{"id":6244,"date":"2017-03-12T10:13:30","date_gmt":"2017-03-12T16:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=6244"},"modified":"2017-03-12T10:13:30","modified_gmt":"2017-03-12T16:13:30","slug":"climate-change-real-guest-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2017\/03\/climate-change-real-guest-post.html","title":{"rendered":"“Climate Change is Real” (guest post)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/global-warming-burning-earth-burning-1494965\/\"<\/p>\n

Hey, everyone \u2014 I said in my prior post that I\u2019d been having real-world conversation. \u00a0Here\u2019s a piece from a real-world friend who assures me he is not some sort of crazy eco-warrior. \u00a0Please give me \u2014 and him \u2014 your feedback in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n

First, thank you, Jane, for allowing me to use your blog and to share my views on Climate Change with you and your readers.<\/p>\n

Jane\u2019s perspective (shared here<\/a>) is, unfortunately, not uncommon.\u00a0 In fact, I would say that her kind of skepticism is still held by the majority of the American public.\u00a0 I\u2019d call it the result of the prevailing lack of clear information, exacerbated by direct efforts of misinformation on the part of some.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not where I want to take this blog post.<\/p>\n

Instead, I\u2019d like to just share my view, simple as it is.\u00a0 It won\u2019t address each one of Jane\u2019s points.\u00a0 Maybe those can be the topic of future guest blog posts (if I\u2019m invited back after this one\u2026).<\/p>\n

I\u2019m the Scoutmaster of a local Boy Scout Troop.\u00a0 Three weeks ago we took the boys to Starved Rock State Park here in Illinois.\u00a0 This is an annual trip, with the highlight typically being the wonderful natural spectacle of frozen waterfalls in the many canyons the park has to offer. \u00a0Well, not this year.\u00a0 This year we hiked in temperatures as high as 65 degrees.\u00a0 And no, that\u2019s not normal for February in Northern Illinois.\u00a0 In fact, it was a new all time high.<\/p>\n

Am I dumb enough to think a single \u201cfluke\u201d in isolation has any wider significance?\u00a0 No, of course not.\u00a0 But it\u2019s an extreme weather event nonetheless.\u00a0 And simple meteorological observations tell us that extreme weather events are getting to be more common.\u00a0 The Illinois weather extremes of February go further.\u00a0 February was, in fact, an extreme month in large parts of the United States.\u00a0 It was the second warmest February on record<\/a>, and the record warmest in many parts of the country.<\/p>\n

\"https:\/\/www.ncdc.noaa.gov\/temp-and-precip\/us-maps\/1\/201702#us-maps-select\"
https:\/\/www.ncdc.noaa.gov\/temp-and-precip\/us-maps\/1\/201702#us-maps-select<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were five outbreaks of severe weather, with the most prolific event during the end of February (roughly a week after our trip to Starved Rock) when nearly 60 confirmed tornadoes touched down in the Midwest, Southeast, and mid-Atlantic.\u00a0 For Illinois, I\u2019m told it was the first time ever for a February that the National Weather Service issued more tornado warnings than winter weather warnings.<\/p>\n

I know, there will always be records, and there will always be flukes.\u00a0 But when the records and flukes are getting to be more frequent and more extreme, it should give us pause.<\/p>\n

In reality, though, the fact of global warming (and climate change more broadly) is really no longer in question.\u00a0 NASA documents global warming quite impressively on its web site (climate.nasa.gov), citing numerous different sources that all reach the same conclusions.<\/p>\n

The results of global warming are equally well documented, and they are worrying.\u00a0 Severe weather that causes multi-billion dollar damage.\u00a0 Ocean water levels rising that will ultimately threaten coastal areas.\u00a0 Diseases that spread more easily.\u00a0 Droughts that turn farmland into deserts and displaces people.\u00a0 Water shortages.\u00a0 Famines.\u00a0 Etc.\u00a0 All caused by climate change?\u00a0 No, certainly not.\u00a0 But it\u2019s almost certainly all made worse by climate change.\u00a0 And it\u2019s certainly bad enough to not ignore.<\/p>\n

The question then really boils down to what causes all this change, and whether we can do something about it.<\/p>\n

The answer to the first question is quite simple.\u00a0 It\u2019s us.\u00a0 Humans.\u00a0 More specifically, it\u2019s the increased greenhouse effect that\u2019s caused by emissions from humans, principally the burning of fossil fuels.\u00a0 Just about the entire scientific community agrees<\/a> on that point\u2014no matter how much some people keep on denying it.<\/p>\n

The second question, what we can do about it, is slightly trickier.\u00a0 The advances in renewable energy are certainly promising.\u00a0 The fact that prices of energy from renewable sources have come way down is encouraging.\u00a0 Personally I\u2019m convinced that\u2019s the way to go, but I\u2019m all in favor of understanding the pros and cons.\u00a0 Of course there are cons.\u00a0 There always are.\u00a0 But if the pros outweigh the cons and a shift in energy policy is the right thing to do, then let\u2019s do it.<\/p>\n

The stakes are too high not to act.\u00a0 The risks of inertia are too great.\u00a0 We have to get beyond the silly side shows and partisan bickering.\u00a0 Let\u2019s agree that there is a problem and then let\u2019s join forces to find and pursue the solutions.<\/p>\n

Martin, self-avowed Climate Alarmist<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image from\u00a0https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/global-warming-burning-earth-burning-1494965\/; public domain<\/p>\n

Map from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: National Overview for February 2017, published online March 2017, retrieved on March 12, 2017 from http:\/\/www.ncdc.noaa.gov\/sotc\/national\/201702.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hey, everyone \u2014 I said in my prior post that I\u2019d been having real-world conversation. \u00a0Here\u2019s a piece from a real-world friend who assures me he is not some sort of crazy eco-warrior. \u00a0Please give me \u2014 and him \u2014 your feedback in the comments. First, thank you, Jane, for allowing me to use your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":6251,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[581,583,582],"class_list":["post-6244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-climate-change","tag-environmentalism","tag-global-warming"],"yoast_head":"\n"Climate Change is Real" (guest post)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hey, everyone -- I said in my prior post that I'd been having real-world conversation. \u00a0Here's a piece from a real-world friend who assures me he is not\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2017\/03\/climate-change-real-guest-post.html\" 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