March 28, 2024

The warming continues: Why so skeptical?

NASA released its report Thursday on global average temperatures in 2017, and it does not paint a positive picture. According to scientists, last year was the second warmest year on record since humans began keeping reliable records in 1880. The warmest was 2016.

The New York Times is reporting these near record temperatures even occurred without an El Nino effect, which is “a shift in tropical Pacific weather patterns that is usually linked to record setting heat.”

The planet’s six hottest years on record have occurred in the last decade. All the trends warned by climate scientists since the 1970s continue to prove true.

We’ve had a bitterly cold winter so far this year, but so have places in the U.S. that do not see snow. As things thaw this week, remember climate research has indicated a warming planet will not only cause average global temperatures rise, but also cause unusual weather extremes, such as unexpected freezing in typically subtropical climates.

It’s happening right here at home. We can’t deny even the anecdotal accounts we’re hearing from the farmer next door. Almost every farmer I speak with as I’m out reporting says they are noticing more extreme weather patterns. Their fields are either extremely wet or extremely parched. Planting is happening earlier due to seasonably early thaws. High temperatures and drought are forcing Ag companies to engineer more drought resistant seed.

Iowa farmers will tell you climate and weather patterns are more unpredictable than their parents and grandparents experienced when they first planted the family farm.

Difficulty to grow enough food to feed a booming world population is one of the expected results of a warming planet.

When will we admit climate change affects every one of us, and the fix cannot just be political. Any regulation or climate legislation coming out in Washington, D.C., Beijing and other world capitols needs to be coupled with action from every one of us. We all need to take ownership of this problem and begin to implement the fixes in our every day lives. Let’s lessen our demand for gasoline, coal and other carbon producing fuels. Let’s make conscious choices in the foods and goods we purchase, and the companies we purchase them from.

The signs of climate change are all around us. If you’ve noticed there’s a lot less snow than when you were a kid, why are you still so skeptical about a warming planet?

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com