A Different Look At Climate Change

Before I dive in to today’s topic, a bit of background is in order.

I’ve been involved in weather on a professional level for more than 40 years. Previous jobs include broadcast, online and print meteorology, fire meteorology, forensic meteorology and expert testimony in meteorology. Critics will point out weather is not climate. Yes, but meteorological education in my case included climatology, and weather over time is climate. I am qualified to speak on this topic.

Climate change is a reality. The climate changes, and always will. At issue is the extent to which humanity has or is causing climate change, and if we have the ability to alter ongoing climate changes by modifying human activity. But I find very few among advocates for taking drastic action who have an accurate understanding of how weather and climate work.

It is wrong to speak about global climate. That doesn’t exist. There are regional climate systems with geographic and terrain features that earn these regions climate classifications such as arid, semi-arid, temperate, rain forest, etc. To simplify, climate changes in the Arctic have minimal impact on Paraguay. Climate changes in Madagascar might not even be noticed in North Dakota. There is not a one-size-fits-all global solution for solving the “climate crisis.”

No one mentions that climate change in the form of a warmer Northern Hemisphere would be very good for some people. Longer growing seasons in Russia and Canada, for instance. Opportunity for the southern U.S. to grow more tropical produce could result. A warmer Northern Hemisphere would result in less energy consumption for heating as winters would be shorter, thereby reducing fossil fuel consumption.

True, rising sea levels would be a threat to expensive beachfront properties, but that’s just poor planning. In fact, take a look at the big advocates for fighting climate change and you’ll learn most of them live in coastal cities and a lot of them live on or close to the beach.

The hypocrisy of prominent climate change activists shows they do not really believe in the cause. They fly to climate conferences around the world in private jets, continue lavish lifestyles in coastal cities, and drive (or are driven) around in large, gas-guzzling SUVs. But there’s another huge indication that wealthy elitists are not too concerned about climate change destroying us in 10 years.

Big banks and financial institutions continue to fund big real estate developments with long-term financing on and near the world’s beaches. Insurance companies continue to write policies for homes and buildings on beachfront properties. This shows no concern on their part that such buildings and developments face imminent inundation from rising sea levels. When prime beach property is no longer developed, built on, financed or insured, then we can begin to wonder if rising seas are a certainty.

Finally, fill a tall glass with ice. Then add water until it is full. Set it on the kitchen counter until the ice is melted. Did it overflow?

You see there is no land mass under the Arctic ice. The polar icecap is like a big ice cube. Ah, but you say, there is land under Antarctica’s ice cap. That’s true. But the Antarctic ice sheet is GROWING. Yes, nature has a way of balancing things out. It is resilient.

But let us say humanity embraces all the new rules and regulations the climate summit prescribes. And let us pretend the actions of humanity succeed in not only stopping the world from warming, but reverse the trend. What will we do when a cooling world threatens to encase us in ice? Will we demand everyone burn coal in the fireplace, drive a gas-fueled F-250 pickup and purchase a flatulent cow? Some of these climate activists don’t think very far ahead.