Interpretation, context and a priori knowledge can change a story's emphasis

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nterpretation, context and a priori knowledge are vital in arriving at a conclusion when considering reports and stories about climate change.

The Persian Gulf will sometimes be
 uninhabitable by humans
because of climate change.

Two stories, one on The Sydney Morning Herald and another on the America site, Slate, are based on the same information, but leave readers with a different understanding.

The Sydney story leaves readers with the impression that “business as usual” carbon dioxide emissions will make the Persian Gulf uninhabitable and to be fair, it says that will only by “sometimes” by the end of this century.

The overwhelming sense that readers leave the story with is that the gulf area will be uninhabitable if climate change continue unabated.

However, the Slate story, based on the same information, leaves readers with a wholly different conception about what climate change will do to the gulf area.

Neither of the outcomes are good and one just has a slightly more apocalyptic sense about it.

Read The Sydney Morning Herald story - “Forecast for Persian Gulf: a heat too hot for human body” and now compare it to that form Slate - “No, Climate Change Won’t Make the Persian Gulf “Uninhabitable”.

Almonds in driest part of Victoria, ridiculous, but maybe not

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rowing almonds in the driest parts of Victoria might seem ridiculous.

Almonds in outright terms, they are
more water efficient than dairy cows.

That is, of course, until you understand that in outright terms almonds are more water efficient than dairy cows.

In its story - “Stop Vilifying Almonds” – Slate magazine says, “Replacing a glass of cow’s milk with almond milk is a net gain for the environment.

“But almond trees, which must be watered even when they’re not producing, have been gradually displacing fields of row crops that can be fallowed when the weather turns dry. That means by planting almonds, farmers are locking in future water use for decades to come—a troubling trend.”

Slate’s story explores the almond dilemma and today’s Melbourne Age carries a story about what is happening with almonds in Victoria’s Riverland - “Almond centre for excellence announced for the Riverland”.

Things are warming up as we head for the hottest year on record

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he first three months of 2015 were the warmest start to any year on record, according to new data released from NASA on Wednesday.

All major global temperature-tracking agencies have ranked January, February, and March 2015 as among the warmest three months on record, respectively. Collectively, those numbers mean 2015 has been record hot so far. What’s more, the last 12 months (from April 2014 to March 2015) was the warmest 12-month period on record, according to the NASA data.

The previous warmest 12-month period ended just last month, so don’t write this one down in your diary in ink.

Read the Slate story here - “2015 Is Shaping Up to Be the Hottest Year on Record”.

Another 'canary in the coal mine' - this one in Alaska

South-Eastern Australia is considered by many to be the “canary in coal mine” in relation to climate change.

And so it is, for our part of Australia has already been subjected to a decade long drought, huge dumps of rain, and much unseasonal weather.

However, the “canary in coal mine” title is now being applied to parts of Alaska that is also already feeling the impacts of climate change.

A story on Slate headed, “Baked Alaska” discusses the surprising changes those who live there have noted.

“Something does seem to be going on in Alaska. Last fall, a skipjack tuna, which is more likely to be found in the Galápagos than near a glacier, was caught about 150 miles southeast of Anchorage, not far from the Kenai. This past weekend, race organizers had to truck in snow to the ceremonial Iditarod start line in Anchorage,” Slate reported.

Get set for a deluge of denial

Get set for a deluge, not of rain, rather denial.

A story published on Slate and headed: “As climate change report draws near, deniers raise voices and bury heads deeper”, warns us to shelter ourselves for the downpour of denial.

It points to Rupert Murdoch owned “anything” and of course News Corp as the anchor of the denial campaign.