by Chris Wallower

Created on: January 22, 2009

Global Warning

1/21/09

The other day I was watching Fox News and the weather reporter was showing a computer-generated map of the United States, highlighting the areas of the country experiencing frigid, subzero temperatures. The banner at the top of the screen read, "GLOBAL WARMING UPDATE". At first I became outraged at the sarcasm and blatant disregard for overwhelming scientific evidence, but then the irony and humor overrode my discontent. Global Warming is a term that refers to the overall rising of the average temperature of the earth over time. The earth goes through cycles of warmer and cooler climates; however, what is currently taking place is a disruption of the natural progression of earth's climate. When it comes to public perception of this issue, the main problem that we have is that climate change will effect each area of the globe differently and often times in a counter-intuitive way. So the irony of Fox News' attempt at condescension is that the icy temperatures across the country are indeed a symptom of global climate change. Unfortunately, the smartass writers at Fox News obviously do not know enough about the issue to even effectively insult those who understand the implications of this global crisis. This is a problem that is not just found within the walls of a conservative news organization, but one that afflicts many in the United States and around the world. Human beings are very perceptive to things within their immediate geographical area and have an amazing ability to adapt and change to those circumstances. We do not, however, contain an innate evolutionary trait that allows us to perceive long-term trends on a global scale. So when we see temperatures dropping to -60F outside our doors, it is hard for us to understand those who clamor about "global warming". For all intensive purposes, Global Warming is a misnomer that only serves as a source of contention. Just as the Big Bang Theory was thusly named as a derogatory nickname before the validity was proven, Global Warming must overcome its name for those who concentrate most on what they see in their geographical area. I encourage all of you to research and explore this issue further to better your own knowledge and hopefully it will give you a platform to encourage the education of others as well, but the overall point of this blog is to make sure you do your research before you insult someone or something because you may just be insulting yourself.

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