anticap
20th August 2010, 17:47
I've come to prefer the term "climate change" over "global warming," because anthropogenic effects will not always manifest as literal warming (e.g., colder winters attributed to anthropogenic global warming [AGW]); but I've recently learned that use of the term "climate change" instead of "global warming" was brought about in large part by right-wing political framer Frank Luntz, on behalf of the Bush administration, in an attempt to connect AGW with a mere change of the seasons in people's minds.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the term "climate change (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=climate+change)," in the AGW sense, was coined in 1983. Still, Luntz was right, from his perspective, to instigate the more recent switch in terms; so now I feel a little uneasy using "climate change," even though I find it the superior term.
What are your thoughts on this? AGW or ACC?
P.S. I'm aware that AGW can be viewed as a subset of ACC, which seems to answer the question; but most people still use "global warming" to refer to all anthropogenic climate change.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the term "climate change (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=climate+change)," in the AGW sense, was coined in 1983. Still, Luntz was right, from his perspective, to instigate the more recent switch in terms; so now I feel a little uneasy using "climate change," even though I find it the superior term.
What are your thoughts on this? AGW or ACC?
P.S. I'm aware that AGW can be viewed as a subset of ACC, which seems to answer the question; but most people still use "global warming" to refer to all anthropogenic climate change.