Unnatural Disasters

So, I've been confused for a long time.  It started with reports that school districts in the U.S. were considering and even teaching creationism in the classroom, as opposed to evolution.  That was upsetting on multiple fronts.  First, I'm a huge believer in separation of church and state.  I know that the crossover happens much more often than should be allowed, but, in the most Republican way, I believe that the government should stay out of people's lives, i.e. my religious beliefs.  While tolerance is often preached as being an integral part of the Declaration of Independence and religious freedoms being part of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, it would make the most sense to include all or none.  Creationism, while popular, is certainly taught from a singular perspective.

Fast forward to the last ten or twenty years when scientists who measure climate statistics started noticing an uneasy trend.  Things are getting warmer.  In fact, on maybe the only U.S. Government page left, NASA reports that approximately 97% of scientists agree: climate warming trends are almost certainly due to human activities.  And, while most Americans agree that Climate Change is a thing...most don't think it will affect them in any way.

Wait, what?

That's like saying, yeah, I know I'm spending more every day, but it's really not going to hit me in the bank account.  It just doesn't make sense.

Well, I've got good news and bad news.  The good news is that there's some definitive proof that climate change can and will impact you and your families.  The bad news is that...hey, how about all of them hurricanes?

That's right, global warming is linked to the recent devastating hurricanes to hit Caribbean, Mexican and American shores.  A 2007 article in Scientific American explains it best: atmospheric disturbances off of the west coast of central Africa set up by temperature differences between inland desert and forested coastal regions combined with warm (i.e. late summer in the Northern Hemisphere) sea surface temperatures determine the size and intensity of hurricanes as those systems cross the Atlantic.  As previously stated, humans have been releasing additional CO2 from fossil fuels and water vapor which elevates the potential for deadlier storms.  The warmer it is, the more potentially dangerous the hurricane.

And we've been on an upward trajectory with global temperatures for the last 200 years, or since the industrial revolution.

What bothers me are the people who discount the science.  I mean, climate science is so easy to research.  Things like rainfall and daily temperatures have been recorded for well over 150 years.  The number of intense hurricanes has been tracked since the 1970s, and all have been reported on in local and regional papers.  Climate change isn't a conspiracy, because, by definition, conspiracies are secretive acts, and in the case for Global Warming, we've been living the data for years and years.

The same people who deny climate change are the same ones who take Advil for a headache, a medication based on clinical scientific tests and an understanding of physiology, drive cars that use heat-resistant materials for internal combustion engines, and cell phones that send and receive radio signals, invisible to the naked eye that can transmit photos to and from anywhere in the world!

Here are the indisputable facts: humans are making things warmer which in turn results in not only stronger hurricanes, but proclivity for wild fires and droughts (see: California).  But, what can you do?  It turns out, you can do quite a bit.  Here's some suggestions:

• Eat less meat...or no meat at all.  Beef production alone is responsible for 2.2% of greenhouse gas production in the US (read: cow farts)
• Change your lightbulbs to energy efficient LEDs.  They're finally affordable and recyclable.
• Invest in renewable energy production.  You have a choice.  Here in PSE&G you can choose to pay for the CleanPower Choice program.  Yes, slightly higher bill, but you're reducing your footprint.
• Drive a more fuel efficient vehicle, or take mass transit.  Duh.
• Wash clothes in cold water and do not use the heat setting on your dishwasher.  Hot = energy.
• And, recycle.  Stop throwing away any containers with a number on it.  In my town, they take recycle numbers 1-6 which covers 99% of all plastic refuse.  And just stop taking plastic bags when you go shopping.  Bring your own.  

Collectively, if we all are cognizant of our own unsustainable habits, we may be able to significantly curtail our contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn may be able to help stabilize the global temperatures and, possibly reduce the possibility of these destructive natural disasters, which, are clearly, no longer "natural."