12 days of Christmas: it’s beginning to look a lot like climate change

Jack Frost may be nipping at your nose this season, but that doesn’t mean climate change isn’t really happening.

A common misconception, especially in the winter, is that climate change and global warming are interchangeable terms. That simply is not true. While you may be seeing record amounts of snow and be thinking to yourself, “hmm, that one scientist said that the Earth is getting warmer, what gives?” the simple fact is, climate change is more accurately known as the way that severe and unusual weather patterns are affecting the Earth.

The Union of Concerned Scientists say pointing to snowfall and cold weather as a fallacy of climate change theorists is damaging to the real facts.

“Such misinformation obscures the work scientists are doing to figure out just how climate change is affecting weather patterns year-round,” the group said in a report in 2017.

So while it may be looking a lot like Christmas everywhere you go, that doesn’t mean thinking about recycling and emissions inspections aren’t important. There are plenty of ways to go green (and red) this holiday season.

Try skipping the Starbucks holiday cups. While the cute designs are definitely cause for excitement, drinking coffee in a reusable cup is so beneficial to the environment.

Instead of using over-priced wrapping paper, try wrapping your gifts in recycled newspaper.

Plastic trees have long been thought of as green alternatives to cutting down a tree, but actually, buying a real Christmas tree from companies that put money back into replanting trees is much greener. The pollutants from creating a factory tree do much more harm than cutting one down.

Lastly, try carpooling to your holiday festivities rather than driving alone. The fewer cars on the road the better.

Be sure to go outside and build a snowman this winter season because with weather-patterns changing each year, who knows how long until winter weather becomes more common in fall or spring and we start seeing a muddy holiday season rather than a white christmas.  

—erickwood97@gmail.com

@GrahamWoodMedia