Cold day in the desert

I would like to preface this post by stating that I am not denying that global warming or climate change is occurring presently.

I have no opinion on whether or not climate change or global warming is man made or a natural phenomenon or both.

The point of this post is to question the accuracy of scientists’ predictions over the years.

In June 1974, Time Magazine ran an article predicting Global Cooling.

Sunspots were mentioned, as were detailed descriptions of the changing weather around the world and the effects on plants, trees, animals, and the marine populations in the cooling seas.

Man was blamed for the cooling trend and a study was released from the University of Wisconsin by climatologists stating that dust and other particles released into the atmosphere from farming and burning fuel that blocked the sunlight from reaching the earth.

Dire predictions were made by global scientists, warning that the earth’s climate would “flip-flop” whereby northern states, such as Michigan would become a desert, and western and southern states would become rain forests and frozen tundra.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944914,00.html

Weather forecasters use an array of technology, including computer models to predict the weather.

Barometers, anemometers, wind vanes, psychrometers, thermometers, rain gauges, the study of clouds and cloud patterns.

http://www.ussartf.org/predicting_weather.htm

Modern day technology still utilizes all of the above-mentioned tools, but with the addition of satellites and Doppler Radar.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/All_about_Meteologist

With all the resources at hand for climatologists to predict the weather, what is their rate of accuracy?

According to the link below, the question is complicated.

In some areas, scientists claim an 80% accuracy rate, but even that figure isn’t accurate because it depends on the prediction and the atmospheric conditions.

http://www.weather2000.com/accuracy.html

Yet another site explains the accuracy that weather forecasters strive for, yet the chaotic atmospheric conditions that causes predictions to fluctuate at any given time, but the most accurate predictions occurring with ten hours.

http://www.ametsoc.org/policy/statewaf.html

If scientists cannot accurately predict the weather beyond a ten-hour-timeframe, and even that’s questionable, is it reasonable to trust scientists when they predict the condition of the planet in the next 10 years, to 20 years or 100 years?