– I really think it is the biggest challenge of our time. We have to talk about it. 38-year-old Chris Gloninger talks enthusiastically about weather phenomena, about meteorology – and about climate change. In his job as chief meteorologist at television station KKCI in Iowa, he did the same: He linked intense storms, warmer weather and more extreme weather to the increasingly hot planet we live on. Nothing he said is scientifically controversial. The world is approx. 1.2 degrees warmer than pre-industrial times. Annual deviation from the global normal temperature compared to the average in the period 1991-2020 +0.5°C compared to the normal? Press for explanation normal temperature18801900192019401960198020002020 Go to news’s Climate Status Why are most years blue and colder than normal? This is because all years are now compared to a new normal, i.e. the average weather for 30 years the period 1991-2020. These 30 years have been unusually warm. Most other years are therefore colder than normal. Until recently, researchers used a normal period that ran from 1961-1990. In these years it was relatively cold. It’s been quite a while since the 1960s and the new normal allows us to compare the weather with the climate (normal) that people actually experience today. The normal period is determined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and is used in all countries. In this way, we can compare the weather in Norway with other countries and we can measure changes across the globe. How can you calculate one temperature for the whole world? This number is the result of a complicated calculation. Measurements are made with thermometers both on land and on the sea surface (at sea the thermometers are attached to buoys). In some places the thermometers are close together, in other places they are far apart. Using a statistical method, the researchers are able to give the measurements different weights, so that all areas are equally important: The data used in this graph comes from the American NOAA. They have divided the globe into squares of 5° x 5° and calculate one temperature for each square. Then they can again work their way up to a global figure, for each month or for each year. They can also make figures for the temperature only over the ocean or only over land, or for the northern and southern hemispheres. The lines at the poles are smaller than along the equator due to the curvature of the globe. The researchers also take this into account in their calculations. Others, such as NASA or the Hadley Centre, calculate in slightly different ways than NOAA. Therefore, there are often small differences between the various data sets. In any case, the trend they show is the same: since 1880, the world has become warmer. But in the US, climate is political. And Iowa is a conservative state. Almost eight out of ten Democrats (78 per cent) now believe that climate change is a major threat to the country’s prosperity. Ten years ago, only six out of ten (58 per cent) thought the same, according to figures from Pewreasearch. Among Republicans, only one in four (23 percent) who took part in the survey answered yes to the question. There are as many as ten years ago. Glaninger’s weather reports were received with deep scepticism. Wanted to fill a void When he first went on air in 2020, many of the viewers had barely heard anything about climate change. Much less that they were man-made, says Gloniger, who says he took the job “full of idealism”. Chris Gloninger covered extreme weather across the United States for a number of years. Here from Houston in 2012. Photo: Private – I wanted to fill a void. Many of the viewers had not heard anything about climate change in the news before. Many were frustrated and irritated, says Gloninger to news. Iowa is an agricultural state: 11 percent work in agriculture, says Gloninger. – We live at the mercy of the weather. One would think it was something we should talk about. – This is science, after all. But it has become political here, it’s a shame, says Gloninger. In the summer of 2022, he received death threats from an enraged viewer. Gloninger posted the images of the threats on Twitter. Photo: Screenshot / Twitter Had to quit my job – It was very scary. The threats were concrete, and were followed by many and intense unpleasant emails, says Gloninger. He became stressed and scared. He went to a therapist, who said he had suffered post-traumatic stress from the threats. The police gave the man who made the threats a fine of 105 dollars, says Gloninger. He himself decided to quit his job. – It was the best thing for me and the family, says the 38-year-old, who today lives in Boston. He still works with climate, now as a researcher. – This is science, after all. But in the United States, climate change is not about science, but about politics. It is a great pity, says Gloninger. In Death Valley in California, signs have been put up warning of the higher heat. Here, 55 degrees were measured on Monday. Photo: Heidi Taksdal Skjeseth / news The heat wave continues In the south and west of the USA, the heat wave continues in full swing this week. In the desert of Death Valley, it was measured 55 degrees on Monday. On Tuesday, the temperature was down to “only” 51 degrees. – It hurts to breathe, it’s as if the air is burning in the face, says Shanine from Austria, who has traveled to Death Valley precisely to feel the heat. – It’s exciting with extreme heat. So we decided to travel here this summer to experience it, she says to news. Larrissa Chen works in the national park and has popped into a hotel lobby with her dog Chester, who is not doing very well in the heat. The dog has small shoes because it gets up to 100 degrees on the ground, says Chen. A wet black t-shirt hangs over the dog’s torso. Larrissa and dog Chester cool off indoors. Photo: Heidi Taksdal Skjeseth / news – He struggles a lot in the heat. He wants to go out, but as soon as we get out, he goes limp, says Chen. – People come here to experience the heat, but they have to be very careful, says Chen. Teacher Jennifer Posh from Wisconsin was supposed to go camping, but checked into a hotel instead because of the heat. – A friend advised us not to camp because of the heat. Luckily. I don’t know if we would have made it back alive, she says, laughing. Teacher Jennifer Posh is not too worried about climate change. Photo: Heidi Taksdal Skjeseth / news The primary school teacher is not particularly worried about climate change – No, I simply don’t think much about it. But the winters at home are a little warmer and we get less snow, she says. Will change Meteorologist Chris Gloninger believes more Americans are becoming more aware of climate change – including conservative Americans. – The media covers it more now, we talk more about it. That’s the only thing that can help. And we see a change now, says Gloninger. According to a survey by Yale Climate Communication, only 15 percent of Americans say they do not believe climate change is real. Meteorologist Chris Gloninger believes that conservative Americans will also become more aware of climate change. Photo: Private – But that minority is unfortunately very loud. They had a lot of resonance in 2016 (When Donald Trump won the election, journ. Anm), and still do, says Gloninger. He believes the American right will eventually open its eyes. – There will be a change. As the weather becomes more and more extreme, it becomes impossible to ignore. This year and next year, the El Nino weather phenomenon will cause extra heat, says Gloninger. In addition to the man-made climate changes. – It will be even hotter next year. In the next couple of years, even more records will be reached and even more doubters will start to believe in science, says Gloninger. Actor Leo De Caprio has become involved in the climate issue. Photo: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / AFP He wishes both politicians and Hollywood actors would let scientists take care of the climate talk. – People don’t listen to Hollywood actors who worry about the climate but who fly their own private planes. Let the science speak for itself, he says.
ttn-69
Reported on climate change – received death threats – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
