I recently saw An Inconvenient Truth, in which Al Gore makes a compelling scientific case for global warming. I’ve been a bit skeptical of past global warming claims because the environment is such a large, complex system and the measured changes so small. Despite being a logical person, even the scientific evidence in the film wasn’t what really convinced me.
Like most people, I’m more swayed by personal anecdotal evidence than broad scientific results. In particular, the consistently unseasonably warm winter we’ve had in the northeast this year. It’s tough to deny something has changed when January has multiple 65-degree days and the local ski resorts are bragging about having 2 trails open.
The sad thing is that outside of fellow skiers and boarders, people don’t seem to mind and most actually enjoy the warmer weather. Until rising sea levels start to drown beach-front houses and the edges of Manhattan, I don’t think there’s going to be much of a reaction. To cite a similar situation, consumers basically ignored cars’ fuel economy for decades until faced with steady gas prices above $3 a gallon.
It’s not totally pessimistic, though. Congress has introduced a number of climate change bills, and there are a number of actions we can each take individually.
