Making the most of the climate - Morganton News Herald

Making the most of the climate

In these “dog days” of summer it is easy to think about the issue of climate change and global warming. It has certainly been a hot topic on the newswires and various periodicals, especially as we have witnessed extreme weather events.

Earlier this summer, the nation recorded the hottest days on record. Our own area appears cooler at times than in the past. It is definitely apparent that there are shifts in the weather, but what does this mean for the arguments for and against climate change?

Scientists and politicians almost always disagree on what causes these changes. Perhaps this is the first issue which needs to be addressed. Scientists accuse politicians of attempting to fix the problem without identifying it first. Politicians seem to want to throw money at the subject in hopes of setting an agreeable target for improvement. Neither side appears to be doing a great job at arriving at commonality.

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There is a lot of fear regarding the issue of climate change. As a noted researcher said recently, “When is the climate not changing?” Meteorologist Anthony Watts attributes the current temperature issue with the El Nino warming trend in the Pacific Ocean. El Nino uses winds to rough up the surface of the water, thus taking air temperatures higher. He sees this as a completely natural event which will reverse itself in periods of El Nino’s counterpart, La Nina. In his view, weather and wind temperatures at the equator will dictate times of warming and cooling.

Other scientists see the issue of warming not as a regular climate concern, but as a human problem. For years, there has been a great push to lower carbon emissions because many argue these emissions create open holes in the ozone layer which drastically changes the weather. It is true, carbon emissions have risen nearly 20% in the last eight years, but it is arguable whether these emissions have led to a notable rise in warming. The current head of the United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests emissions are not the cause of warming and is seeking human innovations to try to lower temperatures by 1.5 degrees over the next 25 years.

Some researchers are trying to turn the conversation from the threat brought on by emissions to the issue of sun spots. They argue there are benefits to fighting global warming by studying spots on the sun and trying to innovate ways to block them in an effort to protect humanity. Current government administrations are looking into possibilities.

Among different writers and researchers, the evidence is clear. For years, individuals have been targeting these issues from an environmental point of view. Increasingly, however, there have been larger (and better) discussions about climate change as an economic issue.

More colleges and universities are studying sustainability innovations, climate conferences are debating some kind of mitigation tax to fuel more climate research, and there are more discussions about the human impact on the planet. In many of these discussions, producers and consumers alike are moving away from the “all or none” thinking, realizing fossil fuels and other adaptable ways of fueling the economy will be needed. That is a very good approach.

As India and China, as well as other countries, continue to use fossil fuels, it is apparent that getting to a “net zero” usage of these fuels by 2050 as stated in the Paris Climate agreement in 2015 is probably not an approachable goal. In fact, as others argue, developing countries might be harmed by curtailing their use of fossil fuels as their economies develop. Maybe, that is true. Yet, discussions need to continue because energy itself is a huge domestic and foreign policy issue for the nation. It will only continue to be a dominant topic from strategic and diplomatic points of view.

There are voices out there who say the debates on climate change and global warming are a bunch of nonsense. They view the warming and cooling trends as merely cyclical and argue we have bigger issues at stake. For example, could the incredible amount of money being spent elsewhere by our government be used to provide incentives for American citizens to embrace supposed “cleaner” energy sources and rectify significant issues with the power grids people need?

Finding innovative ways to better look at energy could also help decrease the amount of oil and other energy resources imported into the country at great cost. In short, the affordability of any climate change adaptation is a big concern. Yet to say changes are too expensive is not to fully think and act on the larger subject. This is a tough issue, but one worthy of continuing to look at.

It is quite clear that climate change is not just an issue about climate itself and that is why it makes it so difficult to tackle. Having said that, each of us have a responsibility to do something to take care of our surroundings and leave it better for further generations.

Brent Tomberlin is a social studies teacher at South Caldwell High School. He can be reached at coachtomberlin@gmail.com.