By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
There has been much debate and considerable political rancor concerning the state of our planet’s rapidly-changing climate.
All too often in the nation’s Capital, salient issues of the day are assigned partisan stripes. As evident by the fact that Republicans and Democrats now find themselves at loggerheads as to whether climate change actually exists, and of much less importance, how to refer to it.
In a veil attempt to handle a thorny political conundrum, Republicans embarked upon a strategy of muddying the waters, by alleging that the findings emanating from climate science was faulty and inconclusive.
However, it was the GOP’s spinmaster, Frank Luntz, who actually championed the switch from using the term ‘global warming’ to ‘climate change’ in 2003.
In a confidential 2003 memo, Luntz asserted that the Bush Administration and conservatives should stop using the term ‘global warming’ because it was too frightening:
It’s time for us to start talking about “climate change’ instead of global warming and “conservation” instead of preservation.
“Climate change” is less frightening than “global warming.” As one focus group participant noted, climate change “sounds like you’re going from Pittsburgh to Fort Lauderdale.” While global warming has catastrophic connotations attached to it, climate change suggests a more controllable and less emotional challenge.
In truth, both of the terms in question are used frequently in the scientific literature, because they refer to two different physical phenomena. As the name suggests, ‘global warming’ refers to the long-term trend of a rising average temperature.
‘Climate change’, again as the name suggests, refers to the changes in the global climate which result from the increasing average global temperature.
Thus, while the physical phenomena are causally related, they are not the same thing. Human greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming, which in turn is causing climate change.
Call it what you may, there is no escaping this ugly and chilling reality. Our climate is being dramatically affected by global warming.
The giant tornadoes that brought massive death and destruction to Texas and Oklahoma in recent days clearly attests to this fact.
It’s time to get our heads out of the sand, by adopting some comprehensive public policy that addresses the global warming problem, while we still have time.