For my final blog, I chose to interview two of my closest friends to find out what they think of global warming. It amazed me to hear that they both learned more about global warming in just this term than in their whole lives because I’ve been sharing what I’ve been learning in class. Therefore, I thought that their opinions would be biased after hearing mine for the past nine weeks; however, to my surprise, that was not the case.

I started the conversation off with the simple question, “What comes to mind when you hear the words, ‘global warming?’” One of my friends answered, “Polar Bears and flooded islands,” while the other said, “Melting glaciers, holes in the atmosphere, and creating of fuel efficient cars.” Feeling proud of their answers, I moved onto the second question, “Do you believe that global warming is happening?” and I was astonished to hear them both, flat-out, say “no.” When I asked them why, one of them said that they strictly don’t believe in global warming, and the other said that climate change is happening, however, it’s just one of the transitions the Earth goes through and it’s not permanent. Contine reading →

This month, it’s not unusual to wakeup to sunshine creeping through your blinds in Eugene, OR. We have lucked out and had little to no rain (except for today), compared to our usual rainy winters. Therefore, it’s hard for us to remember that just last year, Eugene was covered in snow for a solid week in February. Snow rarely falls in Eugene, so lots of people enjoyed the surprise until the rain came and froze the streets. The Polar Vortex, that Eugene and many other cities were caught in, caused this crazy weather pattern. If you’re pondering whether this is a side affect of global warming, you are correct.

You might be wondering what the Polar Vortex even is, so here is some general information. According to the blog post, What Is This “Polar Vortex” That Is Freezing the U.S.?, the Polar Vortex is “a prevailing wind pattern that circles the Arctic, flowing from west to east all the way around the Earth.” It captures and holds extremely cold air above the North Pole; however, the vortex occasionally weakens, causing this cold air to flood Canada, the U.S., and sometimes Eastern Europe. The blog also states, “In addition to bringing cold, the air mass can push the jet stream—the band of wind that typically flows from the Pacific Ocean across the U.S.—much further south as well.” This moisture from the jet stream can cause heavy snowstorms such as “snowmageddon” that took place in Washington, D.C., February 2010.

This is a picture taken by John Harrison/Cater News of the Polar Vortex clouds hovering Chicago.

Contine reading →

In class today, we were asked to write down answers to the question, “Why don’t people care about climate change?” My classmates and I came up with many reasons, for example: global warming hasn’t personally affected people, it’s not viewed as a serious issue in our society, people aren’t properly informed, etc. With our current technology and knowledge of global warming, we have an accurate picture of what our Earth could look like in the next couple years. I think it’s important to start creating ways to get the public involved and informed of global warming and how it’s going to affect our communities if we don’t address it.

First, we need to start by educating the younger generation that will be growing up and living in the aftermath of our current actions. The government or activists should supply school funding to provide environmental classes that inform students of the changing climate and how to adapt. By learning about this issue at such a young age, this generation will be innovative and motivated to adapt and maybe reverse global warming. Adam Dyster stated in his article, Comment: education is the key to addressing climate change, “It equips youth with the skills to help combat climate change, and be part of a green recovering, and positive future.” Contine reading →

It’s safe to say that we all have heard about Global Warming in some shape or form. Most commonly, we have heard of the escalating temperatures it has caused; however, there are many more side affects, such as rising food prices, sea levels, and species extinction. Global Warming has already affected our communities and will continue do so. At this point, we can only slow this problem that we created, so why not adjust according? It’s time for us to adapt to our new conditions by preserving the natural resources we have left, and making the transition to green communities/lifestyles.

We should start with addressing our personal lives. It can be as simple as limiting ourselves to ten minute showers, only doing large laundry loads, unplugging our electronics when we aren’t using them, or just turning our sink faucet on and off when washing dishes and brushing our teeth. We don’t need to cut ourselves off, but just learn to be aware of the amount of resources we are using and noticing when we are being wasteful.

I know it’s hard to believe that one person can make a global difference, but if 300 million people alter their lifestyles too, we will conserve a vast amount of natural resources! But, in order to tackle the health of our atmosphere, we must reduce the amount of toxic emissions that are released from our corporations and vehicles and transition to more energy efficient and environmental friendly techniques. Contine reading →