Remember when talking about the weather was a way to make polite conversation with someone you didn’t know well? I think that is why I kind of hesitated in posting something yesterday about the strange weather. But it’s dawning on everyone that it is a huge issue, and a health issue at that, relate to the health of the planet–people, animals, and the food that is produced. My guess is we can’t even begin to appreciate how the changes are going to affect farming.
The comments on yesterday’s posting highlight the emotional nature of the debate, which seems to get back to the question–are we or are we not experiencing global warming? Some say the warm weather isn’t from global warming, but is just another quirky winter-weather aberration (a la the New England refrain, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.”) Others are convinced it really is global warming.
The debate was similar on the NBC Evening News tonight. (The video wasn’t yet posted when I wrote this, but likely will be on this page.) A U.S. government meteorologist interviewed for the report was adamant: “It’s El Nino, El Nino, El Nino.” (It’s just too bad he’s with the government.) Other climate experts NBC interviewed said that while El Nino is a major factor, global warming is another layer that alters El Nino.
We can go back and forth endlessly on the debate–the article Mac links to suggests it all may be a big ado about nothing, since plants produce methane. I tend to look at the bottom line. The bottom line is that 2007 is projected to be the warmest year on record, beating the record set in 1998. Therein lies a key point: the previous records turn out to be within the last 15 years, not in the early 1900s. It is getting warmer.
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