Talk to the hand because the feet aren’t listening
We're cold! my feet are telling me. My feet don’t believe in global warming. No sign of warming down here, they point out. Well, I say…(I can’t believe I’m talking to my feet now)…global warming doesn’t mean every place will be warmer. Strange as it sounds, on a globally warming earth, some places may actually be cooler. The warming trend we hear about reflects a comparison of annual averages calculated from thousands of temperature readings around the planet – in cities, out in the country, on top of mountains, over the oceans. Regional and local temperature is controlled by the input of solar radiation, complex ocean/atmosphere circulation patterns and heat trapped by greenhouse gases. In fact, it says here in the newspaper today that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at a record high and is expected to go much higher still. What does that mean? my feet ask. It means, more trapped heat – even warmer temperatures. Good, my feet say, wiggling in delight. We’re in favor of more trapped heat, especially inside of these thin socks. No, you don’t understand, I correct them. It’s not good; it’s not good at all. Higher temperatures may sound appealing, but there are very serious consequences: ice sheets and glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, sea level is on the rise, and drought threatens the fresh water supply of more and more people every day. We don’t like ice sheets, one of my toes says, speaking for the others. Ice is our enemy. The other toes grumble in agreement: brrrr…we hate ice…bad ice! Ah, hell, I say. This is what I get trying to reason with a bunch of dumb fat toes. What do you guys know, anyway? All we know, my feet fire back, is that we are always cold and this floor could use a good sweeping.
10:52:36 AM  Stories
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