October 27, 2015
2015 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine
LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM Page 45
T
he debate over climate change and its causes
has gone on for decades with research
indicating that people are almost evenly divided
on the issue. Though some say human activities
have caused climate change that results in
problems like global warming, stronger storms,
and more droughts, others believe climate changes
are a result of natural processes.
Surveys illustrate the divide and incongrous
conflict over the issue. For example, in a 2013
national ‘Climate Change in the American Mind’
poll the public perception, especially as it relates
to global warming, found “1 in 4 Americans think
that global warming is not happening, and half say
they are “worried” about it.”
A 2015 survey by the Yale Project on Climate
Change Communications indicated, “63% of
Americans believe global warming is happening,
and 48% believe that human activity is primarily
responsible.”
An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s
2014 synthesis report said, “Human influence on
the climate systems is clear.” And that, “Recent
climate changes have had widespread impacts on
human and natural systems.”
Due to the controversial nature of the topic, public
schools are not required to teach climate change,
and those who do present the evidence to children,
allow them to investigate and make their own
decision about the issue.
Devin Biggs, a meteorology student at Western
Illinois University, said that what he has learned
is the weather cycles in patterns that bring both
warm and cool cycles. He say they are not being
taught about climate change. Bigg said, “I don’t
think climate change as they define it is real, but
I do believe we see these cycles. El Niño (that
we’re in now) and La Niña are big influences of
that pattern.”
Chris Miller, who works in Lincoln for the
National Meteorology Service says, “NOAA’s
perspective on climate change is that we are
seeing signs of a changing climate in some parts
of the world, particularly at the poles and in the
higher latitudes. The potential impacts of this
Climate change - Is it real?
Continued
