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The Midwest is struggling with such extreme cold temperatures that Chicago is setting fire to its railways to keep them in good working order, and agencies are preparing for deaths by exposure among those who do not find shelter or have it taken outside.
So, of course, the climate change advocacy team is up and running to say record low temperatures are proof that global warming is not a thing.
In the beautiful Midwest, wind chill temperatures reach minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In the coming days, we expect it to get even colder. People can not stay outside even for a few minutes. What's going on with Global Waming? Come back soon, we need you!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2019
The Conservatives love to use extreme weather like this to look ridiculous, because here's the problem: first, they are very wrong. And, secondly, they are very wrong.
First and foremost, scientists are turning to the phrase "climate change" and not "global warming" because it describes more precisely the myriad of problems facing our changing planet. In fact, warming is one of those things, and warming is at the root of many of these trends – but it is not the only phenomenon at work. And the more we do irreversible damage to the Earth, the more serious these problems become.
We are seeing more and more extreme heat and cold, droughts and floods, rising sea levels and declining glaciers. This is because the planet contains a series of interconnected systems and what happens in the same place affects the whole planet. To say that climate change is not real because of abnormally low temperatures is wrong, because these temperatures are actually a facet of the changes the world is going through.
And to specifically say that the polar vortex contradicts a warming trend is also incorrect – because, surprisingly, it is actually caused by warming temperatures.
The reason North America catches the cold is because the exceptionally hot air reigns over the Arctic. A vortex of warm air is forming regularly in the Arctic, but sometimes, as this year, it splits into several eddies of hot currents due to abnormally high temperatures. These changes distort the jet stream, directing warm air northward and cold air southward.
It will take weeks for the weather to stabilize. The researchers believe that these weather phenomena could become more common due to Arctic warming and the loss of sea ice that makes the planet much more roasted than it should be. And this chain reaction leads to cruel cold in North America at the end of winter.
Not everyone agrees with this theory, with some arguing that we need more data to definitively state that these weather incidents are related to climate change – but the evidence clearly goes in that direction.
So, if you think that global warming is wrong, the polar vortex is actually an excellent example of the direct consequences of global warming. This is the unusual heat that causes this unusual cold, even if it seems counterintuitive. And if you believe that climate change is bad news overall, take a look at the temperature records set this year as the cold snap unfolds.
If anyone in your life is throwing you jokes about global warming this week, take the time to fix them. There is a reason why we are talking about this in terms of climate change, not just global warming – and, yes, the planet is really warming up.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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