Despite what global warming deniers choose to believe, climate change is real and it’s already happening.
I didn’t think I would meet a single person at college who didn’t believe in global warming. Unfortunately, I’ve already had someone tell me that “It’s just one of the Earth’s natural cycles” and “There’s no evidence to prove it’s man-made.” Yikes.
If there’s one issue or one debate that overwhelmingly represents the environmental protection movement, it’s global warming. Hence the title of this column and the importance the media has placed on the subject.
With all the undeniable support from the scientific community — in case anyone forgot, 97 percent of scientists agree that humans are causing global warming — it seems ridiculous that anyone, save Donald Trump, would still dig their head in the sand and pretend climate change isn’t an issue.
But I will admit the terminology we use to talk about climate change is a little problematic. First off, the term “global warming” is a bit of a misnomer and gives climate change deniers ammo in their argument.
Despite what pseudoscientists say, the planet actually is warming. But more importantly, weather cycles are becoming more extreme and varied.
The most popularized example of this process is the Arctic ice melting. And not to downplay the starving polar bears or the rising sea levels, but the effects of climate change are even more far-reaching than you would think.
According to researchers from the University of Madison-Wisconsin, the spring season in the U.S. will arrive on average 22.3 days ahead of its usual schedule. That means a shorter winter and more erratic seasonal changes.
And while it’s easy to talk about big problems like climate change with an attitude that these things can be fixed, in this case, it’s already too late. There’s no turning back the springtime clock.
What these warmer temperatures can mean, besides just inconveniencing your winter wardrobe, is that farmers and crops can be affected. All kinds of plant species, including agricultural ones, could show reduced crops from disrupted growing cycles.
Some crops could be lost entirely, affecting the businesses that profit from them. And animals that depend on the plant species for survival won’t be able to keep up either.
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While the issues are predicted to hit the pacific northwest and western mountainous regions of the U.S. first, there’s no denying that climate change will have its effect on all of us. By the year 2100, the planet as a whole is expected to warm 2.6 to 4.8 degrees Celsius.
We may not be seeing huge aftereffects of climate change yet, but what we can’t fix should serve as a reminder that it’s time to stop denying this very inconvenient truth.
Kat Tenbarge is a freshman majoring in journalism and environmental studies. What environmental issues do you think demand attention? Email her at kt154714@ohio.edu or tweet her @katsappho.
