A Hot Debate

According to some speculation regarding global warming, parts of New York and India could be underwater by 2080. That’s in just 73 years. Some of us in college now will still be alive for that. That kind of startling fact is one reason that global warming is one of the few scientific topics that everyone seems to be at least mildly informed about, especially with all of the additional politics and controversy surrounding it. While most people (88% of Americans) acknowledge that the earth’s climate has changed significantly in a short period of time, there is not even universal agreement on whether or not global warming is even happening. And even if it could be agreed upon by everyone that global warming is indeed occurring, it would be nearly impossible to agree upon the cause or source of this climate change. There seems to be scientific evidence and opinion for every hypothesized explanation. Many students today are taught that the reason global warming has accelerated so quickly is due to human activities, such as burning more fossil fuels than ever before by driving gas-guzzling SUVs and wasting electricity. Most people who follow this line of thinking also believe that we can begin to counteract what we have already done or at least limit our damage for the future. This is the view presented by the article “Clock Watching: Time for a Change?” The author discusses the benefits of daylight savings because it will allow people to use less electricity which is “a marginal, but nonetheless welcome, step in the right direction” (par. 9). The evidence applied to this argument and others relies on the correlation between the recent hike in the amount of electricity and fuels of all kinds burned and temperature and precipitation changes. In 2006, around the nation, the warmest December in years was recorded. It has been an incredibly long time since such a widespread high temperatures were observed. This goes in the victory column for many of the scientists and members of the general public who feel that human actions are responsible for potentially disastrous global warming.

Scientists Nir Shaviv and Ján Veizer however offer another explanation based on the results of some of their most recent experimentations. In an article from GSA Today, the Geological Society of America’s online journal, they present their research and the theories behind it. They believe that the changes in the global climate is really due to changes in the natural course of the water cycle, which causes fluctuations in cloud cover and water vapor, which in turn alter the global climate. “…The water cycle is the thermostat of climate dynamics, acting both as a positive (water vapor) and negative (clouds) feedback, with the carbon cycle “piggybacking” on, and being modified by, the water cycle” (pg. 2). They reached these conclusions through a series of experiments that are a little too complex for this site, but if you are interested; the link above leads to the article which explains everything. If the cause is truly based on atmospheric conditions, then it makes sense that humans should not be alarmed into changing their ways of living. Because we didn’t actually cause global warming, then why should we be expected to fix it? Unfortunately this bit of research could end up being detrimental to the environment in other aspects. Global warming has been one of the warnings that have actually pushed some people to consider living more conservatively and responsibly, but many will give up these changes with the ‘happy’ news that they are not responsible for global warming.

But how does all of this global warming stuff relate to UNC? Well besides the fact that everyone feels the climate changes, Angela Spivey, the associate editor and writer of Endeavor magazine here in Chapel Hill, recently wrote an article about how recent discoveries of fossilized plankton shells have confirmed suspicions apart certain aspects of the global warming puzzle. Endeavor is a publication that has its publishing office here on UNC’s campus. This shows that at UNC we are well informed about scientific issues that affect us. Here at Carolina, our professors and leaders are truly devoted to educating us beyond the limits of the classroom. We are being helped to become well informed citizens who are properly concerned with the happenings around us in the world.