Paso, if you have yet to see what I really think, that is a personal problem. I have been incredibly forthcoming about my position. Your rant reveals a very insecure person in your position. The original poster claimed that according to the article the North Pole was going to melt, "all of it!" That was utterly and embarrassingly false. In the mean time, the Arctic has continued a downward trend that goes back 30 years. This overall trend probably goes back much further to a time when CO2 couldn't have possibly been involved. Ironically, if one were to go back 8,000 years we would see a RISE in Arctic Ice. But I admit that it has not recovered as I have expected it to. This year is a good indication that the trend is thoroughly downward. I consider this one of the main areas where IPCC predictions have been correct overall. Of course, the Antarctic is doing quite well, so that's at least noteworthy.
I have no problem granting the greenhouse property of CO2. My point has never been (not one time in this entire thread) that CO2 wasn't a greenhouse gas. I readily concur that CO2 is a greenhouse gas. My point has always been that things are far more complicated than that. The fact that CO2 retains heat does not mean that the conversation is closed as you and Hornpharmd and Texoz have repeatedly said quite simplistically apart from any nuance whatsoever. This is a great perspective for an elementary science class or even a Jr. High science class, but it is silly for adults to engage in such simple reasoning. I use the example of turning on a blowdryer in the corner of a house (the bathroom). It is absurd to think that the house will now warm up monolithically and certainly as if there is noting else involved in the overall temperature of a house. Yet it is certainly true that (to paraphrase you and Texoz) "blowdryers are hot and there is one on and it is adding heat to the house." Is that a true statement? Sure! It just misses MANY other factors and variable which keep it from overwhelming the "climate" of the house. I think this analogue works well with the thermostatic properties of the earth.
Temperatures have indeed remained flat for almost 16 years now as anyone can see who is honest with themselves. If we go to 17 years or greater there is a slope and I readily admit that. The fact that we have seen a sudden stop in the rise of temperatures (something admitted by some of the very climate scientists you trust) is not controversial. It is just true. Once again, here is the link for those on this thread who are interested:
4 major global temperature indices graphed over the past 15.5 years
Notice how 2 have a very slight rise, one has a extremely slight descent and 1 is completely flat. This is not just my opinion, this is a graph. You went on for weeks and weeks trying to argue against this plain and obvious fact, but you failed to make your point. I know this is upsetting to you, but it is also the truth. I am not talking about the 20 year graph, it shows a rise. I am not talking about a 30 year graph, it shows a rise. I am talking about the 15 year graph which shows flat temperatures. Conflation of my point with some different point you want to make, doesn't make you right, it just means you are dodging the point. It is astounding that with all of the CO2 we have added in the past 50 years that we would suddenly take a break for 15 years. This doesn't bode well for the predictions to which you adhere.
I do love Watts because he keeps me abreast of much of what is going on in the world of Climate Science, but no, I do not only read Watts. I read many sites and enjoy them very much. There are actually a few others that I find even more helpful if not quite as fun to read.
In the past 5 years while we have been having this discussion, hurricanes have been shown to be decreasing in frequency and power (contrary to predictions that were even discussed on this thread), tornadoes have similarly become more infrequent, sea level rise has remained roughly constant and some studies even suggest that the rate of rise has slowed.
But your notion that the Arctic Ice is melting because of more warmth is even dubious. The Arctic ice melts for many reasons. Wind patterns are among the most impactful, but we also know that black carbon soot from Asia is a factor as are certain ocean currents which bring warmer waters farther north. In fact, the ambient temperature of the air isn't at all the only factor.