This morning on msnbc.com there is a report on Scandinavia having a lack of snow and record warmth for this time of the year. Scandinavia is usually covered in snow by this time, and the animals have evolved for such changes by turning white so that they are camouflaged. The article points out that the animals have already changed their colors, but there is no snow to coincide with this annual event.
My friends in Malmö, Sweden (located in the very southern portion of the country, directly across the sea from Copenhagen, Denmark) have said that they don't usually see too much snow, but inland they get a lot of snow. Nonetheless, all parts of the Scandinavian region are seeing well-below averages for snow. The articles even points to the fact that late autumn temperatures for that region are 12.6 degrees F above average. That definitely holds the difference between snow and no snow.
This type of odd and abnormal weather is just more evidence of an unstable global climate. It also accentuates the fact that this is a global event. Scandinavia is a global leader in the push to completely move to clean, renewable energies and be environmentally conscious. However, since a great deal of other countries are nowhere near that level, or aren't even trying to make the change, they still feel the affects of global warming and an evermore unstable climate. This is a global problem and, therefore, requires the real effort of each nation. With the world's human population topping 7 billion now, even the smallest nation can have a real impact on increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.
The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change is meeting in Durban, South Africa beginning next week. This two week conference needs to push and admonish all world nations to make the necessary changes. The evidence and facts telling us that we are at the crossroads of taking real action is piling up. With time running out before permanent and dangerous climate change takes hold, it is up to us as individuals and nations to develop much smaller carbon footprints. The time is now to make renewable energy technologies the cornerstone of energy production. The time is now to put tough emission standards in place worldwide and give regulators the power to discipline those companies and nations that refuse to follow the standards. I urge the U.N. Climate Change convention to do the right thing and stop waffling on these very tough issues. The choices will only get tougher and narrower if we do nothing now.
My friends in Malmö, Sweden (located in the very southern portion of the country, directly across the sea from Copenhagen, Denmark) have said that they don't usually see too much snow, but inland they get a lot of snow. Nonetheless, all parts of the Scandinavian region are seeing well-below averages for snow. The articles even points to the fact that late autumn temperatures for that region are 12.6 degrees F above average. That definitely holds the difference between snow and no snow.
This type of odd and abnormal weather is just more evidence of an unstable global climate. It also accentuates the fact that this is a global event. Scandinavia is a global leader in the push to completely move to clean, renewable energies and be environmentally conscious. However, since a great deal of other countries are nowhere near that level, or aren't even trying to make the change, they still feel the affects of global warming and an evermore unstable climate. This is a global problem and, therefore, requires the real effort of each nation. With the world's human population topping 7 billion now, even the smallest nation can have a real impact on increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.
The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change is meeting in Durban, South Africa beginning next week. This two week conference needs to push and admonish all world nations to make the necessary changes. The evidence and facts telling us that we are at the crossroads of taking real action is piling up. With time running out before permanent and dangerous climate change takes hold, it is up to us as individuals and nations to develop much smaller carbon footprints. The time is now to make renewable energy technologies the cornerstone of energy production. The time is now to put tough emission standards in place worldwide and give regulators the power to discipline those companies and nations that refuse to follow the standards. I urge the U.N. Climate Change convention to do the right thing and stop waffling on these very tough issues. The choices will only get tougher and narrower if we do nothing now.
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