The death toll finally stood at : Much of the snowstorm activity coincided with Copenhagen Summit of December 2009 as well as the Climatic Research Unit email controversy one month prior . The unusual weather patterns that year ( particularly in the Southern United States ) provided an opportunity to promote or question the theory of global warming , and led to an increasing use of the phrase " climate change " as opposed to " global warming . "
Climatic Research Unit email controversy
Climatic Research Unit email controversy
Global storm activity of 2009