The "I Can't Wait for Global Warming."

This past winter was especially harsh for most of the U.S. In Cleveland, we had near-record breaking cold days and snow so intense schools and work were cancelled almost weekly. The extreme weather we’ve been experiencing made me wonder about climate change. It made others think about it as well, as I saw one person post something like, “I hate this cold, I can’t wait for global warming.” So then I got mad. I feel I have to respond.

In all my studies of environmental issues I have always hesitated to confront the issue of climate change. For some reason it always felt too controversial because some people made fun of it, others thought it was a “myth” or whatever. One of my biggest pet peeves has always been when people ask others “do you believe in global warming.” Believe . like it’s a religion or cult that some people follow. Do some people actually think it’s a mystical phenomenon that some granola made up?

Anyways, despite my annoyance at how the issue is addressed, when people have asked me what I think about global warming, and I usually answer in very “PC.” In other words, I try to avoid it. I’ll say something like, “whether or not our actions are increasing the temperature on the planet, we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. It’s bad for our health, our ecosystems, etc.” See what I did? I changed the subject to the things I’m more comfortable supporting: alternative fuel, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, land-use policies, etc. Pretty much anything other than talking about climate change. But that always seemed less confrontational than something like, “no all the excess carbon from humans burning fossil fuels is definitely just floating safely around the universe not affecting us at all.”
As a Sustainability undergraduate, emerging J.D. student in environmental law and policy, I am ashamed I have always been too self-conscious to face the issue head on. But this year especially we have been faced with dramatic and disastrous weather here in Cleveland, and I need to know why.
Looking for some answers, it appears that it’s normal to see swings in temperatures, but it’s not normal to see such extremes in the swings. This past winter the polar vortex dipped down again and again--that is not the alarming fact--but rather: the fact that we are seeing an increase in extreme weather events that is giving us reason to call attention to this issue. It is likely that global warming was enhancing some of the cold snaps because the loss of sea ice adds moisture to polar vortex from ocean water evaporation which helps the swirling cold air wobble and break off.
So as the climate has been warming, extreme weather has become more frequent and severe. You’ve probably noticed that in recent decades there has been more increases in heat waves that are longer/hotter, intense precipitation that happen more often, and more areas frequently affected by drought. All weather events are not influenced by climate change because all weather develops in a different environment than before.  

So if you “can’t wait for global warming” because you’re freezing your ass off walking to class in sub zero temperatures then maybe you can wait for a brief explanation of what’s actually happening in our environment. Of course it would be wonderful to live in a tropical environment all the time-- nice warm weather, etc. But if you want warmth then you probably also like hurricanes, tornadoes, and other extreme weather too but you should just move to another part of the world because this polar vortex crap is all just one part of the process.