El Nino, Global Warming, and Rantings

Welcome back to the new year gentle readers. Here in Vermont snow is a scarce resource. The last week saw at least one day at 60 degrees, with another couple hovering around 50. In January. In Vermont. Creepy.

When I moved to Vermont for law school I had expected snow drifts about oh, say 4 feet tall by this point in the year. Instead I have mud and torrential rainfall. And the culprit according to everyone is....drumroll.....El Nino? That's right. The general consensus by a majority of the non-academic population is that this winter (and the past winter's) abysmal snowfall rate is strictly due to El Nino fluctuations. I found this particularly disconcerting as I feel without doubt that while El Nino creates definitive and bizzare weather patterns, it is not responsible for CLIMATE change. For me, living in Vermont (where the former average winter temperatures ranged around ZERO degrees F) means being cold and seeing snow. The climate here has for centuries been recorded at steady, far-below freezing temps. Yet in the space of the last 4 years VT's average snowfall has dramatically decreased and the average daily temperatures drastically increased. Can this phenomena be atributed to El Nino? Is this just fluctuating weather? I have to say no. By definition "weather" and "climate" characterize short and long-term patterns respectively. So how is it that we can describe crazy high temperatures and inordinate amounts of rain as just variable weather? The answer is you cannot - these trends are larger than Vermont, larger than the US, and indeed have global ramifications. The question that we should be asking ourselves is "how can we stop global warming?" Why our nations leaders continue to emphasize oil producton and focus on belligerant foreign policy instead of dealing with the immediate and dire threat posed by global warming to not just the US , but to global security, is a continual thorn in my side.

Well folks, that is why I am in law school. I am going to gain an education that will let me harness our legal system. I will not let the world and future generations' birthright be destroyed by ignorance, greed, and apathy. So gentle reader be cognizant of what progresses beyond your immediate purview. Look at the trends, be informed, and take action! If our generation does not take on the dire threat of global warming and its related demons soon, the world may not let us have another chance.