EDITOR’S NOTE: In a new column to The Expositor, Climate Change Co-ordinator Kristin Koetsier will discuss certain queries involving climate change as they pertain to Manitoulin Islanders.
How does
climate change work?
Worried about climate change but not sure you’ve got all the facts? You’re not alone and I hope that I can help you out by clearing up some of the most common questions—as well as a few that too often get neglected.
Most of us have heard of the greenhouse effect, but it’s a bit trickier understanding how it works. Essentially, certain molecules, when they’re in our atmosphere, end up trapping heat that the Earth receives from the sun. It’s a good thing the atmosphere has some greenhouse gases, because that keeps Earth at a liveable temperature, but human activities have lately been adding extra greenhouse gases to the atmosphere at a rate that seems very likely unprecedented.
As you may have guessed, this is making the Earth warmer, and this heat in itself has many ripple effects. While heat waves themselves are a worry enough, the extra heat in our climate system is also throwing off the way our weather patterns circulate. When the average weather experienced at a given location changes over time, this is what we call a change in the climate—an effect of the warming of average global temperature. The climate is changing different ways in different places. Areas that used to be quite dry may become rainier, and vice versa, leading to floods and droughts.
In addition to changes in average conditions, the chaos in our climate system is causing extremes. Sudden fluctuations between different types of weather is something we should be prepared to endure. While it may seem counterintuitive, even winter storms can be linked to climate change. This is because the polar jet stream is now wavier, as its speed is slowing down due to a warmer Arctic.
This chaos in the climate makes its way into life cycles—as different species try to adjust to changes in conditions, the timing between plants and animals who rely on each other can get thrown off, reducing chances of survival. This is just one way in which climate change is making it hard for life to get by. Read next week’s query to bravely consider just how bad this situation could get.
Kristin Koetsier is the climate change co-ordinator for the Municipality of Central Manitoulin and Billings Township.
