For the past week and a half, all of the Glenn Fellows have dealt with mounds of snow along with the rest of the D.C. metro area. We are lucky to have power and have a small grocery store down the street while many in the area are without power and unable to get out to buy the essentials such as food. We've had a lot fun playing in the snow near the Capitol building and all of us got at least one snow day (some got two!).
During all the winter fun, I noticed in the news that many have taken this storm, which is pretty out of the ordinary for D.C., and made it apart of the debate over climate change. I saw on MSNBC that the show Fox and Friends mentioned that this storm seems to disprove the global warming theory, because more snow and cold temperatures must mean no warming, right? Its not quite that simple.
This was just one storm in the entire weather and climate record. As we learned from one our readings, The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change: A Guide to the Debate by Andrew Dessler and Edward Parson, the weather and the climate are not the same. Scientists agree that increased temperatures allow the air to hold more moisture, which would result in more precipitation in the form of either rain or snow, depending on the season. So taken with increased snow in the area, this storm could be further evidence for global warming.
Only in Washington, D.C. could the weather be turned into a political debate!
~Clare
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