Enjoy nice weather, remember reasons, consequences

Enjoy+nice+weather%2C+remember+reasons%2C+consequences

Lily Colburn, Business Manager

After a long winter of being cooped up inside and a strong case of cabin fever, getting to go outside once spring-time and warmer weather hits is one of the greatest pleasures in life. For this reason I have loved the past couple weeks that have featured weather in the 60s and 70s. Spring is finally here, in February.

On second thought, as nice as this weather is compared to January and December, this winter wasn’t actually that bad. We didn’t have any days off from school due to snow or cold weather. We only barely had one, maybe two, good snow “storms.” In general, we barely had a winter. But so what? Why does it matter? Warm weather is the best kind of weather, right? Well since we live in a state with four seasons that usually follow a normal sequence, this weather is not normal.

The National Centers for Environmental Information reported that so far, 2017 has been 3.5 degrees warmer, on average, for the contiguous United States, than 20th century averages.

Maybe it is just an oddly warm season and next year weather will be back to the normal bitterly cold and dreary January and February. But the first two months of this year are not going to be unique in 2017’s overall temperature trends since the National Weather Service is already predicting above-average temperatures for spring.

So while we all might be enjoying the warmer weather trends now, maybe by July and August we won’t be as grateful. Maybe by August we’ll finally realize something is wrong.

Even if this is just one, isolated, abnormally warm year, the evidence for global warming, on a larger scale, is still overwhelming. It is almost undeniable that we’re seeing it occur right before our eyes.

Next year temperatures could go back to normal, and we can all look back fondly on the idea that we could wear anything but long pants and warm sweaters. On the other hand, what if next year we are in the same boat as this year? We’ll start harmlessly brushing off the abnormally warm temperatures until it’s no longer “abnormal.”

Forget being cold in the winter. Unique and distinct seasons will be a thing of the past in Kansas in the age of global warming. Continuing on our current path of consumption and emission output, we will see a new normal reality. Key climate markers will change and the weather we’re used to will be a distant memory.

Perhaps it’s fine and dandy if you take advantage of 70-degree weather in, what is normally, the dead of winter; I know I certainly do. Rather, what isn’t fine and dandy, is refusing to accept it as a possible side effect of global warming. Unless we change our individual views and habits on a larger scale, this will keep happening. If we let it happen we do a disservice to not only ourselves, but the generations who will come after us. That is an inexcusable and unacceptable lack of action.

This weather is not normal, so let’s not accept the as a new normal.