Climate experts' views differ on global warming trend

By Darryn Simmons

As autumn progresses and temperatures drop, it's easy to forget about how hot it was the past few summers.

But one group says those scorching Alabama summers are among many signs of global warming, and a report issued this week documents the state's 2007 temperatures as above the national average.

The historical maximum average temperature for the last 30 years of the millennium was 77 degrees while 2007's average maximum rose more than two degrees to 79.2 -- and that's bad, according to Environment America, a state-based, citizen-funded environmental advoca­cy organization based in Wash­ington.

An Auburn Montgomery physical scientist has his doubts about whether the data indicate any meaningful trend, but Environment America piles on the numbers.

From 1978 to 2000, there were an average of 78 days each year with temperatures of 90 degrees or higher. In 2007, that number soared to 102 days, the report said.

Whether you want to call the phenomenon climate change or global warming, Environment America Campaign Coordina­tor Michael Despines said the weather is just plain getting hot­ter. Continued...