I’m usually not one to talk about the weather. I mean, who cares about such a mundane thing when there are much bigger issues in the world? However, the crazy weather that we’ve been having recently isn’t just a funny conversation starter. I mean, going from 85 degrees one day to snowing the next is concerning. It is a reminder that the climate is, in fact, a real and serious issue, and we are already living in it.
You see, I think a lot of people are caught up in the belief that climate change is a future issue, that we have to act now to save the future generations. But our generation is already being directly affected by climate change. You may have heard about the ominous “2 degrees” in relation to climate change. This number comes from the Paris Climate Agreement, where it was decided that we need to keep global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial temperatures. If the Earth’s temperature rises that much, we will reach the point of no return. And we are already past 1.5 degrees. According to the UN, “Failing to [keep below 1.5] will lead to increasingly frequent and dangerous extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and heavy precipitation and flooding (IPCC)”.
It is also a common misconception that climate change will just simply cause the whole Earth to become warmer. It is not that simple, however. This past winter, Arlington has seen more snow than it has in the past several years. This is not necessarily a good sign, though. You see, global warming causes more precipitation because the rate of evaporation is increasing due to a hotter climate. However, if this precipitation falls below freezing temperatures, it will become snow. This will cause more intense snowstorms. The day before it last snowed, the temperature reached 85 degrees! That’s temperature way too high for early spring. Though the warm weather might have felt nice amidst the winter cold, this is yet another sign of global warming.
We are heading towards a world of extreme heatwaves, devastating droughts, violent hurricanes, and intense flooding. In fact, at this rate, entire countries will be underwater in the next century! Rather than taking this as a depressing sign, let’s use it as motivation to act now. Climate change is no longer a problem decades away; it is happening right here, right now.
Sources:
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/degrees-matter
