This winter, for the northeastern United States, has been extremely mild. The typical blizzards have not happened and cold temperatures really have not been as extreme as I have remembered from my past 20 years living here. Naturally, I’ve read up about the cause of this strange weather and it seems to be the effects of El Nino (a naturally cycling event), but also I’ve heard it is being enhanced by global warming. As an environmentalist, I am concerned about how global warming is affecting our planet, but as a Northeast native I have suffered from harsh winters all my life. So now that I have a feel of what a mild winter can feel like, I’ve decided to put together some pros and cons on the topic of climate change.
Pro #1: There is a lot less ice and snow.
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I just love the fact that I don’t have to worry about clearing my car off or getting cold on the way to class as snow falls from the sky. My shoes haven’t been stained white from the ice salt and I haven’t slid on ice while driving. This seems pretty great to me! I mean, winter is my least favorite season.
Con #1: There is also a lot less ice on the Earth’s poles.
Seems like a decent trade off, right? Even if the polar ice-caps melt, at least we won’t have winter (fun fact: climate change does not mean no winter). Well, the interesting thing about the ice caps melting is that they are the home to so many species that we know and love, like polar bears. It’ll be a wonderful time trying to explain the polar bear to your kids how the dodo bird was explained to many of us!
Pro #2: Beach front property.
As those ice caps melt not only will polar bears lose their homes, but the sea levels will rise as well. You might just acquire yourself a brand new, free beautiful view of the ocean. I know that I’ve always wanted to live on the water. Maybe climate change will help me achieve that goal!
Con #2: Destruction of coastal regions.
That beachfront property will only come with the small cost of millions of people getting forced from their homes, the destruction of most coastal communities, and the collapse of infrastructure and cities. I hope you don’t like taking trips to beach towns in the summer or have any interest in visiting NYC, Miami, Hawaii, or a number of other locations. Most of all, I hope you don’t live somewhere that is going to be engulfed by the rising sea levels. That sure would be unfortunate for you.
Pro #3: Beach weather all the time.
In case you were worried about it not being the right temperature for your new beachfront property, you do not need to fear. As the name suggests, global warming will lead to higher overall temperatures worldwide. It’ll be just like a tropical vacation all the time!
Con #3: Drought, famine, disease.
The fun part about rising temperatures is that they also result in a lot of negative things. With rising temperatures, there will also be a decrease in food and water supplies, as more evaporation of freshwater sources occurs, and crops as well as animals will die because they are not adapted to warmer temperatures. As for the disease, increased temperatures will also lead to more extreme weather events, including rainfall and also weaken the immune systems of people, which are both good conditions for lots of bacteria trying to grow in numbers. So maybe you will be impacted by a lack of water or food or an increase in disease. Sounds wonderful, right?
There are clearly various pros and cons of climate change happening, so make sure to evaluate them as you decide how you want to live the rest of your life. Also just as a disclaimer, you will only benefit from the “positives” of global warming if you live through the negatives. If none of the cons seem that bad, I have just one more for you: decreased sex drive. It has been found that warmer temperatures lead to less sex. So really, you can decide if you want to continue contributing to climate change or if you want you can make some changes to work towards a more positive future.
*I clearly do not actually believe there are pros to climate change, but these are actual things I've heard people say on the topic, whether in humor or seriousness.
