Want to read what your OBF thinks about these topics? No? TOO BAD! If you want to read some crazy rantings of a mad man, go read Glenn Beck. Now, if you want something intelligent, take a look below.
Some people will have you believe that Climate Change is just some sort of myth that the political Left invented to demonize Big Oil, those on the political right, and anyone who hates forests, Bambi and pink fairies.
Now, lets get this straight. I hate pink fairies, I am no fan of Bambi, and while I like my quiet time in a forest, I don't plan on living in one. With that said, Global Warming is real. Let me tell it to you straight with this magical tool called science. No, this isn't going to be advanced quantum physics or thermodynamics here, but if you're a parent, you might want to call your kids in for some help.
Have your kid(s) get you the following:
We've all heard about greenhouse gases and how they trap heat, blah blah blah. As the Earth heats up, ice starts to melt. What happens when ice melts? You get water. "Well duh, we know that, OBF!" Yea, but did you know where that cold water goes to? Yea... sit down and let me finish now. All that cold water flows into ocean currents, and lowers the sea temperature. Guess what happens when the sea temp is lowered; the air temp is lowered also. What happens then? Unusual weather patters start to develop. Places which would see mild winters suddenly become northern Alaska. Florida starts to see snow on a regular basis. Yes, Florida, folks. The whole place just gets cooler. Places that wouldn't see a lot of rain now get monsoons and flooding. Places which would get moderate rainfall will get cool, airid air instead.
"But I thought this was about Global Warming? Where's the warming part?"
Water doesn't heat up instantly, you know. It takes more heat energy to make the water warmer (That's the beauty of water as a temperature regulator. Ask your kid to look it up). So, all that cold water will take some time to warm up. It will warm up. Which means yet another shift in temperatures, freak weather, ect. But, if we can controll how much of these greenhouse gases we keep dumping into the air, we can slow down, and eventually stop the accelerated heating process.
Here's the kicker: That's not what scientists are really concerned about in the short term. What they're worried about is the other greenhouse gases that are trapped under the ice and perma-frost. Methane, carbon dioxide, and other gases from the decayed matter back in the dino days (you do believe in dinosaurs, right?) are trapped underneath layers of frozen earth and ice. How much, no one really knows (because it's not profitable to send a bunch of egg-heads who studied geology and other advanced scientific disciplines to go find out if we're about to let loose some really nast gases that we won't be able to control or handle, and therefore change our way of life.). Those pockets of gas could, in theory, accelerate the warming process that caused their release. Since this is something we do not have direct control over, and we don't know exactly how much gas will be released (as well as the exact composition), we cannot reliably calculate the full extent of the climate change that will occur.
Picture this: A construction worker is drilling on a slab of concrete with a jackhammer. Underneath the concrete, there is an explosive material. No one knows how thick the concrete is, or how much explosive material is underneath the concrete. All we know is that once the jackhammer breaks through the concrete, something very bad is going to happen. We also don't know if it will affect the construction worker only, the entire site, or if the event will have a much farther sphere of influence. In my humble opinion, that's WAY too many unknowns to take any risks for.
Lets head back to your kid(s). What did our little scientists find out? Do you see that as the ice was melting, the temperature of the water remained relatively stable until all the ice was melted? After all the ice melted, then you saw the temperature start to climb, right? Welcome to Climate Change.
This is why we should take steps to control what we can before we lose control of the situation.