ONE WINTER DOES NOT A CLIMATE MAKE

It has been a winter for the record books and it is not over yet. The “polar vortex,” whatever that means, has been very active. At one point recently there was snow on the ground in 49 of our 50 states. The northern third of the country has seen temperatures rivaling all time lows. The Great Lakes are approximately 90% frozen over. This hasn’t happened for years and years. New York City has had snowfall totalling over 55 inches this winter. Their normal snowfall is about 17 inches by this time each year. There is no doubt this has been a terrible winter.

It would be tempting to say now that this debunks the “man-caused global warming” theory that has been advanced for the past several years. The advocates of that theory say instead that this winter is just more evidence that the globe is under a warming spell and that weather patterns are changing. Know this however, one winter does not a climate make. Climates and climate patterns are established over thousands of years.  

To make my position clear, I am not a believer in the man-caused global warming theory. I am certain that the climate is changing on this planet. In fact, I believe it has been changing for millions of years. We have had ice ages and we have had warming periods. We may well still be in a warming period recovering from the last ice age.

You see, I don’t know what the temperature is supposed to be. I don’t know what the ocean level is supposed to be. I don’t know if polar bears are supposed to survive. Dinosaurs didn’t. Dodo birds didn’t. There are probably millions of species of plants and animals which have not survived and most of this happened well before man even made his first appearance on this earth. I don’t even know if man is supposed to survive. The reason I don’t know is the same reason you don’t know. We were not in on the original plan.

This is what I do know. Millions of dollars have been and are being spent in the pursuit of some climate ideal which no one can describe for a certainty. No one can state for a certainty what the temperature is supposed to be. No one can say for a certainty what animals or plants are supposed to survive and thrive. These millions are being spent to satiate some high-dollar scientists who have the ear of certain political parties who have a financial or political interest in keeping the theory alive. There have been entire industries spawned by the whole “man- caused” global warming theory.

What do you suppose the cavemen were saying around the campfire when the ice age began to melt? Do you ever wonder who they might have blamed? I’m pretty sure fossil fuels would not have been the culprit. Do you think they had weathermen who told them what the temperature was supposed to be on a particular day? Or what animals were going to be extinct?

Global climate change has become the latest cause celebre for certain political groups. They keep it alive because it serves them politically and financially. As long as they can garner believers, they will continue in this campaign and they will not let facts get in their way.  As for me, I will look forward to the spring and the summer. This winter will pass and better days are coming.

Ron Scarbro