Here’s exactly what to say to people who think intense cold weather “proves global warming is a lie”
In case you somehow are missing it, today and heading into this weekend, most of the U.S. is experiencing some of the coldest temperatures on record. In the Middle Atlantic states especially, a “bomb cyclone” is supposed to hit, which just means that there’s going to be a lot of snow, some crazy winds due to air pressure systems, and no one is going to want to leave their house. It also means that there will be a ton of annoying people cracking jokes about how the intense cold weather proves global warming doesn’t exist.
You know it’s going to happen. Especially because our dear leader, Donald Trump, tweeted something to that effect himself over the holiday break. He’s so wrong that it’s easy to assume he’s joking, even though this isn’t the first time and almost certainly won’t be the last that he makes the same wacky, totally misinformed allegation about global warming. According to Vox, by June 2017 Trump had tweeted some kind of climate change denial 115 times. And that was in June! Now we can add this gem to the list. Trump tweeted last week, “In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!”
It almost makes you feel bad for the guy, or at least want to give him a science lesson.
Hilariously, and unexpectedly, former Jersey Shore star Vinny Guadagnino responded to Trump with a tweet to explain that it was more complicated than just about whether it was cold outside or not. “I think climate change is more complex than global warming will make it hotter. It has to do with disruptions of atmospheric conditions, ocean patterns, jet streams and sh*t like that.” EVEN JERSEY SHORE CAST MEMBERS UNDERSTAND THIS (KINDA). If you want to shut down stupidity within your earshot with more than just “jet streams and sh*t like that,” here are a few points you can make when someone pretends like snow in Florida isn’t more than just a little weird.
1. Weather and climate are two different things.
1) There is a difference between #weather and #climate.
2) Short-term #cold snaps will continue to occur in a warming climate.
3) 2017 will likely be a top three warmest year on record for the globe.
(Graphic: Univ. of Maine - Climate Change Institute) https://t.co/kzuugeXi80 pic.twitter.com/gueOsp4yvu— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) December 29, 2017
Although the two words are sometimes used interchangeably, weather is not the same thing as climate. Weather is measured in “minutes and months,” according to NASA. Whereas climate is the average kind of weather that happens over time, usually in increments of around 30 years.
NASA puts it this way, “An easy way to remember the difference is that climate is what you expect, like a very hot summer, and weather is what you get, like a hot day with pop-up thunderstorms.” So, the climate in the Northeast during January is usually very cold, with some snow. The weather this year is cold AF. Got it?
2. It’s actually warmer than its ever been.
Several states in the west and south had their warmest year ever measured in 2017.
As a whole, the U.S. and the world likely finished 2nd or 3rd warmest, in line with decades-long warming trends linked to human activity. pic.twitter.com/BdOJdHEldn— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) January 1, 2018
Despite the fact that it’s absolutely freezing outside and it feels like this winter is the coldest one ever, it’s actually warmer all around the world, on average. Mark Muro, a lead researcher for energy and climate policy at the Metropolitan Policy Program told ABC News:
“What matters is not what happens today or this week but what happens over decades, and on that the scientific consensus is overwhelming: The world is warming up dangerously thanks to human-caused emissions and may warm as much as 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. So Trump either does not know a basic tenet of climate science or is knowingly pushing hot buttons.”
2017 was the warmest year since 1880, when we started recording it. The past three years have all set new records when it comes to warm global temps, so no, this cold doesn’t mean that carbon emissions aren’t warming up the planet, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
3. This extreme cold is actually linked to global warming,
Much like this year’s hurricanes were made worse because of climate change, this extreme winter weather is also a result of climate change and yes, global warming. According to the Weather Underground’s Bob Henson:
“Several groups of scientists have found that warming in the Arctic and the resulting loss of sea ice are making it more likely that the jet stream will take dramatic wintertime dips and push intense cold outbreaks into midlatitude areas, such as the eastern U.S. These cold waves aren’t enough to compensate for the overall warming of the climate across the whole planet.”
So, Vinny from the Jersey Shore was right: It is about “jet streams and sh*t.” According to Live Science, the jet stream is like a “river of air” flowing through the atmosphere. When the temps get warmer, it affects the “current,” as it were, pushing weather patterns around. This means that a hurricane might sit over a city longer than it should, bring more rain, or that a “bomb cyclone” of snowy winds pummels Ohio this weekend.
4. Climate change is real whether you like it or not.
The fact remains that climate change is real, whether Trump and his lackies want to misinform people or not. Almost all respected scientists, researchers, and policy makers agree that humans have impacted the climate and will continue to do so if we don’t take some steps to regulate our carbon emissions and adopt more sustainable forms of energy and daily habits. It’s an economic issue, a national security issue, and yes, a feminist issue. Whether the annoying trolls “buy it” or not, the climate has changed, will keep changing, whether they think weather and the climate are the same thing or not. It’s a matter of fact, not faith.
