On the topic of Climate Change

Before we jump into addressing climate change misconceptions, I want to make known that I am not trying to attack anyone’s personal beliefs or opinions about climate change.

The misconceptions addressed in this column are some of the most common I have heard, though there are many others that exist. The statements I will be addressing will be written in bold font, with the explanation written below.

Is it global warming or climate change?

The answer is both. These terms are commonly used interchangeably—which can cause quite a bit of confusion—but the reality is they are distinct, with climate change encompassing global warming.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), “‘Global warming’ refers to the rise in global temperatures due mainly to the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. ‘Climate change’ refers to the increasing changes in the measures of climate over a relatively long period of time – including precipitation, temperature, and wind patterns.”

Hence, global warming assumes the role of temperature in the composition of climate change. When used incorrectly, global warming is referring to climate change. When used correctly, global warming is referring specifically to the warming trend in planet wide temperature increase.

Climate change is a natural cycle, so what we’re seeing right now is just the cycle.

First off, this is partially true. Climate change is a natural cycle, and we have been able to observe and measure these changes from the past thanks to historical data. However, the rate at which we’ve seen the climate change since the industrial revolution is unprecedented. This observed acceleration in change is driven by emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere due to human activity, resulting in a warming effect known as the greenhouse effect.

According to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), “There are several different types of greenhouse gases. The major ones are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and nitrous oxide.”

Essentially, these GHGs allow heat from the Sun into the atmosphere, but as the radiation is reflected off the Earth, these molecules prevent a fraction of it from escaping the atmosphere. This trapping of heat means that Earth receives more of it than it releases, resulting in warming.

It’s cold outside, so that’s proof that global warming isn’t happening.

While sometimes we can wish for warmer winters, especially here in windy Wyoming, the cold of winter doesn’t refer to climate but rather to weather. This is a very important distinction to make, as it allows for a deeper understanding of what is perceived.

Weather refers to the immediate, felt temperature and any falling precipitation. Climate is not the same as weather, but rather is the trend of weather over time, with climate scientists looking at change in weather over a period of years, decades and centuries.

Just because you’re cold in the winter doesn’t mean it’s a cold winter compared to those in the past. Climate change doesn’t imply it won’t ever be cold, but rather that extreme cold will be less severe and common than it was in 1950, for example.

Scientists have been wrong in the past, so why should we believe them now?

This is true. Scientists have been wrong in the past, even when making predictions about the climate. I would also like to address at this time the fluctuation in Dr. Anthony Fauci’s statements regarding public health throughout the prominence of COVID-19.

The broad fields of science are ever changing and improving in understanding reality. This means a health measure may be taken to prevent the spread of a virus as the science understands it at the time. When more science is done on a topic, the issue is then understood more deeply and fully, meaning it can be expanded upon, which subjects the previous understanding to change.

This makes science, for all intents and purposes, a perpetual cycle of growth with the goal of gaining a holistic understanding of a subject. This expansion of knowledge, by its very nature, implies that science will always be growing and changing as scientists better understand their subject matter.

Thus, when the sciences of climatology or virology improve, it is to be expected statements made by scientists who study these subjects change as well.

Key Takeaways

Climate change is not a myth. It is happening, regardless of who believes in it. Hopefully, reading this has been informative and helpful in deepening your understanding of climate change by addressing some common misconceptions about it. Climate change is a big, and somewhat scary, issue to think about and address.

Often, we experience climate change without fully knowing it is to blame. This may look like cattle easily overgrazing pastureland and needing supplemental food to sustain them. Climate change also manifests itself in melting glaciers around Wyoming.

Similarly, it may be manifested in a lower snowpack resulting in an earlier melt season and an earlier high run of the North Platte. This in turn results in a more arid summertime, with abnormally low water levels in the late summer. Remember, these changes would most likely be difficult to identify over the course of a year but may be more easily noticed when comparing the current year to say, two decades ago.

Please feel free to contact me at my email, [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or concerns about climate change or this article and I will do my best to address whatever you have to say.

This story is supported by a grant through Wyoming’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the National Science Foundation.