A bright meteorology student, Chris Martz ( @ChrisMartzWx) asked some important questions of Big Climate last week. With his permission, I have reproduced them. ➊ To the nearest hundredth of a degree Celsius, what is the “correct” global mean surface temperature (GMST), and why? ➋ If your answer to question one is “the pre-industrial climate,” then explain to me why a 1.2°C cooler planet would be ideal for life on Earth in terms of agricultural and economic productivity. Explain to me why climate conditions during the Little Ice Age (LIA) would be less dangerous and more preferable? ➌ What is the “correct” amount of extreme weather? How many tropical storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes; tornadoes; single-cell, multi-cell cluster, multi-cell line and supercell thunderstorms; damaging wind and hailstorms; droughts; coastal, pluvial and flash floods; heatwaves and cold waves; snowstorms, ice storms and blizzards; and wildfires should there be per year globally? Assign exact numbers ...