The Evidence Rolls In

Within days of each other, two extreme events occurred on opposite sides of the planet; the 2000 mile wide snowstorm that saw 25 foot waves in Lake Michigan and a monster cyclone that smacked into Australia. It increasingly appears that 200 years of burning coal, oil and gas and dumping their carbon byproduct into the atmosphere is now bringing the chicken’s home to roost.

The planet has always had extreme events, but what makes them extreme is the fact that they are rare. The change that is occurring before our eyes is that extreme is actually becoming the new normal. In 2010, 19 nations set new all-time temperature records. The 19 new records was also a record. While Big Oil and Big Coal may be denying it, Munich Re, the biggest insurance company on earth, summed up recent events with this clinical phrase: "The high number of weather-related natural catastrophes and record temperatures both globally and in different regions of the world provide further indications of advancing climate change." In the case of Munich Re, it’s hard to deny something that seems to be taking money out of your pocket on a weekly basis.

The common perception of global warming is that the Earth will turn into a massive desert. While that may be true in some areas, a warmer atmosphere can also hold more water vapor. With studies showing that the warmer atmosphere is 4 percent moister than it was 40 years ago, the stage is also set for massive storms which bring record breaking levels of rain and snow. In this light, it’s fascinating to watch global warming deniers gleefully stating that all this rain and snow is actually proof of global cooling. If you unfamiliar with this, you’re apparently not watching Fox News.

According to studies, atmospheric temperatures have been raised by one degree, which may not sound like a lot. Unfortunately, atmospheric warming tends to magnify other temperatures, like those in the oceans. This magnification has caused the Atlantic current, which flows into the Arctic, to increase by over 10%. This has been enough to melt the sea ice in the Arctic. Without dramatic action to reduce the use of fossil fuel, the popular consensus is that atmospheric temperatures will increase by five degrees by the end of the century. Considering that a one degree increase has melted the Arctic, what will be happening on planet Earth at five degrees warmer?