Snow on Fifty States...and the Winter Olympics
As we sit here, resting up after a long but fulfilling work week, waiting for the Olympic torch lighting ceremony and watching the Weather Channel, we remember why we came up with the name Global Warming Salsa.
It is not about politics, it is about celebrating the wonder of a huge and strange world. it is about bringing people together to see what other cultures do and how they live; it is about exploring places you have heard about but may neve experience. It is about asking questions and discovering answers that amuse and amaze.
We followed a thread or two today about the strange weather affecting the United States and Canada, and realized that we really know nothing about how weather works and what influences it. Sure, we can track trends and make predictions, but we seem to have very little actual ability to predict the actual WEATHER.
Who knew that all 50 states would have snow at the same time? I cannot find any information that this has happened before; it may be a one-time only ocurrence; it may become a more frequent trend...none of the major services made any predictions about this. We also have the Winter Olympics being held in a moderate heat wave...when Vancouver was selected, I don't think people really expected fog and 50 degree weather was a possibility. There may actually be people in shorts watching the events...weird! (side note: our sincerest sympathy goes to the people of Georgia for losing one of their athletes in a tragic accident today...so sad to have something like that happen on a day that celebrates sprt and people from around the world).
It would be easy to try to BLAME this odd string of events on something; but it makes more sense to ATTRIBUTE the weather to a complex array of circumstances. In the future, these type of trends may be more predictable, and long term forecasting may also become more accurate. But it makes no sense to try to place blame on a single reason...what ends up happening is people close their minds to the possibility of it being anything else. Even the scientists from both sides agree they have no answers and really do not fully understand the situation or the possible ramifications of climate change.
Wouldn't it be terrible if billions were poured into a problem that not only didn't resolve anything or reverse anything; what if it actually made things worse? What if the solutions actually hurt more people than help? What if more people and cultures benefitted from the current trend than sufferred from it? If we don't know ALL the answers, than can we keep looking for MORE answers? Can we stop letting the polticians run this show, and encourage the scientists to discover as much as they can?
And in the meantime, can someone pass the chips, pop open a couple bottles of Global Warming Salsa and some really good craft beer, turn on the TV and watch the Olympics with us and celebrate the amazing world we live in?
It is not about politics, it is about celebrating the wonder of a huge and strange world. it is about bringing people together to see what other cultures do and how they live; it is about exploring places you have heard about but may neve experience. It is about asking questions and discovering answers that amuse and amaze.
We followed a thread or two today about the strange weather affecting the United States and Canada, and realized that we really know nothing about how weather works and what influences it. Sure, we can track trends and make predictions, but we seem to have very little actual ability to predict the actual WEATHER.
Who knew that all 50 states would have snow at the same time? I cannot find any information that this has happened before; it may be a one-time only ocurrence; it may become a more frequent trend...none of the major services made any predictions about this. We also have the Winter Olympics being held in a moderate heat wave...when Vancouver was selected, I don't think people really expected fog and 50 degree weather was a possibility. There may actually be people in shorts watching the events...weird! (side note: our sincerest sympathy goes to the people of Georgia for losing one of their athletes in a tragic accident today...so sad to have something like that happen on a day that celebrates sprt and people from around the world).
It would be easy to try to BLAME this odd string of events on something; but it makes more sense to ATTRIBUTE the weather to a complex array of circumstances. In the future, these type of trends may be more predictable, and long term forecasting may also become more accurate. But it makes no sense to try to place blame on a single reason...what ends up happening is people close their minds to the possibility of it being anything else. Even the scientists from both sides agree they have no answers and really do not fully understand the situation or the possible ramifications of climate change.
Wouldn't it be terrible if billions were poured into a problem that not only didn't resolve anything or reverse anything; what if it actually made things worse? What if the solutions actually hurt more people than help? What if more people and cultures benefitted from the current trend than sufferred from it? If we don't know ALL the answers, than can we keep looking for MORE answers? Can we stop letting the polticians run this show, and encourage the scientists to discover as much as they can?
And in the meantime, can someone pass the chips, pop open a couple bottles of Global Warming Salsa and some really good craft beer, turn on the TV and watch the Olympics with us and celebrate the amazing world we live in?
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