Pirate's Cove

This is not the first time that earthquakes have been blamed on global warming. Search around, and there are a few more articles. This one, though, has to be one of the most alarmist and ridiculous to date, which is actually a tough thing to do with climahysteria

CBS News – Today’s Quakes Deadlier Than In Past

New research compiled by Australian scientist Dr. Tom Chalko shows that global seismic activity on Earth is now five times more energetic than it was just 20 years ago.

The research proves that destructive ability of earthquakes on Earth increases alarmingly fast and that this trend is set to continue, unless the problem of “global warming” is comprehensively and urgently addressed. 

See, it started out well, but then degenerated into complete nonsense. Or, perhaps a different synonym for idiocy would work better: zaniness.

The analysis of more than 386,000 earthquakes between 1973 and 2007 recorded on the US Geological Survey database proved that the global annual energy of earthquakes on Earth began increasing very fast since 1990.

Of course it HAS to be global warming, and by global warming, they mean mad made global warming. No matter that most deadly earthquake ever occurred during the Little Ice Age, when an estimated 830,000 people where killed in China. In 1556.

The article ends with this quote

“Unless the problem of global warming (the problem of persistent thermal imbalance of Earth) is addressed urgently and comprehensively – the rapid increase in global seismic, volcanic and tectonic activity is certain. Consequences of inaction can only be catastrophic. There is no time for half-measures.”

Let’s suppose there was an increase of earthquake activity in 1990. Well, that would have coincided with peak of the 11 year solar cycle. Dr Chako is claiming that “NASA measurements from space confirm that Earth as a whole absorbs at least 0.85 Megawatt per square kilometer more energy from the Sun than it is able to radiate back to space. This ‘thermal imbalance’ means that heat generated in the planetary interior cannot escape and that the planetary interior must overheat. Increase in seismic, tectonic and volcanic activities is an unavoidable consequence of the observed thermal imbalance of the planet.”

So, he looks at it and say “wow, must be global warming caused by Man and his evil automobiles. Let me call the Goracle and let him know. I wonder if I should call him in his private jet first?” This is what is called anecdotal evidence. It gets worse, though.

Look at the graph to the above. Notice the spikes. I think it is pretty easy to tell that the one in 2004 is because of the December 26, 2004 earthquake. The other may be the August 17, 1999 earthquake in Turkey.

Now, I was going to get in to the whole “deadlier” thing, but, that is more about CBS’s headline, rather then what Dr. Chalko is postulating. But, consider a different period of just 12 years, when their were 4 magnitude 9+ earthquakes, including a 9.5 in Chile. That was actually during a cooler period. And, uh oh, there were earthquakes during the very hot 1930’s!

Then, we could get in to the whole “we have better technology to measure earthquakes” and “more people are living in the areas” issues, but, na, facts are irrelevant when it comes to climahysteria.

Oh, BTW, a solar cycle ran from 1954-1964. And, for CBS, there was a magnitude 7.6 in 1976 which killed over 242,000 people in China. If memory serves, that was around the time that all the media and scientists were hugely worried about a coming ice age. Six years earlier, 66,000 were killed in a 7.9 in Peru. 200,00 in China in 1920. 80,000 in Portugal in 1755, which was during the Little Ice Age.

This articleincludes a link to Dr. Chalko’s article.