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I remarked to my wife recently that we have had a mild late fall and early winter so far. After that remark she told me to keep quiet because I would probably jinx things weather wise.
While that is entirely possible, so far, the weather, while gloomy and damp has been unusually snow free and mild.
At the risk of upsetting those of you who are convinced that climate change or global warming is to be blamed mainly on the so-called thoughtless polluting actives of mankind I want to say that if the current mild winter weather is caused by climate change then it may not be as bad as many have thought or at least better than the winter of 1976-1977 when that big blizzard isolated Western New York from the rest of the nation and later that year generated a Time magazine headline predicting a new ice age.
Keep in mind that while our home planet is reaching middle age and has only been systematically collecting weather data for the last 130 years and has only begun to grasp its complexities in the last 50 years with the advent of weather satellites and super computers. Climatologists and meteorologists who are not afraid of ruffling feathers will say quite honestly that while climate is changing, as it has been changing since the beginning of time, adding that there is insufficient proof that mankind is the major cause of climate change.
During recent recorded history there have been several discernible climatological periods. From 250 BC to 450 AD there was the Roman Warm Period, which, by the way, was not caused by Emperor Nero's burning of Rome. This was followed by the Medieval Warm Period that lasted roughly from 900 AD to 1300 AD. During this period the Vikings settled in a warmer Greenland where they were able to raise crops and livestock. When this warm period ended, and Greenland went back to being really cold, the settlements disappeared.
Next came the Little Ice Age that lasted from 1460 to around 1850 and was characterized by bitterly cold winters in Europe and North America with other climatological changes in South America, Africa and the Pacific. This period is known for its artwork of winter scenes depicting hunters returning from a winter hunt, skaters gliding along canals in the Netherlands or across village ponds and even paintings of a frozen Thames River in London.
Currently we are living in a climatological period, that began in the mid nineteenth century characterized by warming and the retreat of glaziers. Supporters of the idea that climate has been seriously impacted by man even have suggested a name for this epoch that reflects man's supposed impact on climate, the Anthropocene.
Some of the cures for climate change verge on wishful thinking. Those who fear the destruction of our Earth by climate change caused by humans would have us driving electric vehicles that are short on range and expensive. They would have us stop eating poultry, chicken eggs, beef, all part of a diet that has allowed Homo Sapiens to develop our large brain, all because livestock supposedly accounts for 14.5 % of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
Another popular cure, at least for politicians, is "green" renewable energy which many feel is betting our future on an unproven technology.
A prime incentive for developers of wind and solar projects are generous state and federal tax breaks and subsidies. Developers seldom mention that the long-term viability of wind and solar power is questionable because currently there is no viable way to store the electricity produced in this manner for periods of peak demand when the sun is not shinning nor the wind blowing. Also, consider what might happen if wind and solar energy are not able to fulfill our electrical needs and wind generators and solar arrays sit idle. Who will ensure their removal so that they do not become a blight on our countryside?
There is one form of renewable energy that does not pollute and is well understood. That is nuclear energy. Keep in mind that the incident at Three Mile Island occurred in 1979 and that the technology of nuclear power generation in the U.S. has advanced greatly in the last 42 years. Further the 1988 incident at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union was the result of bad design and human error and a reactor that did not have an adequate containment structure and was a prime example of the shoddy work done in that communist country.
I believe that if coal, oil, and gas power generation are major causes of climate change, we should consider nuclear energy as the most viable source of a renewable, clean energy provided that all involved adhere to strict protocols.
Finally, before I am called a complete luddite on the issue of climate change, I want to close by assuring you that cutting pollution in all its forms is good for the planet and it is good for our quality of life. However, I do object to poorly considered solutions like wind and solar power, antinuclear disinformation, unwarranted threats made against so called climate change deniers, and the uniformed scare tactics of persons like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com