With the deterioration in global warming, it is no wonder we have been experiencing such extreme weathers in 2018. Owing to the phrase ‘global warming’, many have been questioning the validity because of the extreme cold that we have experienced – and are still experiencing – this year. While the change in climate has not been in compliance with the presumed direction, there is a simple reasoning behind it.

Why are we so concerned about the North Pole melting (aside from the worries over polar bears)? This is because as it melts, more evaporating water will subsist which consequently leads to a higher precipitation rate. The precipitation then exists as rain, snow and hail as we know it. This has been proven by the 2006 Lake Erie occurrence. Lake Erie is one of the Great Lakes in North America that normally freezes during winter. However, the warm weather, from global warming, prevented the lake from being frozen during winter for the first time ever. Subsequently, the rate of snowfalls was greater than before.

The east coast seems to be suffering the most from the extreme cold this year. Back in January, plenty of flights to and fro the New York area were cancelled due to the sudden snowstorm. However, as we step into the spring season with summer fast approaching, the relentless cold storms are becoming somewhat of an odd occurrence.

FlightAware, the flight-tracking site have enclosed that over seven hundred flights to and fro Boston that was scheduled for Tuesday have been canceled because of the storm. This time, meteorologists have revealed that the intense snowstorm will leave behind at least a foot of snow. Of that seven hundred, more than half were flights that were departing from Boston whereas the rest are incoming flights. Delta Airline has called off a majority of its Tuesday shuttle service between Boston and LaGuardia in New York while American Airlines have completely shut down the hourly shuttle service between the two locations. In addition, American Airlines have also called off all of the Tuesday Boston flights and may be shutting down more flights around the Northeast region. Ross Feinstein, the spokesperson of the airline said that they initially had a total of a hundred and seventy-eight Boston flights scheduled for Tuesday.

Even though customers will not be charged for the flight change, it seems as though Southwest Airlines are expecting travelers to pay for the surcharge because the flights on some dates are more expensive than others. This is rather unreasonable since the customers do not have a say in the matter. Yet again, who is to blame but ourselves? JetBlue, Delta and American Airlines will not be charging their passengers for any changes due to the storm. While it is certainly a nuisance for travelers, it must not be easy for the airlines and all of their employers as well. Announcing the cancelation of flights in advance may be a way to avoid wasting everyone’s time but the process to call everyone back in order to resume their duties will indubitably be troublesome since it is almost impossible to predict what happens next.

Just last week, a snowstorm from the northeast region has affected over two thousand flights.

This should be a wakeup call to everyone out there who has been denying the reality of climate change and global warming. Aside from that, a frequently mentioned argument questions the cold weather as opposed to global warming. To further clarify this, it should be understood that climate and weather are not the same thing. The National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration (NOAA) describes climate as the average of weather throughout the course of three decades, at least. What we experience within a short period of time can have a very different outcome on a larger narrative.

The United States have been the largest contributor to this issue for the past fifteen decades. At present, US is slightly behind China, who produces twenty-eight percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. What are you doing to counter global warming/climate change at this instant? Are you even aware of the severity of the situation?

Featured image via flickr/jseliger2