Whither Global Warming?

Photo courtesy of
‘SnOMG #2’
courtesy of ‘[F]oxymoron’

Today, Time took on a question that might be on many people’s minds. Where is global warming, anyway?

The issue is still out there, but “global warming” doesn’t tell the whole picture. While worldwide temperature averages are rising, “global climate change” and “weather weirding” more accurately describe what will happen.

The global part is spot on. Temperature rises affect air and sea currents throughout the world. They also affect the amount of moisture the air can hold; warmer air locks in more, bringing heavier precipitation.

And if the temperature hovers around freezing, as the Time article explains, here in DC we could get more snow.

Sound complex? It is. That’s why scientists the world over are studying changes in the climate, which is a long-term thing, and another point that confuses folks about the term “global warming.”

As the article so aptly states, “Weather is what will happen next weekend; climate is what will happen over the next decades and centuries.” Kudos to Time for shedding some light.

An area resident since 1997, Donna C. is a DC outsider. When she’s not running her writing and Web business, she’s running around the city, exploring the great outdoors, or trying to figure out how best to go green. See why she loves DC.

2 thoughts on “Whither Global Warming?

  1. The use of the simplified term ‘global warming’ has prevented people from understanding that a continuing pattern is not the same thing as linear progress. Think about teaching a child – some days they ‘get it’ and some days it’s like the concept that they mastered the day before is a completely new and alien concept. But they do learn and eventually master the new skill whether it is riding a bike or multiplication tables.

    It’s the same thing with global climate change. There will be times that specific data points do not correspond with the overall pattern. That doesn’t negate the pattern.

    And does anyone really think that pollution is a good thing?