So I’ll say on the air, “This is a North American temperature map. Skilling : A lot of this comes stream of consciousness. In fact, I mentioned it on radio and television, and all forums. But they aren’t as numerous as you might have suspected!ĬC: Back in February when it was strangely warm, climate change was on a lot of people’s minds. You’ll get a couple of letters saying you’re an ignorant ignoramus and you drunk Al Gore’s Kool-Aid. And you know what I’ve found? The folks who really are against climate science make noise far beyond their numbers. Tom Skilling : I would say five, 10 years ago. A transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity, is below.Ĭurious City: When was the first time you talked about climate change on air? He frequently discusses climate change on Facebook, at public events and on TV and radio broadcasts - and, as it happens, is the only meteorologist who agreed to talk with us. Skilling is the chief meteorologist at WGN. In fact, Gensini says that one well-known Chicago weatherman is particularly climate-savvy: Tom Skilling. Still, some weather forecasters may choose to educate themselves in climate science by attending conferences and keeping up with research. “It’s theoretically possible for an on-camera TV weather person to have little to no training in climatology,” Gensini says. So while weather and climate are deeply connected, understanding one doesn’t mean you understand the other. Climatologists instead look at long-term trends, like the average temperature over decades or even centuries. Weather forecasters look at day-to-day changes, like if it will rain tomorrow or be hot next week. Gensini also emphasizes that studying weather and studying climate are not the same thing. “You’re not paid to interject with your opinion of what may or may not be happening on the grand scale of climate.” “As a meteorologist, when you get up on camera, you’re paid to give the weather forecast,” he says.
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