Lisaury Diaz
Opinions Editor
For the past week, I have heard over and over, “It doesn’t feel like fall, it’s 70 degrees outside” from every single person I’ve talked to. Everyone seems to notice that our temperatures simply do not feel the same. November usually feels colder and it starts to feel like winter is approaching us. This year, the situation has changed a little.
Usually, in November, Rhode Island weather averages from a low of 37 to a high of 53, depending on the area in the state. This first week of November we are still facing temperatures in the 70s. For many residents of the Ocean State, this is great to be able to enjoy the outside for a little longer. The thing is, why are these changes happening? The answer is simple: Global warming.
Global warming has not been a “future” problem for a while. We are living in the consequences of human-caused global warming. We have been seeing sea levels rise, glaciers melt and more intense heat waves occur. We have reached the limits of the Earth. NASA states that, “Scientists predict global temperature increases from human-made greenhouse gases will continue. Severe weather damage will also increase and intensify.” What we are experiencing this year is an example of global warming changing weather patterns. Climate in itself by definition is the long-term average weather. Therefore, global warming is differently attached to climate change and the weather we experience each year. Global warming not only means a warmer climate but also a colder one, meaning that the times in which it is cold, it is going to be colder.
Global warming and climate change is an issue we all need to address now. Many scientists predict that we have maybe two decades left before there's no point of return. As humans, we need to take care of this place we call home, the place we have made our own like no other species. Instead of taking care of our way of living and forcing the Earth to accommodate our conditions, we need to accommodate our way of living to save the planet we call home.