Warming up to the facts

“E veryone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it” is a funny remark often attributed to Mark Twain, but it is, in fact, a quip by his good friend, Charles Dudley Warner. Warner had collaborated with Twain on “The Golden Age: A Tale of Today,” which is probably the cause for the confusion.

Oddly enough, confusion over a quote about the weather pretty much typifies the state of our outlook on weather today. Global warming, its scope and its outcome, has become one of the hottest issues of the day. And one of the elements of the debate is why the American electorate won’t take part in it.

Issues such as capital punishment, gun control, and civil rights can provoke violently heated arguments for and against. In these cases, however, so many of our feelings about the issue are based on upbringing, moral stances, or one’s world view ? not necessarily on the facts.

One would think that a topic that deals with a scientific issue like climatology would provoke no debate. The scientific facts are the facts, and that is all there is to it. This does not seem to be the case. The facts differ wildly depending on who is stating them. And vast changes in our treatment of the environment mean vast economic changes that lead directly to politics.

People who are normally very clear in their minds about what they believe on any other issue are confused and unsure of their position on global warming. But if we are to believe even a tiny bit of what the doomsayers are saying, we need to clear up our thinking.

Of the many reasons libraries exist in a free society, offering access to the facts to all citizens, is one of the most important. Anyone wishing to sort out the facts of global warming will find many sources at the library to help in reaching an informed opinion.

One of the latest and most highly acclaimed books is Elizabeth Kolbert’s “Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change.” Kolbert’s sober reportage stands out for its clarity and its focus on facts.

James Speth’s “Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment” offers more sobering data. The Yale professor recaps all the issues and still remains hopeful about this global problem.

“High Tides: The Truth About Our Climate Crisis” by Mark Lynas approaches the question from an entirely different angle. The British journalist visits many parts of the globe to give accounts of the effects of the environment on individuals. From Peruvian glaciers to the Alaskan tundra to tiny Pacific islands, Lynas witnesses the actual affects of the presumed climate changes on individual people.

Finally, S. George Philander’s “Is the Temperature Rising?: The Uncertain Science of Global Warming” offers the layman an explanation for what is happening and why it is so unpredictable. Understated and literate, this is a reasonable voice in a debate that is becoming clouded by polemic.

For other books on the subject, consult with your local librarian. The librarian can also direct you to magazine and journal articles on any phase of the subject in which the evidence is interpreted in different ways.