The following is
a first-person post by Peaceworks Director Mark Haim:
Yesterday
was a chilly day, with an ice storm forecasted to be on the way. At 10 in the
morning I was one of about 18 local citizens who met with three of Rep. Vicky
Hartzler’s staff for a “listening post” event. Of course, the Congresswoman
herself was not present.
Knowing
that Rep. Hartzler has been consistently in the denier camp, I had been hoping
to raise concerns about the Climate Crisis and our Federal government’s current
inaction—fiddling while the planet burns—but the clock ran out before I had the
opportunity to do this. (I should note that I came ready to address two issues,
climate and military spending, and I did get to speak about the latter.)
Anyway,
the best I could do was to engage in conversation with Hartzler’s field
representative, Kyler Cliffman, on the way out. Much to my chagrin, even though
he’s a young man, seemingly well educated, and someone who should know better, Cliffman
responded with that stale excuse for a response, some variant on “It’s cold out
there, so anthropogenic climate change is bogus.” Those were not his exact
words, but they are close enough and reflect the depth, or lack thereof, of understanding
put into responding to this critical issue.
So,
I thought it best to share some info with young Kyler. It seemed like he knew
how to read, so my hope was he’d read the letter I’m sharing below. So far,
however, the results are disappointing. All that’s come my way is a form letter
saying he’ll pass my concerns along to the Congresswoman. Here’s my letter, for
what it’s worth:
January
11, 2018
Dear
Kyler Cliffman,
I
want to start by thanking you for coming to Columbia for today’s listening
session on behalf of Rep. Vicky Hartzler. While I agree with several of the
other participants who expressed the sense of the group that we are long
overdue for a town hall style meeting with Rep. Hartzler in person, I think it
was good for you and the other members of the staff to get to hear the thoughts
of constituents, which I trust will be passed on to the Congresswoman.
It
was, however, unfortunate that time ran out before we had the opportunity to
address climate change. As I tried to express, this is arguably the defining
issue of our time, in that if it is not properly addressed, it can make most,
if not all, of the other concerns discussed today moot points.
I
do have to tell you that your statement during our brief conversation on the
way out seemed to me potentially embarrassing, as you would likely appear to
anyone listening as devoid of an understanding of what anthropogenic climate
change is. In fact, you seemed to be channeling Sen. James Inhofe, who is, to
this day, considered by most to have made a fool of himself for having brought
a snowball into the Senate chambers during a snowstorm in Washington and
presented it as evidence that the climate was not warming.
So,
assuming you were not being facetious, when you cited the cold weather as a
sign that climate change is not a concern, I’d like to share some relevant
information on this topic.
First,
though, let me start by sharing some more general information regarding what
climate change is, and what it is not. To begin with, the climate is not the
same as weather. Weather varies from day to day. Some days are hot, others
cold; some bring rain or snow, while others are dry. Climate on the other hand
is the broader pattern of weather events.
When
we talk about the greenhouse effect, we’re talking about the impact of the
release of carbon dioxide, primarily from burning fossil fuels, and the release
of other greenhouse gases, including methane, chlorofluorocarbons and others.
These gases trap heat that would otherwise be more quickly reflected out into
space. Over the past 250 years the atmospheric concentration of CO2,
the primary greenhouse gas has increased from approximately 280 parts per
million to a little more than 400 ppm, an increase of approximately 45 percent.
This
has contributed to a rise in the average global temperature which, according to scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies,
means the average global temperature on Earth has increased by about 0.8°
Celsius (1.4° Fahrenheit) since 1880. This might not sound like a lot,
but, in fact is unprecedented in terms of the speed at which temperatures are
changing. And, as there is a lag between when greenhouse gases are released and
the full impact of their release experienced, even if we stopped burning all
fossil fuels today, the Earth would continue to heat up for several more
decades.
Besides
the planet simply being warmer, on average, scientists have forecast, and
events have borne out, an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events,
be these torrential rains, extreme droughts, more intense hurricanes/cyclones,
extreme heat waves, and even last week’s winter “bomb cyclone” that clobbered
the East Coast. These have led to unprecedented loss of life and property from
a variety of causes, including a dramatic uptick in the incidence and size of
wildfires, and the increased incidence of super-storms that bring flooding and
wind damage.
We
are also seeing a rapid melting of both land glaciers and sea ice. The former
is leading to a rapid rise in sea level that threatens many major cities around
the world and other coastal and low-lying areas.
All
of these changes portend profound dislocation. It is forecast that in the
coming decades we will see not just millions, but tens or even hundreds of
millions of climate refugees as coastal areas flood, crops fail and already hot
and parched areas become uninhabitable.
And,
of course, the changing climate affects not just humans. Scientists are already
seeing an increase in the rate of loss of biodiversity as the climate is
changing too rapidly for many plants and animals to adapt or move to new
habitat. We are also seeing the spread of diseases from tropical or
sub-tropical regions to temperate zones. The increase in CO2 has
also led to an acidification of the oceans that is profoundly altering
ecological systems therein.
The Logic of Colder Winter Episodes in a Warming
World
“New research shows that some northern regions have been getting hit with these extreme cold spells more frequently over the past four decades, even as the planet as a whole has warmed. While it may seem counterintuitive, the scientists believe these bitter cold snaps are connected to the warming of the Arctic and the effects that that warming is having on the winds of the stratospheric polar vortex, high above the Earth's surface.
“Here's what scientists involved in the research think is happening: The evidence is clear that the Arctic has been warming faster than the rest of the planet. That warming is reducing the amount of Arctic sea ice, allowing more heat to escape from the ocean. The scientists think that the ocean energy that is being released is causing a weakening of the polar vortex winds over the Arctic, which normally keep cold air centered over the polar region. That weakening is then allowing cold polar air to slip southward more often.”
 | |
| A strong polar vortex (left, from December 2013) is centered over the Arctic. A weakened polar vortex (right, from January 2014) allows cold air to dip farther south. Credit: NOAA |
The
article goes on to explain this in more depth HERE.
You
might also want to check out this 2016 piece from Scientific American titled “Dreaded Polar Vortex May be Shifting” Click HERE.
And,
if you’d like to actually go to a prestigious scientific journal, rather than
read articles written for a lay audience, here’s a link to a 2016 article
published in Nature titled
“Persistent shift of the Arctic polar vortex toward the Eurasian continent in recent
decades” click HERE.
If
you have any questions about this, or if you’d like to discuss the policy
implications of the necessity of responding to the climate crisis, I would be
happy to visit with you.
I
will say that Rep. Hartzler has the opportunity right now to reevaluate her
approach to climate concerns and become an advocate for policies that will not
only effectively address the problem, but will also lead to greater energy
independence for Missouri and many more decent paying jobs right here in her
district. I’d welcome the opportunity to visit with you and/or Representative
Hartzler to discuss these matters.
All
the best,
Mark Haim
Mark Haim
Director,
Mid-Missouri Peaceworks
