The Winds of Change

I had been hoping that my next blog would be a summary of last week's America East Championships, but... it's a little late for that now. Long story short, the women's team took the Indoor Championship for the fourth year in a row and the men are looking good to threaten the competition outdoor after finishing 5th despite a large number of injuries. For those of you unfamiliar with the East-coast leagues, America East includes Albany, Binghamton, Boston University, Hartford, Maine, UBC, New Hampshire, Stonybrook and Vermont.
What I plan on discussing today is simple: the ridiculousness that is New England weather!

Two days ago I exited my dorm in Boston in shorts, happy to have a break from the frigid winter cold. Granted, I enjoy chilly temperatures, but this was not the case- it was legitimately warm. Would I really walk a mile to track practice in shorts and a t-shirt otherwise? No. I'm not that strange. Keep in mind, the day was February 27th, a time when snow usually dominates the forecast.

Little did I know, it still does.

March 1st and here I sit, bundled in blankets next to my laptop, ready to spend a long day inside avoiding the dreaded weather. What is it I'm bracing myself for? Fourteen inches of snow. Now the pleasant memory of walking through Boston in spring-like warmth is shattered and the fear of winter treachery sets in. How unlucky it is that this is the weekend I came home from school to relax... It looks like I might have to cut this vacation short and head back to Beantown via bus this evening. Otherwise, this wonderful Nor'easter will spell nothing but disaster for traveling in the morning.

With the erratic changes in weather we have been experiencing over the past decade or so, all I ever seem to hear is people chanting the phrase "Global Warming!" Well, I hate to break it to you but it's time we start changing our sing-along to "Global Climate Change!" Let's look at this storm, for example. While I relax by the window, watching the first wave of snow fall peacefully upon my lawn, a monster awaits on the horizon. The entire east coast is under assault and would you like to know what the big story is?

The south is getting snow too.


Right now, states like Georgia and Alabama are enjoying (or hating) the rare sight of snow.

Yes, this is just one minor example of an opposite change in climate change, but it's time people recognize the truth of our altering world. While the ocean temperatures are rising and poles suffer retreating glaciers, other sections of the globe are actually getting colder. North-West Europe is actually forecasted to experience its coldest winters on record in the next ten years.

Okay, okay. I'm trying to stress a fact that isn't really important. Let's just get one thing straight: the climate is undergoing dramatic change and we need to do something to stop it. That is what is important- we need to change our lifestyles to try and prevent the destruction of our planet. The way we are treating the Earth now is atrocious and many people are unaware of the impact we are having. Did you know that an estimated 137 animals go extinct each day and that almost 50,000 are predicted to be wiped from existence each year? And that's only including the species we know of...

If you find youself among the group of people who don't care about animals, I hate to be the one to tell you this but we too are a species susceptible to the dangers of a changing globe. As the polar sheets of ice melt, they are adding huge amounts of cold water into the ocean, disrupting the thermohaline circulation of water across the planet. Getting a little more specific, let's look at the Gulf Stream, the natural conveyorbelt that flows along the east coast of the United States and swings over to Europe, circling all of the Northern Atlantic. The addition of cold, deep water could slow down the natural circulation until it reaches a complete stop. I can't even imagine the horrors that would unfold from the disappearence of the Gulf Stream considering its role in the world's climate... Do some research, google the topic and see for yourself all the predictions on a world without the GS.

We need to start focusing more time and attention on alternate means of energy. Clean energy. Why don't we invest more money into the production of solar and wind-generated power? These two resources are unlimited and yet we have failed to harness the beauty and strength. What about looking in to geothermal? There are so many options out their for our societies to tap into, and yet we aren't doing it. I'm tired of hearing people use absurd complaints to justify their lack of interest in implementing new technologies. The best one I've heard might be the claim that wind turbines are ugly and would not look good in people's perfect little cities. Get over it!

Sigh.
The planet is changing. Whether or not you believe it is the fault of man is your own decision, but to sit back and pretend everything is okay is absolute insanity. I'll sit here and enjoy the unexpected snowfall that I've come to love as a New Englander, but I guarantee you the people of Georgia are less that enthusiastic about their day's forecast.

People say that freak weather like snow in the south happens once every blue moon. I'm glad my favorite color is blue.