Researchers at the organization Friends of Science are concerned about the trend of extreme cold weather and ice storms that have been largely underreported by the media.
"Friends of Science have been cautioning, for some time, that global cooling has begun and we need to be more prepared. Cold weather kills far more people than warm conditions," Ken Gregory, research director for Friends of Science said in a statement. "As Canadians know, you need to be prepared for it. Many people in the world are not."
In the years 2012 and 2013 there was an "excess" of 31,100 low temperature-related deaths in England and Wales; this marks a 29 percent increase since the winter before.
"The northern hemisphere has witnessed four severe winters since 2000, with the European continent bearing the brunt of the cold weather. The severity of winter 2002[to 2003] was felt all the way to south Asia, where hundreds of people... died due to exposure to colder weather and lack of adequate heating," report leader Doctor Mahdav Khandekar said.
Some of the most freezing winters in North America occurred in 2003, 2008, and 2010; this led to Atlantic Oscillation, which is an atmospheric flow pattern.
"Recently peer-reviewed papers explore the growing scientific evidence that the 'consensus' theory of human/anthropogenic global warming is flawed," Gregory said. "There's been a lack of warming for 20 years, despite a rise in carbon dioxide."
The recent reports also warned of an incoming "solar hibernation" period that could lead to colder weather.
"The sun's radiant energy remains about the same," Gregory said. "But the sun's influence is far greater than just heat. Its magnetic field changes; that appears to affect our earth's natural cycles in many ways. Our science review shows that the sun is the main driver of climate change, not CO2."
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