Guest post by Chuck McCutcheon
With Earth Day here, and summertime following after that, more attention will be paid to the problem of climate change. But even for adults, it can be a confusing topic. Too many Americans still don't believe it exists, and even among those who do, there's a tendency to think that a period of colder-than-usual weather means that the effects of climate change are exaggerated.
As someone who has written a critically acclaimed book for students aged 9 and older, and who has given lectures at schools around the country, I'd like to offer a few helpful areas to emphasize, based on the questions that I most often get asked.
Climate change is real, and people are causing it. There is no debate about this among international scientists. If you or anyone you know doubts this, please look at Grist.org's handy guide. But if your children are confused, you can simply tell them that science is not just like math; it doesn't always produces a single, universally agreed-on answer.
Global warming is a part – arguably the major part – of climate change. Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the earth over several years or decades. Climate change refers to global warming as well as other changes in climate, like more common and intense extreme weather, and a rise in sea levels.
Weather is a part of global warming, but shouldn't be confused with it. Weather is whatever's happening outdoors and what occurs minute to minute: changes in rain and snow, temperature and wind. Climate describes weather that's occurring over longer periods – at least a few weeks – in a given place. The analogy I use when someone says a cold snap is “proof” that there's no global warming is this: You wouldn't judge a baseball player's entire career around one or two at-bats, so it's wrong to say that a couple of days of unseasonable weather is evidence of a larger trend in the climate.
Even though it's a problem, climate change isn't like some scary movie. It's important for your children to know that they won't step outside one day and get burned to a crisp. The effects are gradual. A temperature increase of a couple of degrees over a few decades' time may not sound like a big deal, but in the last 10,000 years, the earth's average temperature hasn't varied by more than 1.8 degrees. We have gotten used to those relatively stable conditions.
People aren't the only ones affected by climate change. It is altering the patterns of where plants grow, and as that happens, wild animals that feed on plants try to keep up, with some doing better than others. Practically everyone has heard about polar bears being stranded on melting ice floes, but many other animals are being affected.
The effects of climate change won't be the same everywhere. It all depends on where you live. Temperatures at the center of continents will warm faster than land near oceans. And countries that aren't as rich as the United States are expected to have a much harder time coping, which could lead to poverty, riots and wars. That already has led the Pentagon and other countries' governments to regard climate change as an emerging national security threat.
Some good things might happen from climate change, but the bad things far outweigh them. Throughout history, more people have died of exposure to cold weather than to hot weather, so the overall number of weather-related deaths might go down. And farmers might be able to harvest crops that are hardy enough to adjust to warm weather. But in the end, there are no big benefits. A longer growing season does a farmer no good if resulting rain patterns bring drought. People who save on winter heating fuel might just have to spend more money on air conditioning.
There are many things that we can do, right now, that are relatively easy. This is by far the most important point to make. You just have to stress that there's no one, magical solution. But there are numerous ways to reduce carbon emissions – you and your kids can combat climate change if you change light bulbs, turn off appliances, use energy-efficient products, reduce standby power, adjust the thermostat, cut down on car rides, eat locally grown food and stop buying bottled water.
Chuck McCutcheon is a Washington, D.C. journalist and the author of What Are Global Warming and Climate Change? Answers for Young Readers. His website is www.global-warming-and-climate-change.com
Photo by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via Flickr
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