Want evidence that working at CNN can wear you down? Although this isn't definitive, something has happened to network meteorologist Chad Myers.
Back on Dec. 18, 2008, Myers explained to viewers of CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" that he thought the entire notion that mankind could affect the weather was "pretty arrogant."
"You know, to think that we could affect weather all that much is pretty arrogant," Myers said. "Mother Nature is so big, the world is so big, the oceans are so big - I think we're going to die from a lack of fresh water or we're going to die from ocean acidification before we die from global warming, for sure."
But fast forward a year and a half and you'll see how things change. On the Aug. 9 daytime broadcast of CNN's "Rick's List," that same Myers has a little bit different view. Myers was asked by the show's host Rick Sanchez the so-called "$60,000 question," but not without a preemptive cheap shot at climate skeptics on the right.
"Is there anything, from your perspective - and I know you are one of many scientist experts out there - that would lead you to believe that because these three things are happening right now, we're more apt to be able to prove or somebody out there is able to prove that there is a consequential global warming and that it's caused by man?" Sanchez asked. "That's the big part of this question.
And guess what - Myers responded differently than he did in 2008. Mankind can influence the climate - but he's not "100 percent" there yet.
"Is it caused by man? Yes." Myers responded. "Is it 100 percent caused by man? No. There are other things involved. We are now in the sunspot cycle. We are now in a very hot sun cycle. We are, we are - many other things going on. But yes, a significant portion of this is caused by greenhouse gases keeping heat on the shore, on the land, in the atmosphere that could have escaped without those greenhouse gases. So, yes, it's warmer."
Sanchez went on to ask Myers if certain weather events were "conclusive" proof of these factors - like global warming or sunspots. He didn't take it that far.
"No, absolutely not. No, there is definitely something going on. Whether it's like el Niño and, you know, it can't be everything all the time. You just can't say, ‘Oh - you know, it's like being a cafeteria meteorologist. I want to pick that today. I will pick that today. I'm going to have the Jell-O. I'm going to have the - I'm going to have the Fudgesicle whatever it might be. There is absolutely something going on here for this summer being the hottest and some of the water that we have in the Atlantic and in the Gulf of Mexico being the hottest ever on record, which could cause a pretty significant - significant hurricane season still to come."
