Extremely hot day? World is going to end.
Extremely cold day? One day is not a pattern.
This is why fewer and fewer people actually believe in global warming.
Extremely cold day? One day is not a pattern.
This is why fewer and fewer people actually believe in global warming.
I think in terms of negative consequences, though, the effects of anthropogenic climate change are already here in the present. Although it is scientifically debated to what extent one can attribute single weather extremes to co2 emissions, it's not really disputed that today's climate, which is already severely impacting humans negatively, is due to past human emissions.
Basically: it's already happening right now, and to identify the mechanisms responsible for the present climate does not require belief that goes beyond other scientific insights that are otherwise widely accepted.
Most of these claims I've seen are either wrong or fail to take into account several obvious factors.
For instance, claims of rising property damage amounts or lives lost fail to account for the amount of property that has accumulated in these locations or the population explosions in these places.
If it's a), examples are that the 10 hottest years on record occurred in the past 13 years; also increasing are the volatility of rainfall, the likelihood, duration, and intensity of heat waves, the arctic temperature, the temperature in the tundra, the acidity in the oceans, etc..
If it's b) you can look at area of bush and forest fires, duration of droughts, areas of flooding, desertification etc. which are all increasing, and which cause tangible damage.
Of course you have a good point; it's nontrivial to "distribute" the damage of, say, the flood in Pakistan last year, into: climate change, bad urban planning, high population density, bad political response etc. But the bottom line is: the climate is changing quicker than we are adapting to it. The fact that many factors come together, and that it's complicated, doesn't mean that this isn't a factor.
I think one of the main misconceptions is that the discussion is too centred on average global temperature, or average rainfall. It's the increasing frequency of wild fluctuations (droughts, floods, heat waves) that creates the challenges.
If you like I can dig out references etc., I just wasn't sure what kind of specific examples you were looking for.
BTW it's not really trust in the scientific community. There are lots of scientists calling foul on this kind of story. What happens is, we get told they're the wrong kind of scientists, or "fringe" or whatever. It's social signalling all the way down and the message is Follow The Science.
Could you please list some of them along with their field of expertise?
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36559554
Note the response - yes they may be nuclear physicists or hydrologists but they can't possibly comment on climate, they're the wrong sort of scientists. Also they even say they have a good understanding of science and then define science as "what 99% of experts believe" which is just hilariously medieval.
These are just examples. I can't be bothered trying to draw up huge lists. Other people have done that, it doesn't matter, the crisis true believers just use a circular definition of expert in which if you disagree the world is doomed you can't be an expert, therefore, are not worth listening to.
But thanks for illustrating my point so perfectly. All the people who think they're most rational on this topic are actually the least rational. Relying purely on mental shortcuts and social cues works right up until someone figures out how they can game you for profit, which is what's happening here (cry crisis = funding, grants, status, fame).
There are also, of course, local patterns that can cause extremely cold days. Averages and quantity also matters, of course. How many extremely cold days for each extremely hot day?
If an extremely cold day is climate change, and an extremely hot day is climate change, what is the point of the ratio?
Climate change is both an increase in global temperature (increased average), and an increase in extreme conditions (increased variance)
The number of extremely cold days increases, but the number of extremely hot days increases more, and both are relevant.
Also, even if we correct the terminology in your post, climate change denial is what is dying out. Denial was all the rage until ten years ago.
Extremely cold days are part of climate change, more extremes