from the 15-17 year ‘pause’ to the cooling since 2002’ – Growing number of scientists are predicting global cooling