The video explanation for the “lag” is consistent with what I’ve read in many other sources — this issue has been thoroughly covered in the scientific literature, because it’s so often used as an anti-AGW talking point.

Am I accepting the “authorities” word for it? You bet. This isn’t my field of expertise, so if I see that nearly every reputable scientist agrees with a certain conclusion, I’m going to go with the scientists.

Clarification: it’s not my field of expertise, but I HAVE read a lot on the subject, starting about two years ago, because I wanted to become better informed about a vitally important issue.

I started out as a pretty hardcore skeptic, ready to dismiss that climate change was even happening at all. But the more I read, and the more I checked and cross-checked sources, the more convinced I became that the climate change crisis is not only real, but a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

And the more I saw through the numerous people on the anti-AGW side who are simply dishonest or deluded. There is an ENORMOUS amount of false information being pumped out by places like the Heartland Institute and politicians like James Inhofe and Michele Bachmann, and I’ve completely lost respect for most of the so-called “skeptical” arguments.

In many ways the deniers act exactly like creationists, using quotes out of context, lying about having more support than they really do, and issuing an endless stream of scientific-sounding bullshit that’s intended only to hoodwink and confuse gullible people.

I know this makes me a bad “conservative,” because I can’t blindly follow along with this bogus agenda, and have actually researched the issues and come to my own conclusions. So be it.