Still disbelieving climate change?

I am no scientist, but I am reasonable enough to accept wholeheartedly that climate change exists and is serious. Recent events should convince anyone that global warming and its related effects are affecting our everyday lives. For instance, today's temperature in New York is not just hot; it is unusually so. Our office had to turn on the air conditioning, and I skipped going out for lunch because of the warm weather. Such temperatures in the upper 80s F should not happen in early April. Disbelievers point to the abnormally cold temperatures this past winter, but the truth is: it is not one exceedingly cold or hot period that matters, but the intensity of cold or hot weather. The fact that more extreme temperatures exist - the bitter cold in December 2009 and the excessive warmth in late March and early April - should be the telling evidence.

Furthermore, 2010 saw an increasing number of natural disasters, notably the Haiti earthquake and others in Chile, Baja California and Sumatra. One should not dismiss them as random events in disaster-prone regions. Earthquakes, like all natural processes, have underlying causes (here, mainly tectonic plate movements). But human influences - such as nitrification, global warming, and land misuse - have trickle effects that may affect the presence of earthquakes and other natural disasters. I am not versed enough in earth science to offer concrete examples, but knowing how the earth's processes influence one another and ecosystems large and remote, the human link is significant.

The public and politicians need to realize how serious climate change and environmental issues are. These phenomena have inimical effects for everyone, individuals and nation-states. Moreover, our posterity will be the ones to clean up the mess. By then, it might be too late. April's edition of the Scientific American lists global warming, biodiversity loss and nitrogen abuse as the three environmental issues that have exceeded viable capacities. Other problems such as freshwater use and land management are approaching perilous levels. We must act now to not only control the status quo, but also reverse many of the damaging effects of human economic activities. Sacrifices will need to be made, but better sacrifice some now rather than mortgage our future and that of later generations.