{"id":256867,"date":"2023-05-11T09:49:12","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T07:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=256867"},"modified":"2023-05-11T09:49:21","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T07:49:21","slug":"americans-increasingly-choose-a-warmer-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=256867","title":{"rendered":"Americans Increasingly Choose a Warmer Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 9th, 2023 by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D.<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hear that a new El Nino forming in the Pacific Ocean is likely to push global-average temperatures to new record highs in 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting aside the fact that we have no idea if current temperatures are warmer than during the Medieval Warm Period of ~1,000 years ago, I have to ask\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing something about global warming depends a lot on how much we are asked to pay to fix it. If it was cheap and practical, we would have already transitioned to renewable energy sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also depends upon just how much global warming we have experienced, and whether it is enough to be concerned with. For the global oceans, the climate models enlisted to scare us in a steady stream of alarmist news reports over-predict ocean warming by a factor of 2<\/a>. In America\u2019s heartland during the summer, the discrepancy is a factor of 6<\/a>(!). So, clearly, public concern is being inflated by factually incorrect information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Temperature do Americans Choose?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to life in these United States, roughly 50%<\/a> of U.S. residents have at least a moderate worry about climate change and global warming. As mentioned above, I believe this is largely due to their response to what is reported by the news media, which is routinely exaggerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An interesting question that the late Dr. Pat Michaels asked about 25 years ago is, what temperature do Americans choose to live with? We have a large country with a wide range of climates, from frigid winters to tropical year-round, so there is considerable choice of what climate we decide to live in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Michaels pointed out (most recently in 2013<\/a>) that over the years, Americans tend to migrate to warmer climates. Some of us might claim to be concerned about global warming, but we increasingly choose to live where it\u2019s warmer. I\u2019ve updated those calculations to 2022, and the results are the same:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The blue curve is the usual area-averaged temperatures for the Lower 48, while the orange curve is the state population-weighted average. While the area average temperatures have warmed modestly over the last century, the temperatures where people choose to live have increased by twice that amount. (The possibility that Urban Heat Island effects have spuriously warmed these NOAA-reported temperatures is part of a research project<\/a> we have been involved in).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some might claim that the migration to states with warmer temperatures has more to do with economic opportunity than with temperature. But who creates economic opportunity? People. And where do people choose to live? Where the weather is warmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a reason why people are flocking to Texas and Florida, and not to the Dakotas or Maine. Ultimately, it\u2019s due to the climate. So, while some of us like to think we are Saving the Earth by buying a Tesla, our migration habits are telling a different story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Setting aside the fact that we have no idea if current temperatures are warmer than during the Medieval Warm Period of ~1,000 years ago, I have to ask\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":256870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818056,691818090,691818200,691819283,691818830],"class_list":["post-256867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-warning","tag-el-nino","tag-medieval-warm-period","tag-pacific-ocean","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00Miami-Beach-skyline.jpg?fit=2000%2C1276&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-14P1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":275031,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=275031","url_meta":{"origin":256867,"position":0},"title":"4 More Temperature Reconstructions Fail To Support The \u2018Unprecedented\u2019 Global Warming Narrative","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/22\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"New studies find recent non-warming and\/or a warmer Medieval Warm Period.","rel":"","context":"In \"India\u2019s Himalayan region\"","block_context":{"text":"India\u2019s Himalayan region","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=indias-himalayan-region"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0a690841869ff4f91370b56ac57384363.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0a690841869ff4f91370b56ac57384363.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0a690841869ff4f91370b56ac57384363.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0a690841869ff4f91370b56ac57384363.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0a690841869ff4f91370b56ac57384363.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":369333,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=369333","url_meta":{"origin":256867,"position":1},"title":"Medieval Warm Period Undeniable, pronounced in Antarctica and Poland, 2 New Studies Show","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Medieval Warm Period, the natural warm phase between 700 and 1300 AD, cannot be reproduced climate models because the simulations react primarily to CO2. Back then CO2 was not a factor because its concentration level in the atmosphere was pretty much constant. That\u2019s why people would rather keep the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Antarctica\"","block_context":{"text":"Antarctica","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=antarctica"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Emperor-Penguins-with-chick.