February has ended up as Minneapolis’s 4th snowiest month on record with 39 inches for the month. Due to compaction over time, current snow depth is about 30 inches.
Today is the first day of meteorological Spring and we are expecting another snow storm later today, followed by arctic cold. I love Minnesota!!
The meteorological calendar simply divides the calendar into 4 three month segments. Winter consists of December, January and February. We’ll have to wait until March 20th for Astronomical Spring to start.
The Astronomical Calendar is based on the position of the sun in relation to the equator. An equinox, meaning “equal night” in Latin and indicating equal lengths of night and day, occurs when the sun is directly above the equator. This happens twice a year, in the Spring (Vernal) and the Fall (Autumnal).
A Solstice, on the other hand, is the other two major astronomical events. They occur when the sun is farthest north or south from the equator. Summer Solstice, with the sun farthest north in the sky, occurs around June 21 and is the longest day of the year. Like wise Winter Solstice, around December 21, is the shortest day of year with the sun at it’s southern most point in the sky.
Climate Deniers
Slowly, folks are becoming aware that Climate Change is real, it is extremely dangerous, and that it is man made. Yet, I still heard a diehard arguing that it’s a hoax or completely natural and not created by man. It seems to me that anyone who still maintains that position is being willfully ignorant. Perhaps they are so fearful of the reality that they hide from it through denial. Or sadly, they adhere to their ignorance as a political article of faith. To admit that climate change exists is to admit that the faux president and the Republican Party have conned them, big time. It is difficult to admit to yourself, let anyone else, that you’ve been taken advantage of for evil purposes.
It is important to remember that the climate denial campaign was begun by the oil companies in the mid 1980s when they discovered that doing the right thing would cost them $Billions. They chose profits over saving the planet. With that cold blooded attitude, they mounted a well financed campaign to discredit the legitimate science and the scientists. The oil companies created numerous fake organizations and think tanks to promote their lies. By its appearance, climate denial was a scientifically viable position.
It’s completely understandable how people not familiar with the methodology of science could be temporarily mesmerized by the slick propaganda. And, once they’ve accepted the lie, ego becomes involved, making changing positions more difficult. Yet, a large majority of the American people have weighed the evidence and determined that Climate Change is real, dangerous and man made.
In October, 2018, the UN IPCC issued a frightening report stating categorically, that we have used up all spare time we have had to deal with the crisis. The report says unequivocally that we have 10-12 years to make major changes to our energy and societal structures if we are to survive.
I suspect that 10 years is more accurate and even then optimistic.
Denial is a dead, yet still deadly. It is equivalent to criminal negligence, or worse. I believe that reasonable discussion with deniers has reached the point of diminishing returns. The time used in debate is better served in figuring out how best to combat Climate Change and building grassroots pressure for necessary major changes.
As for the rearguard deniers, I believe that humor, ridicule and shaming are in order. An argument against this approach is that it will only make these folks dig in deeper and resist harder. Harder than what? They have squandered 30 years we could have used to make and implement plans that would have allowed us to transition to a more stable world with the least amount of disruption and pain. Because of the deniers, millions of people are suffering needlessly and we are forced to make massive changes in a short period of time, causing more unnecessary pain for 100s of millions more.
The deniers need to recognize the pain and misery they’re beliefs are causing. That is why, since education and empathy aren’t working, it seems to me, an harsher more punitive approach is in order.
Call them out.