Climatologists want to talk about how the climate is changing over time because everyone needs to know that they need to prepare for a future that looks different than the climate we are experiencing now. The future climate will bring new challenges that farmers and others will need to adapt to, like more extreme weather, storms, and heat waves. Farmers can also help fight future warming by capturing carbon and reducing water and energy. This will reduce the likely future impacts of extreme weather and rising temperatures by taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions now.
But it can be a difficult subject to talk about because there is a lot of misinformation on social media and a vocal minority of skeptics sometimes attacks the climatologists for doing their job of helping the public understand climate science and how the earth’s atmosphere-ocean system works. This article from KCUR describes what some friends of mine have gone through and how it has affected their careers (https://www.kcur.org/2023-11-21/climate-change-threats-meteorologists-climatologists-quitting). Choosing what policies to put in place to control climate change are different than understanding the science of how greenhouse warming works and what the consequences of a warmer world will be, but people sometimes do not understand that science and policy are separate topics that require different discussions.
I feel fortunate that I have not had as many bad experiences as some of my friends, but we all have stories to tell. In this blog, I try to tell a mix of stories about current weather impacts, resources for agricultural planning, and how the climate is changing on short and long time scales. I appreciate your interest and support of me and the blog even if we don’t agree on all of the details about what to do with the science information we have. I try to learn from you all about your concerns and what information you need to make the best decisions for your farms, your communities, and your families, too. That way I can continue to provide a wide variety of information that I hope is interesting, science-based, and practical.
