On blizzards and global warming

It was a few years ago that Global Warming scientists predicted that Global Warming will lead to increase storms, blizzards, and drastic cooling of some areas. So the recent blizzards in the US are of no surprise to these scientists.

However, it seems that the term ‘Global Warming’ is quite misleading, because every time someone experiences a cold day, they question if global warming is really happening. What global warming means is an overall heating of the planet that will cause massive disruptions to local climate patterns: heat waves, draughts, cyclones and blizzards are all part of the forecast. So although the choice of terminology might be poor, the threat is real.

The recent blizzard in the US has demonstrated a critical point – our society is not prepared to deal with changes of weather patterns. Let’s face it, the recent ‘horrendous’ blizzard, as described by the media, was nothing but a minor variation of the ‘normal’ weather pattern of the region, and yet, the social turmoil and the financial loss have been significant. 

This should have been a slap in the face to all those who feel that we, human, with our modern technology are above nature. This should have been a wakeup call that our society and economy are not ready to deal with the smallest of weather changes. This should have also given us a hint of how bad things can become. It should have made us humble, but it hasn’t. A slap in the face doesn’t seem to be enough to wake us up. Are we ready for the knockout?