Photo courtesy of Snapchat
Several weeks ago the state was buried in about 10 inches of snow and then days later it was been sunny with temperatures hitting the 60’s. Now, once again, Montclair State is covered in snow and people are more confused than ever by this bizarre weather pattern.
This kind of flip-flop weather is not normal for the month of February or March. Normal temperatures should be in the mid-40’s with some snow. Since the start of this year, we have had multiple days with temperatures above the average.
While it is lovely, it is important to remember how awful this all actually is. We are only in March and 2017 is already being considered the third hottest year on record.
While we have caused the planet a lot of damage, NASA insists that if we start today with changes such as reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to the changes that have already occurred, the environment will notice. We cannot be blind and say global warming is not happening. Being blind hurts the planet, which hurts us since we all live here. Besides the nice weather that we are having right now, we should look at California.
The state was in a record-setting five-year drought and is now experiencing extreme flooding from all the rain they have been getting. The drought and now non-stop rain is not normal and should be cause for concern for our planet. Crazy weather like this is causing people to evacuate and only to return to find their homes and other belongings damaged.
According to NASA, 97% of scientists agree that global warming is occurring. If we look toward science to give us health advice, new technology and ways to keep us safe, why shouldn’t we believe in it when it tells us that the planet is suffering? There is not much published work denying the existence of global warming.
Scientists, pretty unanimously, agree that it is humans who have caused global warming and they also agree that we can change the course of how climate change is going.
Some people like to blame the climate change on the sun, but there is evidence that proves that is incorrect. The warming that the planet has experienced has been too rapid in the past few decades to blame the sun.
The main cause of global warming has been us, humans. While we may be enjoying this weather because most of us do not like the cold, we should let it remind us to take care of our planet.
We have to remember to recycle, try to buy fuel-efficient cars or use public transportation. We also should encourage our government to care about the planet as well and to get involved in agreements with other countries that will help our planet, not hurt us.
Having more warm days than cold seems nice and is enjoyable, but when it is supposed to be cold and snowing, not 60 degrees, we should be concerned. It can no longer be an option whether to care for our planet or not because the consequences of not doing so are catching up to us quickly.
We all live on this planet, therefore we should all step up and agree to take care of it.
