National Blog Call to Action–Global Warming
I have to admit being bored and just a bit frustrated with the topic of global warming. It’s not that I discount it, rather the contrary. I get frustrated with people who say it isn’t true. Yesterday, it snowed here in Minnesota. The joke was, what global warming? Ha-ha.
First of all, it’s not as simplistic as that. One only has to consider the variety of environments across the globe from tundra to desert from swamp to shrubland from prairie to estuary to understand how complex the world is. Our four inches of snow would be a disaster for a desert area to say nothing of the drivers who won’t know how to drive on snow-covered streets. Global warming, then, is not a simple warming of the Earth’s surface.
Second, the effects will vary depending upon global position. Mid regions like the United States are more likely to experience extreme weather conditions like cold and an increase in drought and severe weather events. The polar ice caps, on the hand, are more likely to experience warming. What happens on the polar ice caps affects the oceans. Scientists can point to documented evidence that yes, the global temperature has risen 1.2 to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. Skeptics scoff. What’s a degree or two?
Given present conditions and assuming that all factors stay status quo, that puts the temperature increase up to 7.2 degrees by end of the century. That’s the difference between swimming in 70 degree water versus 63 degree water, a major difference. That’s the difference between freezing temperatures and 39 degrees. Relatively, it’s a great deal.
Already, the impacts are being documented. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that within the last century, U.S. coastal areas are eroding one to four feet each year. With the eroding coasts comes the loss of wetlands, setting the stage for another Katrina. A single acre of wetlands can hold one to one half million gallons of flood waters. Where will it go the next time?
Now if you doubt the figures or the possible impacts, consider this. Considering the enormity, the absolute enormity of some 332 million cubic miles of water on the planet, and an event that could impact more than 70 percent of the world’s surface. Consider the complexity of an issue that could affect over 6 billion people and the task of finding a solution when the evidence is crystal clear. Are you confident that world leaders or the American people could decide on a course of action expediently? Could industry respond quickly, without arguing over the economic cost? Are you absolutely sure that we could act if it became clear we had to?
Frankly, I am not confident. I am a person of science. I trust scientific evidence. The evidence tells me that climate change is occurring. I for one, am not willing to risk the health of the planet and all its people. I will not be a part of the generation that could have saved the Earth.
