Having never seen an episode of Game of Thrones, I must shamefacedly admit that to me, “winter is coming” conjures up images of chilly sleet, bracing rain, low-scudding clouds, and the opportunity to bedeck my house with candles and masses of green foliage, not of killer snow zombies from the North. (Am I close?)
“Winter is coming” also reminds me that, after yet another summer of raging wildfires, savage hurricanes, and brutal flash floods, winter will bring climate change deniers out into the light, their eyes dead to all reason as they intone, “It’s snowing! Where’s your climate change now, tree hugger? Where’s the “global warming” NOW, you stupid lib?”
Like winter for the foreseeable future, the climate change deniers, fossil-fuel-funded politicians (hey, Joe Manchin!), and rampaging capitalists who will brook no change to the current way of doing business are also not going away. And winter is when they can most shamelessly peddle the disingenuous argle bargle they’ve been hacking up for the past 30 years.
Alas for them (not to mention all of human civilization), “our” climate change is still here. And it is happening, and noticeable, in the winter.
Climate Central reports that
...winters across the contiguous US have warmed by an average of nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit over the last half century. And northern states are seeing an even larger impact, with over 5 degrees Fahrenheit of average winter warming in Alaska, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Less cold, however, does not mean cold no more. There will still be winters for the foreseeable future.
Sometimes it’s easiest to walk away from a potential confrontation with someone who seems clearly to be arguing in bad faith. But at other times, it pays to have a few logical factoids at the ready. Here goes.
Extreme precipitation events are on the rise around the world: just ask the folks in Germany, where 135 people in Rhineland-Palatinate died in flash floods this summer. Or ask the people of China’s Henan Province, where over 300 folks died in horrific floods.
What drives these extreme events? More water in the atmosphere. And even in winter, if there’s more water in the atmosphere, more extreme events can occur.
Take what most folks in the American Midwest are familiar with as “lake-effect snow.” These heavy snowfalls happen when colder air moves over still-warm lake waters, causing heavy falls of the white stuff. And with global warming, lake waters will be warmer, longer, leading to – you guessed it – more lake-effect snow. This one is easy to explain, especially to denizens of lake-effect snow who already know how dangerous that weather can be.
Another effect of global temperature rise will also be more, and colder, bitter cold snaps. As counter-intuitive as that may seem, it is very likely true – and very likely the effect of warming on the jet stream. Here. I will let scienticians explain it for you.
A growing body of research indicates that as average global temperatures rise and the Arctic continues to warm, the jet stream is both slowing down and growing increasingly wavy. In the winter months, this is allowing bone-chilling cold Arctic air – typically held in fairly stable place by the once-stronger jet stream – to both spill much farther south than usual and linger over areas unaccustomed to it for longer.
So even as winters on average have been getting shorter and warmer, many places should still expect to see bouts of very cold weather from time and time. At least for now…
Winters will also get shorter. While some people will enjoy a shorter season, it brings perils they might not have thought of. Like:
- a huge financial hit to the winter recreation industry
- expanding range for insect pests that kill trees and crops and spread disease
- warming coastal waters that contain less oxygen, contributing to immense fish die-offs
And as always, of course, there’s more. The link above takes you to a nicely comprehensive list of effects, detailed by major US region.
So, while we’re snuggling inside with a cup of hot cocoa and a pair of big fuzzy socks, the climate is changing. Global temperatures are rising. And emissions keep going up.
The Glasgow Climate Change Conference begins on October 31.
If there is anything you can do to help with peaceful protests at the event – whether by spreading awareness, participating in the November 6 action in Glasgow (or a parallel action elsewhere on Earth), or donating to the COP26 Coalition, please consider doing so.
The more we show up, the more we make our voices heard, the more we hold our leaders’ feet to the fire, the less likely it is that they will be able to justify continuing with business as usual, and fobbing us off with high-falutin’ language and empty promises.
As always, thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment.
-Kïra Thomsen-Cheek
@KiraOnClimate
kirathomsencheek@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/HairOnFirePeople/