On
this, the first day of spring, it's worth considering why bizarre winters and
heavy snowstorms don't disprove climate change.
By
Holly Moeller, The
Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere, The Daily Climate
On
Sunday afternoon, I sat at my desk working on a grant proposal while yet
another snowstorm coated the trees outside my window with a fine layer of
white. Late that evening, Boston's weather commentators celebrated a dubious
feat when the city broke the annual snowfall record.
So far this winter, 108.6
inches of snow have fallen on Logan International Airport, beating the
1995-1996 winter's total by one inch.
It's
been a tough winter for New England and its citizen snow shovelers. According
to some estimates, the state of Massachusetts alone lost about $1 billion in
wages and revenue as storms shut down transportation and businesses. Airlines
flying in and out of the region cancelled hundreds of flights, stranding
thousands of passengers. And the New England Patriots had to wait out a
blizzard before they could enjoy their Super Bowl victory parade.
Meanwhile,
having just moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in January, I was building up a
back and shoulders that had grown tan and lazy after four years of easy living
in California, while cringing at the political commentators who were using my
snowdrifts to deny the existence of climate change.
Snowball's chance in the Senate
For
example, in late February, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) brought a snowball to
the Senate floor as tangible evidence of the "unseasonable" cold then
afflicting Washington, D.C., and proof that the planet is not warming.
Inhofe
seemed to feel that his handful of snow outweighed years of accumulated
scientific evidence that have led the scientific community to a clear
consensus: human activity is changing our climate.
The
senator's logic was roundly mocked. For example, commentator Alexandra Petri's
takedown used a number of humorous parallels to highlight its absurdity.
"My umbrella is dry right now. It has never rained," she writes.
"Here is a person who lives in America. No one lives in China."
Even
so, in the midst of scraping one's car clear of ice for the umpteenth time, it
can be hard to believe that Spring and warmth will ever come again – much less
that, on average, the world is actually getting warmer. After all, the local
fishermen here in Woods Hole keep telling me they haven't seen this much sea
ice packing the harbor in twenty years.
Climate change in an Uber ride
Earlier
this month, while defrosting during a week-long visit to California, I shared
an Uber ride with three San Francisco Bay Area residents. I mentioned that I
was in town from the Boston area, and the conversation turned to winter
weather.
It quickly became clear that two people – the car's driver, and the
gentleman beside me in the back seat – were climate change deniers, brimming
over with facts and statistics to support their view. My third companion, in
contrast, appeared to share the scientific consensus. Yet neither he nor I,
once we'd established everyone's contradictory views, chose to engage in a
heated debate during our twenty-minute car ride.
Why
not?
I
can answer only for myself. As the youngest person in a car full of strangers,
I felt compelled to observe a social contract of politeness. I also felt sure
that I wouldn't change anyone's mind in twenty minutes, given the level of
dogmatism already on display.
But
maybe I was wrong. I've fretted over that many times since the car ride,
running alternate scenarios through my head during quiet moments in the day.
Today, I've written this piece, as a sort of script for what I could have said.
Showmanship and talking points
If
I can admire Sen. Inhofe for one thing, it's this: He's unafraid to throw down
the gauntlet (or the snowball, as the case may be). And his showmanship, like
Boston's winter, gives the rest of us a talking point, a lead into what could
be a challenging conversation.
Perhaps
those conversations don't belong in an Uber. But they do belong at the dinner
table with friends, by the water cooler with colleagues, or on the phone with
relatives. I've found they work best when they happen between people who
already know and respect one another and are, therefore, somewhat more willing
to listen.
It's
these conversations that move past the dogma and dramatics, reaching people at
their most rational, building consensus, and moving forward.
Holly Moeller is
an post-graduate fellow at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she
combines mathematics and biology to study community ecology. A longer version
of this article was originally published by the Millennium
Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere, a multi-disciplinary
platform moving towards sustainability and social equity.
Snowman
heralding spring in Michigan, 2013, courtesy LadyDragonflyCC/flickr.
The Daily
Climate is an independent, foundation-funded news service covering energy, the
environment and climate change. Find us on Twitter@TheDailyClimate or
email editor Brian Bienkowski at bbienkowski [at] EHN.org
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