Letter to the Editor
The global warming discussion has, in recent years, become more of a political issue than a social issue.
If we are going to debate the legitimacy of the findings, those of us on either side of the fence would do well to research the topic before jumping into the fray. Sadly, misunderstandings about the symptoms of global warming are steering the discussion astray.
Some skeptics herald news of record blizzards as the last nail in the coffin of global warming advocates. While Earth's average temperature is rising, it will only change a few degrees in our lifetimes. What concerns scientists is not the heat, but the effect the small change is having on our highly temperature-dependent weather patterns. Higher temperatures mean more extreme weather (from droughts to blizzards), so when skeptics cite record snowfall in the Northeast as evidence against global warming, they're actually supporting the wrong argument.
Where the small temperature increase has a more direct effect is in the more rapid melting of glaciers and ice caps. While Earth's melting glaciers will raise sea levels only slightly, it's enough to threaten the land within a few miles of the coast (where the majority of the U.S. and world populations live). Additionally, most of our rivers and lakes are fed by controlled glacial melting and consistent rainfall. If the glaciers shrink beyond recovery and rainfall becomes more sporadic, our already-strained freshwater supply will become scarcer.
While it's impossible to condense the multitude of concerns scientists and most Americans are voicing about global warming into 300 words, the point is that we should research the subject before jumping to conclusions. Of course, people are well within their right to debate, but to ignore the findings or recite political talking points do the discussion a major disservice.
Leo Perry, Grovetown
