2007 Southern MN Flood: Extreme weather event, the long-term trends of which can tell us about climate.Courtesy Grant Co. Emergency ManagementApparently, according to the New York Times, Earth's changing climate is an issue of opinion. At least as evidenced by the reclassification (yes, in April, I know I am a little late on the outrage) of Andrew Revkin's DotEarth blog from the news to the opinion section of the web site.

The move (or reclassification, or what-have-you) leaves me rather cold (I know, I'm just that punny). Do we really have to talk about areas of science, disciplines that are based on long-term data, under the cloak of opinion? Just because some rather practiced folks have succeeded in fomenting debate and doubt?

Well, regardless of where we talk about climate, climate change, and weather, let's be smert when we do so. As JGordon ably wrote some time ago, the majority of us, when thinking about climate change, are influenced by the weather around us:

Everyone else... however, is influenced by the local weather, often subconsciously. Clever people that we are, we still allow the wrong evidence to influence our opinions on huge, important issues?! We have to be smaearter than that!

All of this is really my way of saying "come be smaerter than that!" Come hear Mark Seeley, our state climatologist/meteorologist (yes, he is both, he can tell you the difference between climate and weather) talk about weather vs. climate within the state of Minnesota.

5:30pm tonight, December 8th, Aster Cafe. It is sure to be a rip-roaring good time.