Don't comment on the weather

One thing you use to be able to count on as a topic of peaceful discussion was the weather. Here in the Pacific Northwest we are looking at our coldest June in a long time. I find this refreshing since I don't do so well in the heat. Others can't wait for the sun to come out. Normally that would be the end of a civil conversation, but then someone would make the comment “so much for global warming”. At this statement you will get a chorus of yeses and nos. People that use to be indifferent on the weather become very passionate. And arguments break out.

The thing is that when you bring in global warming your no longer talking about the weather. Your talking pollution, energy policy, and the bottom line. Your talking politics. Global warming, for better or for worse has become a loaded word, Full of vastly different meanings that are not the same for everyone. Which is probably the reason why the term climate change was invented, because one thing we can agree on is that the climate is changing. But even with that term there are people that don't agree with it.

This mornings paper is a good example why. The Seattle papers are reporting we are colder then Tomsk, Russia in Siberia and Oslo, Norway, both in the 70s last weekend, while we are in the cool 50s. This of course makes people ask around here what global warming, but just looking at the temps in Norway and Siberia should answer that question. Places that are normally cool are rather warm right now. Not that any of these data points really show anything for or against global warming, it is to small of a sample to really tell what is going on. The trend in the global temperature average over years is much more telling and it is going up.

But, despite all of the data supporting global warming, people do have reasons to deny it. Mainly because anything you need to do to help the situation is going to impact their lives in a way that they perceive as negative. Ignore the facts, I still want the freedom of movement. Which is where it becomes political, because they will not change their option on it just with a discussion (if they are civil) or argument (if they are not). Not a goo way to start a conversation.

Which is why I don't comment on the weather in public anymore.