12/22/08 Climate Change

I have to confess, the idea of global warming seems hard to wrap my mind around as I sit here at my computer freezing with three layers of clothing on as a blizzard rages outside. But the continued reports or "threats" of a global meltdown are hard to ignore. Scientists around the world are predicting large scale changes in weather patterns. Here in the US most reports point to a climate change future for agriculture that will be mostly business as usual for at least the next several decades. That being said, there will be regions of the nation that will face climate changes which will be beneficial for some, such as longer growing seasons, and not so for others, as in excessive or insufficient rainfall. Unfortunately, Mother Nature can be a fickle vixen at best. Even the most intensive research and climate estimations can change in an instant if even a small fraction of the equation is changed, as in disrupted ocean currents. The world's climate is an ever changing storyboard, with changes brought on by natural activity and human influences, but waking up tomorrow to a landscape right out of a "Twilight Zone" episode is highly unlikely.