A few weeks ago, there was a polar vortex that caused record lows in the Midwest and Southern United States, sparking debate on both sides of the global warming dispute. Despite both the fact that surveyed scientists agree climate change is happening, and the overwhelming evidence, global warming is still a controversy.
First of all, a cold winter is not proof against global warming. The cold winter was caused by a polar vortex coming down from the North Pole. The polar vortex is cold air that swirls above either of the geographical polar vertices and usually stays there. Sometimes, the cold air from the poles dips down, which is what happened a few weeks ago.
The phenomenon that triggered the polar vortex to dip down into North America is called a sudden stratospheric warming. In layman’s terms, higher-than-average temperatures at the poles disrupt the atmosphere which sends down the cold air. The cold weather was a consequence of warmer weather elsewhere. Global warming does not mean there will never be cold weather, but rather the average temperature of the Earth is rising, and there will be more extreme weather events because of disruptions in the atmosphere.
The area of the Earth affected by the polar vortex was very small. While Wisconsin was in a deep freeze, Australia was experiencing record highs, up to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. The people who say record-cold weather negates the idea of climate change are focusing only on a tiny corner of the world.
Most of the people who speak out against global warming are politicians or pundits, such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, claiming it’s an elaborate hoax. However, not one scientific paper has been published providing evidence that climate change isn’t happening or that it’s all a scam. Science supports the evidence, but the politicians are louder and more outspoken and know how to interact convincingly with the public. Despite their lower numbers, they have the upper hand. And that is why global warming is still a controversy.
Let’s say there’s no such thing as global warming. What advantage would anyone have by saying there is? It would be great if we could do whatever we wanted without having to worry about the environmental consequences. Global warming is a huge inconvenience.
The benefits of denying it are great. If there is no global warming, there are fewer pesky environmental regulations and less money has to go into research for cleaner fuel. People only perpetuate a hoax when there’s some benefit to it. If anything’s a hoax without evidence, it’s the idea that global warming isn’t happening at all.
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