Coldest Scottish Winter in 30 Years

Last Tuesday morning I flew over England and Scotland while getting back to St Andrews, and from my window I could see how snow covered Britain entirely up to the horizon. I wanted to take a picture, but the photo wouldn't have turned out since scratches and junk covered my window. The American medical researcher sitting next to me made a sly comment about global warming. I just nodded my head because I didn't want to get into a debate. I honestly get annoyed when Americans, especially American Republicans, use cold winter weather as proof against global warming. Their proof to debunk virtually every thorough, scientific climate study is that it still gets cold in winter? This may be the coldest winter in 30 years, but maybe we would have had more winters like this if there hadn't been global warming.

I emphasize "American" here because only Americans doubt global warming, or at least that has been my experience and what a professor once told me. No one outside the US really takes crackpot scientists who doubt climate change seriously. Newt Gingrich criticized his fellow Republicans for doubting global warming. In an interview with CNN in 2007, he explained that Republicans doubt it because accepting it would mean accepting a big government solution and higher taxes. It's a strategic political move that has little to do with science. I like part of his alternative to big government and higher taxes: instead of making dirty energy expensive, we need to make clean energy cheaper. I also liked Nathan Myhrvold's solutions. Both Gingrich and Myhrvold's ideas seem more realistic than what I've heard from Democrats or Europeans, especially since curbing dirty energy enough to actual change the climate would kill millions in developing countries.

Nevertheless, I also get annoyed with pundits who blame global warming for phenomenon like Hurricane Katrina and more alcoholic wines. I can accept melting ice caps as evidence because that is unusual. Hurricanes, even strong ones, are not unusual. Producers making wine more alcoholic isn't unusual. Giving these examples seems more like propaganda and less like science.

Being from Mississippi, I'm not used to seeing snow that doesn't melt shortly after sunrise. I was hoping to see some snow, but earlier this year I heard that St Andrews doesn't get much snow since it is so close to the sea's humidity. I'm happy to see how much has accumulated here over Christmas break. I'd probably be annoyed with it if I had to shovel it off a driveway, but there isn't enough here for that.

Yesterday I went for a walk around my neighborhood so that I could take pictures of the snow, and here's a sampling:

View of Hope Street. My flat is on the

far left. Prince William lived in the flat

at the end of the street in the photo,

which is 4 doors down from chez moi.

Small park across the street from

my flat. I'd love to read out here,

but it's been too cold to be enjoyable.

Maybe next spring will be warm enough.

Iconic bridge on the Old Course's 18th hole

View of The Scores and the 18th hole's

finish from the bridge. I have some other

versions of this photo I might like more

later, but I went ahead and put this one

up for now.

Benches along The Scores overlooking the 18th hole

and the West Sands. Property right here is some of the

most expensive in Britain, including property

in London. At least that's the word on the street.

I took this at 3:45 pm, but you can still see the

sun beginning to set.

West Sands, where Chariots of Fire was filmed

View of the North Sea from West Sands

St Salvator's Quad,

one of my favorite places here