COLUMNS

Figuring out the weather in West Texas has never been too difficult

Joe Gonzalez
Gonzalez

Back in the old days, I could forecast if it was going to rain. A drop or two on top of my head was a good indicator. Looking at the dark rain clouds above my head helped. The coldest time of the year always seems to come around January and February. July and August are still as hot as ever. This weather predictions haven’t changed for me in over 65 years. I’ll admit, some summers have been hotter than others, while some winters have been worst than others. The thought of global warming and climate change hasn’t changed me one bit.

Some politicians want us to believe that the earth could end in 12 years and that some major cities could be underwater if something is not done about climate change “now.” Some experts claim there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Others claim that the number of tropical storms taking place every year has increased due to global warming. Some blame much of this on greenhouse emissions. Some claim that the oceans are warmer than normal and that’s why we’re seeing more hurricanes. Scientists say icebergs are melting at an alarming rate. And much of this is being caused by the burning of fossil fuels. So, some politicians are wanting to do away with our fuel-engine vehicles. Some are even talking about doing away with air travel. There is also talk about cows and methane emissions. So, how can a cow’s burp or belch affect climate change? So, which experts should we believe or trust with the truth?

A few experts say the earth’s temperature has only changed one degree in the last 100 years. If certain experts are right about the earth ending in 12 years, why are we so preoccupied in planning for the long future ahead of us? Scientists estimate the earth is already over 4.5 billion years old. So now, after thousands of years, today’s so-called “experts and politicians” are trying to convince us that the earth could end soon. I’m no expert, but I find that hard to believe. If Albert Einstein, Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Aristotle, or Stephen Hawking never came up with this theory, I seriously doubt that there is any hard truth to this new prediction.

Back in the 1980s, I heard two very strange words. In 1983, weather experts blamed a very cold winter on La Niña. It lasted several months. In 1986, a very hot summer was blamed on El Niño. That warm spell lasted several months also. Research shows that the very first Artic Polar Vortex was in 1853. Four years ago, we saw a lot of sleet and ice. The Polar Vortex was back in the news. The last Polar Vortex was in January of 2019. Twenty-two people died. It was a harsh winter. If you notice, not very many people talk about global warming or about climate change during the winter. Since the early 19th century, scientists have been talking about all the many factors that affect climate change.

Recently, a teenage girl from Sweden was shoved into the spotlight while addressing the United Nations Climate Change Conference. She was basically scolding world leaders for not doing enough to fix or do something about climate change. Seems we’ve all heard just about everything that‘s harming the earth’s atmosphere that will eventually harm humanity. Experts claim fossil fuels and greenhouse gases are the major causes for climate change. What they don’t tell the world is that China is the biggest contributor of greenhouse emissions. But I’m sure China already knows this, and I doubt they will do anything about this.

Then again, what do I know? I can still remember going on school-sponsored field trips. In most cases, our room teacher went with us. We always took the yellow school bus. We went as a class, not the whole school. Before leaving, we were instructed to behave and not get in trouble. Some teachers loaded up the paddle, just in case. Back then, everybody took a sack lunch and a drink, including the teacher. For sure, we never went on a field trip to go protest about anything. We never made it to the front steps of city hall, the courthouse, the state capitol, the White House nor the United Nations building.

Today, schools close so students can go across state lines and protest in front of the Capitol building. They probably all get A’s just for getting on the bus. As for us back then, we never stood in front of microphones to protest about our grievances over the ever-changing weather. We respectfully listened to and obeyed our schoolteachers. We didn’t speak out of line nor scolded with disrespect the president of any country, especially ours, in front of other world leaders. As for climate change, the weather changes and that’s a fact. The four seasons still come around every year. The autumn rains are here. Winter is just around the corner. The cycle continues.

Joe Gonzalez is a Lubbock County author and frequent contributor to AJ Media opinion pages.