"Weather and climate aren't the same thing..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years.

Bettejo is a regular opinion writer in the Garden Island news and is the author of the

famed novella, "The Scam."  Her latest fiction

 "Children of extinction" is now  released and available on Amazon!

www.bettejodux.com

www.amazon.com

Weather and climate aren't the same thing

Please don’t confuse climate with weather. Weather is what conditions are in a short period of time. Climate is what the weather does over time and space.
We have today a Northwest Passage for the first time in history. In 1959, my husband’s last skipper, Bill Anderson, took the Nautilus under the poles. CO2 levels then were 315.94 parts per million (ppm).

Today, there are, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s Mauna Loa Observatory, 402 ppm. The highest in recorded history.

You can see for yourself, on a graph, the rapid rise in CO2 levels since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

In 1760, CO2 levels were 280 ppm. This can be measured. My husband taught me: If you can measure it, it’s there.
“Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets have decreased in mass,” according to NASA.

Glacial retreat decreased snow levels. Soon there will be no snow on Kilimanjaro.

According to some, Hawaii, as climate changes, will create heat-related illnesses. Decrease in trade winds. Massive coral die offs. Rise in sea levels.
No cause for fear, but plenty of cause for concern. Can we do anything about it? Probably not. Should we try? I think so.

As a practical American woman, if it’s too hot in the house, I turn off the heat. What do you do?

P.S.
This blog also appeared as an opinion article in 01-10-15 edition of the Kaua'i Garden Island News;
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-jan/article_9ae74536-988d-11e4-89f6-57d7aeae80aa.html

A selfie portrait of James "Kimo" Rosen and Bettejo Dux
discussing their ideas for their next letters to the editor.
Lookout Kaua'i!
This photo was taken on 01-19-15 'Martin Luther King' day
at Kalapi Joe's restaurant at Kukui Grove center in Lihu'e.

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