2 minute read
COLDER CLIMATE
COLDER WINTERS RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change has been a global issue that has gained prevelance in recent years. However, many might not realize just what effects climate change is causing. One in particular being colder winters. In recent years, the need for heavier coats followed by earmuffs and gloves all to exit your house in the morning has become a necessity. These significantly cold winters are an effect of climate change. Climate change is the change in global or regional climate patters. It is presently being impacted heavily due to increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. “Winters could be harsher; flooding is more intense; droughts are more frequent,” Anna Michalak, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science, said. “By emitting greenhouse gasses, we’re not just warming temperatures, we’re perturbing the Earth’s entire system.” According to BBC, colder winters are created by warm temperatures in the Artic as well as bomb cyclones and polar vortexes. These issues are projected to increase in future years. If not met with a solution soon, climate change will continue to only hurt the atmosphere, leading to a quite unknown future. “I am terrified of climate change,” said senior Cameron Kestner. “Seeing the negative progression of our Earth’s environment is really scary to see. In the near future, our world will be completely different with fewer resources and more pollution.” People can expect these issues to continue to grow, unless younger generations receive education in order to promote change. This is why the school’s AP Environmental Science class has been proven beneficial for students. The class goes into detail with biogeochemical cycles and the reasoning behind how we are polluting our earth. Students are taught this to promote change in their lifestyles to provide more of a positive alternative that will help future generations. “APES really helped me understand the impact of climate change,” former APES student Tyler Lacy said. “It made me realize how a simple change can affect our environment and pollution.” Along with understanding the educational impacts of climate change, it is important to also understand how colder winters effect people’s day to day lives. Due to lower temperatures, people are more likely experience sickness, which in present day can send people into a frenzy. As the world is still fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling sick can cause a person’s day to drastically change as the questions as to whether it is just a cold or COVID comes into play. As cold winters continue to be an issue across the globe it is important to understand why the temperature is the way it is. The next time you step outside and are met with the sting of coldness, remember that it is climate change at play, and will only continue to worsen until a solution is enforced everywhere. Story and photo by Emily Crousore.
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