It’s a new age for most Americans. We have a new President, new Cabinet, New Year, possibly new jobs, houses, etc., but one thing seems to remain the same: the state of our environment. While our new administration has its positive appeals, there are negative ones as well. Particularly, I personally feel our emphasis on being a world leader in science has now been deemed “controversial” or that we perform “pseudo-science” based on “an agenda.” Our government has always been very proactive when it has come to climate change and environmental protections which the science community has prided themselves in, but it seems that this has been replaced with other, as the new administration will call them, priorities. I’d like to take this opportunity to not foul-talk anyone, but rather to reassure our citizens that this should be kept a priority within our government.
To gain a common ground with those who have heard of climate change, but don’t really understand what it means, you should be able to recite, and more importantly understand, the difference between what climate and weather are. Most people do not understand the difference. Most have heard the argument of “We just got a record amount of snow this week! How can there be climate change?” Let’s dissect that. Climate can be defined as the weather conditions prevailing, or existing, in an area in general or over a long period of time. Here, the emphasis is “long period of time.” Meaning that, in general, Arizona can be thought of as having excruciating summer temperatures of triple digits and Minnesota, in turn, is known for frigid winters. Those are the local climates of those particular areas. Now, weather can be defined as the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as it pertains to heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc. This means that even a particular day or week event such as a record-breaking amount of snow does not equate to the overall climate of the area.
How do we know that climate change, or the general warming of the earth, is happening? Scientists measure surface temperatures of the earth over long periods of time in order to help indicate the state of climate. Another way to measure, is sea-level rising by melting glaciers within the icecaps. These simply aren’t just measurements. There is a sufficient amount of statistical analysis that goes into these findings to help us understand the probability, or likelihood, of what we think is happening. On that note, let’s divulge some statistics. On January 18, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA using these methods (although much more involved) reported that 2016 was 1.69 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 20th century average. Side note: temperature records started in the 1880s. Currently, this is the third year running that climate has been increasing steadily. Sea ice is also currently at its lowest point.
“Well, on the surface it seems like the earth is warming, but why is this so controversial? I don’t understand what the issue is.” There are a small group of people who deny climate change altogether (I personally think it’s as absurd as denying the Holocaust), but the main issue people argue over is whether or not humans are the main contributor to this climate change. I encourage each and every reader of this paper to seek out their own opinions. Simply typing “climate change” into Google won’t get you far. Please research by interviewing professionals, seeking primary literature written by scientists themselves (articles), and by reading professional organizations’ research. I am a huge proponent of finding your own answer without having a politician, who is not an environmental scientist, taint your foresight. Happy researching! Lastly, regardless of whether or not you agree with me, please become involved in your town, county, state, and country legislation. We need more educated voters!
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