Record Breakers Breaking Biosphere
Strange weather we've been having this winter, isn't it? Storms and weather patterns everywhere are setting new records this winter: rain in the Pacific Northwest, freezing temperatures in Southern California, blizzards in the mid-west and in the Northeast, warm temperatures and hurricane-force winds in Europe, floods around the world... the list goes on. This winter, Denver had the 2 nd longest number of consecutive days of snow on the ground in its recorded history, only three days shy of tying the record of 1983-1984.
As it turns out, that this winter is not the only record-breaker. During every one of the last eleven years, the world has seen record temperatures: the temperatures of these years have ranked in the top twelve temperatures since 1850. The temperatures of the oceans are rising to record temperatures and this is leading to rising sea levels. Glaciers, ice caps, and snow levels have decreased all over the world also contributing to rising sea levels.
The United Nations Environmental Programme issued a report (available for download at http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/) that describes years of observation and research and warns that this winter's weather is just a small piece of the larger (and not very pretty) picture of the changing climate.
Chilling News
Hold on to your warmest snow hat AND your coolest sun hat, because it's only going to get stranger as more extreme weather (which results in "records") makes this last winter seem downright normal. Expect new records in precipitation amounts (both in flood and in drought), temperature (both in heat waves and cold snaps), and greater tropical storm intensities.
Why will all these changes occur? The planet's atmosphere has never been stable. With periods of heating and cooling, sometimes Earth has been too hot or too cold. Right now, Earth is undergoing "global warming," which means that, despite localized low temperatures this winter, the overall temperature of the entire planet is rising.
As the temperature rises, the ice caps and glaciers melt. As the fresh water from these enters the ocean, it effects the circulation of warm and cool water that would otherwise have stabilized the temperature of the entire planet. As the ocean's salinity changes, expect changes in wind patterns that may trigger a new ice age...nothing like the "little" ice ages that froze New York Harbor solid during the War for Independence or that was responsible for the deaths of just a few million people in the 14th Century.
Fears of global warming will, in coming years, transform into fears of global cooling. Global cooling can be dealt with when it comes. Right now, the crisis lies in coping with the effects of global warming.
Effects of Global Warming
Recently the Rocky Mountain News printed a letter that expressed a sense of gladness that there is global warming, because if the earth warms up, we will have lower utility bills and a longer growing season for agriculture!
Ignorance, it seems, is bliss.
While warmer winters might mean lower utility bills in those months, warmer summers will probably make up for it by requiring more use of air conditioning. As for agriculture, such an analysis is short sighted to the point of being blind. The changing climate will be overall warmer; however this does not mean that the growing season will necessarily be longer. It is difficult to grow crops - even when the winters are warmer - when there is not enough fresh water, or when extreme weather (such as snow in July) kills crops. Farmers in Eastern Colorado have already learned the hard lesson that you cannot count on irrigation water from wells; farmers in Texas and California have learned the hard lesson of what unexpected frost can do.
The global warming is not good any way you look at it. It is occurring faster than many species can adapt, which leads to increased extinction and ecological disruption (and destruction). Already, seals are loosing the ice shelves they need for birthing. Many other species are facing extinction due to global warming.
So what? What happens when ecologies collapse worldwide? Who cares about the whales, the tree frogs or even the prairie dogs?
Life is what helps stabilize the temperature on earth (Lovelock, 1979). All life is important to the stability of the planet's biosphere (Darwin, 1839). When the biosphere suffers, the temperatures get more and more extreme, killing more and more life. The power of living things - especially advanced animals like humans - to effect their environment for good or ill is staggering.
This is why you, your neighbors and your nation (which, through Democracy, you govern) need to find the courage to take action NOW! The changing temperatures and rising oceans will affect everyone equally, whether you live on the beachfront or in the mountains, work in agriculture or at a desk job.
What Can I Do?
It is not too late to make a difference, and it is within everyone's power to make that difference. There are so many easy lifestyle changes that anyone can make, and even more complex changes that, while a little more difficult, would help the Earth even more!
Going to the store? Try walking, biking or taking the bus; when you are there, buy foods that required less manufacturing, soaps with no phosphates, and products made from recycled or post-consumer waste. Buy "used" as much as possible: buying recycled clothing and furniture from ARC or Goodwill not only helps the environment, but helps your community!
Sign up for wind power from your energy company (sometimes this will even lower your utility bill!), or better yet, install some solar panels with a rebate from the State and Federal Government. Make your home more energy efficient: this will also save you money while helping the environment.
Recycle: ask your trash company about their recycling program, give clothes, furniture, toys and other items that you no longer want to second hand shops, take your recyclables to a recycling center (they are in or near every city, and sometimes they'll even pay you for what you bring), or save up your recyclables and bring them to Coastalfields' recycling drive on Earth Day!
The possibilities don't end there. Everything you do has to potential to be done in a more environmentally friendly way - it's just a matter of figuring out what that way is! You can get ideas from your local library, you can ask your friends and neighbors for advice, you can attend meetings or classes (Coastalfields offers a free class every month), and you can ask your government for suggestions.
Once you learn something (or many somethings) you can do to help the environment, share it! Encourage your friends, neighbors, family, and strangers to join you in your efforts. Get involved with your government and encourage them to make their policies and actions more environmentally friendly too. And, most importantly, don't give up.
Every person can make a difference, and it's never too little or too late to make the world a better place for those who live in it now and those who will come after we are gone.