Global warming is settled science, according to Barack Obama, Al Gore, and the rest of the progressive smart set in Washington, DC. Their only solution is more government – taxes, regulations, mandates – all throttling the American engine of innovation and commerce. Regardless of what we see on a daily basis, including record setting snowfalls, their assertion of catastrophic global warming is what we must believe.

Much like Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, or the Easter bunny, global warming is a fantasy created by leftists to gain control over the levers of power, not only within nations, but on a world wide scale. A warming planet is such an apocalyptic event that no single nation can effectively stop the planet’s imminent demise; instead, treaties, accords, and the United Nations are needed to control all nations. With unelected and unaccountable power-hungry bureaucrats in charge.

The modern environmental movement reminds me of the golden ring in Lord of the Rings,

“One Ring to rule them all,

One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all,

and in the darkness bind them.”

The magical ring of climate change hysteria to rule the world and drive it into darkness.

As fall is transitioning into winter, it’s time to take a look around us and answer the question posed by the climate warriors, “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?” What do our eyes tell us?

Let’s start in Texas, still warm over the hotly contested Beto-Ted slugfest. One of the few states not counting and recounting ballots in an effort to create the desired result, Texas had early snow. As reported by one of the Houston news stations, “It’s official. According to the National Weather Service, that Houston has recorded its earliest snowfall ever observed -- and not just by a day or two but by 10 days!” Note the words “ever observed”.

(KHOU 11)

Also from the news article, “For the second year in a row, we beat both New York City and Boston for the earliest observed snowfall.” Help me here. When typically warm locations are colder than normal, how exactly does that support global warming, rather than global cooling?

Speaking of New York, the Big Apple was a bit cooler than expected despite excitement over electing a young female version of Bernie Sanders to the House of Representatives. Several days ago, New York City was hit with an early snow storm, “At Central Park, there were 6.4 inches of snow as of 5 a.m. Friday — the biggest one-day November snowfall in at least 136 years.” That was about the time cars were invented.

The snow lead to gridlock, abandoned cars, closed bridges, and Mayor Bill de Blasio and the rest of the city were, “Caught off guard.” Of course they were surprised. The planet is warming, not cooling, and who in their right mind would expect a major snow storm in mid-November? If only Mayor de Blasio could ban snow as he wants to ban guns.

Not only New York but the entire Eastern US was slammed with snow. An Accuweather meteorologist noted, “It is one of the earliest big November storms ever.” No climate change explanation was offered.

Here in Colorado, global warming allowed ski resorts to open earlier than normal. This headline might be an inconvenient truth for Al Gore and other climate warriors, “Colorado ski areas to open early for 2018-19 season.” How can this be? “The early openings come as more than 4 feet of natural snow fell last week and cold temperatures helped with snowmaking conditions.”

Just four years earlier, a New York Times op-ed asked, “The End of Snow?” pining over Colorado ski mountains turning brown and dry. The writer offered up the typical solution, “Nothing besides a national policy shift on how we create and consume energy will keep our mountains white in the winter — and slow global warming to a safe level.” National policy means big government to the rescue. The writer was quite certain as well, “This is no longer a scientific debate. It is scientific fact.”

Once upon a time it was also scientific fact that the earth was flat, that the sun revolved around the earth, and that bloodletting was the optimal treatment for most diseases.

Perhaps the closed minded climate warriors should entertain another possibility, that the climate is indeed changing, but not in the way they are assuming. Data from NASA suggests it’s global cooling, not warming that we should be concerned about. As reported by Aaron Brown in Real Clear Markets, “Would it surprise you to learn the greatest global two-year cooling event of the last century just occurred? From February 2016 to February 2018 (the latest month available) global average temperatures dropped 0.56°C.”

Another NASA scientist put it this way.

Humanity is facing a long, cold winter which could see temperatures across the planet plunge to depressing lows. That’s the warning from a Nasa scientist who fears sunspot activity on the surface of our star has dropped so low that it could herald the arrival of a uniquely grim mini Ice Age.

So which is it? Global warming or cooling? Will the answer be based on observations and science or a political agenda? Are climate models being subject to the scientific method and appropriate scrutiny? Or are the models being jiggered to reach predetermined conclusions? Much like the vote counts in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Of course the climate is changing. It always has and always will. The planet has a long history of cooling with ice ages, and eventual warming, melting the mile thick ice that once covered the upper Midwest.

Even in 1972, “the most trusted man in America”, Walter Cronkite, was concerned about climate change. But it was cooling, not warming, that worried him. “On September 11, 1972, Cronkite cited scientists’ predictions that there was a ‘new ice age’ coming. He called that prediction from British scientist Hubert Lamb ‘a bit of bad news’.”

Scientists and politicians do themselves and the world a disservice by allowing political agendas to trump good science. It’s OK to say “I don’t know” when it comes to predicting climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate changes position is, “The climate system is a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible.”

Yet climate warriors are quite certain, despite the uncertainty, tolerating no questions or dissent, threating imprisonment for any who disagree. And they continue to look foolish, losing any remaining credibility when in the face of a warming planet, we actually see record setting snow and cold.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook,  LinkedIn and Twitter.