Lack of snow and transparency concerning
I’m not a statistician, I’m not a political analyst, and I’m certainly not a meteorologist, but something tells me that this wacky weather we’ve been experiencing in the last few months is not normal.
In the weeks leading up to last semester’s exams, I recall mass outputs of snow in a small period of time (and I’m sure the overworked snow plow operators would affirm this memory). As fascinating as insurance riders can be, I found studying difficult with the distraction of promising fun waiting just outside my door.
I shone with relief that this year, we would certainly have a white Christmas—and we did—but the gifts had barely been unwrapped when flakes turned to drops and the snow gear I wore to walk my dog could have been replaced with a scuba suit.
The mild weather on its own would not be particularly notable, but put in the context of the wide variety of weather conditions that we experienced in a relatively short period of time, this roller coaster ride is rather concerning.
In the last month, my wardrobe has swung from thick scarves and gloves to light jackets and runners—and back again. When it is -20 degrees one day and six degrees a few days later, my concerns seem to be reasonable.
Many will argue that “the climate is always changing” and to “look at the historic records—decades ago we had winters warmer than this.”
While I think it would be dramatic (and downright incorrect) to assert that this is “the warmest winter ever,” I do think there is a much larger picture that needs to be examined.
The alarming aspect of this rapidly changing weather lies in the rate at which it is occurring. My childhood is sprinkled with memories of winters both mild and harsh, not individual weeks with their own microclimate.
Just last week, my boyfriend spotted a robin—his self-declared official first sign of spring—in January. Canadian geese are flocking back north prematurely and buds are trying to bloom with wreaths still hung in the background. All these events are occurring less than a month after extreme cold warnings. To me, that just isn’t right.
Almost everyone concurs that, to some degree, the climate is changing. Many of those folks would also agree that the main contributor to that change is human activity.
The common opinions surrounding this topic are steeped in scientific evidence (though this has never prevented deniers from avoiding the inconvenience of truth). What really irks me, though, is this: even if climate change wasn’t anthropogenic, or perhaps wasn’t happening at all, why on Earth (no pun intended) are people so opposed to taking action to protect and preserve our only habitable planet?
In the wake of newly appointed U.S. President Donald Trump’s heavy restrictions on publications that confirm climate change, such as those at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we are reminded that common sense often does not prevail.
After all, President Trump is not alone in choosing to censor or inappropriately vet employees who shed light on disadvantageous facts. Many politicians are uncomfortable acknowledging the urgency of climate change, because doing so would require something other than the economy to be prioritized. Sadly, citizens who are willing to alter their lifestyle or sacrifice savings for the sake of the environment appear to remain the exception rather than the rule.
Without transparency, acceptance, and action, our environment will continue to deteriorate. Fear tactics may not work any better than denial and neither will change the truth. If we truly care about the generations to come, or even the decades ahead in our own lives, then we best start talking about something other than the “lovely weather we’re having today” before it’s too late.
Photo by Max Pixel via CC0