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Emperor-Penguins-with-chick.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Emperor-Penguins-with-chick.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Emperor-Penguins-with-chick.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Emperor-Penguins-with-chick.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":414093,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=414093","url_meta":{"origin":256867,"position":2},"title":"The Deep Ocean May Be Colder Today Than Any Time in the Last 4.5 million Years","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/21\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A\u00a0new study\u00a0finds Earth\u2019s bottom water temperatures (BWTs) have cooled by 2-3\u00b0C over the last 4.5 million years through to the pre-industrial era (1750).","rel":"","context":"In \"bottom water temperatures (BWTs)\"","block_context":{"text":"bottom water temperatures (BWTs)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bottom-water-temperatures-bwts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMAVSVmiA3x530VV5I6sqrobTA0ag93dzfPQuzTMhKuWV8xYNXM51XkaZVvOUVDictRMmOaJydiQF1Uqd7g7SaBGNHbsMPA0h7XG0SRkdkuMJknTP_aUCu8jzi14p0_-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C710&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMAVSVmiA3x530VV5I6sqrobTA0ag93dzfPQuzTMhKuWV8xYNXM51XkaZVvOUVDictRMmOaJydiQF1Uqd7g7SaBGNHbsMPA0h7XG0SRkdkuMJknTP_aUCu8jzi14p0_-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C710&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMAVSVmiA3x530VV5I6sqrobTA0ag93dzfPQuzTMhKuWV8xYNXM51XkaZVvOUVDictRMmOaJydiQF1Uqd7g7SaBGNHbsMPA0h7XG0SRkdkuMJknTP_aUCu8jzi14p0_-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C710&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMAVSVmiA3x530VV5I6sqrobTA0ag93dzfPQuzTMhKuWV8xYNXM51XkaZVvOUVDictRMmOaJydiQF1Uqd7g7SaBGNHbsMPA0h7XG0SRkdkuMJknTP_aUCu8jzi14p0_-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C710&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMAVSVmiA3x530VV5I6sqrobTA0ag93dzfPQuzTMhKuWV8xYNXM51XkaZVvOUVDictRMmOaJydiQF1Uqd7g7SaBGNHbsMPA0h7XG0SRkdkuMJknTP_aUCu8jzi14p0_-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C710&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":269949,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=269949","url_meta":{"origin":256867,"position":3},"title":"New Study: Modern Central Asia Climate Halfway Between Medieval Warmth And Little Ice Age","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/28\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The mean annual temperature was 2-3\u00b0C warmer than present during the Holocene Thermal Maximum in arid central Asia.","rel":"","context":"In \"Central Asia\"","block_context":{"text":"Central Asia","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=central-asia"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0Screenshot-2023-07-28-161441.png?fit=994%2C879&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0Screenshot-2023-07-28-161441.png?fit=994%2C879&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0Screenshot-2023-07-28-161441.png?fit=994%2C879&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0Screenshot-2023-07-28-161441.png?fit=994%2C879&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":282957,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=282957","url_meta":{"origin":256867,"position":4},"title":"Climate \u201cout of control\u201d? A reality check","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Climate change doesn\u2019t explain why September 2023 is so much warmer than September 2022, not even the 1976\/77 climate shift. From Net Zero Watch Why are many parts of the world so warm right now? Over the past four months we have seen record-breaking temperatures. September, globally-averaged, was 0.5\u00b0C above\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/0various-golden-summer-front.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/0various-golden-summer-front.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/0various-golden-summer-front.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/0various-golden-summer-front.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":288136,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=288136","url_meta":{"origin":256867,"position":5},"title":"Political and Natural Hazards, ARC Part 3","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/20\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"From Jennifer Marohasy November 19, 2023\u00a0By\u00a0jennifer\u00a0 Before the advent of computer simulation modelling and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the past record of climate change was assembled from a variety of different types of evidence including chronicles, grain price records, radiocarbon dating, pollen analysis and vegetation history, tree\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"computer simulation modelling\"","block_context":{"text":"computer simulation modelling","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=computer-simulation-modelling"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Feature-Part3-copy.png?fit=1200%2C586&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Feature-Part3-copy.png?fit=1200%2C586&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Feature-Part3-copy.png?fit=1200%2C586&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Feature-Part3-copy.png?fit=1200%2C586&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Feature-Part3-copy.png?fit=1200%2C586&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=256867"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256872,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256867\/revisions\/256872"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/256870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=256867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=256867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=256867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}