Climate change: Everyone talks about it; what can be done about it?

Published: 2006-02-17

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- If, as the old saw suggests, everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it, what can anyone do about weather patterns that morph not only over seasons but generations? That phenomenon is known as climate change. It used to be known as "global warming," but the term climate change takes not only temperature into account, but also rainfall, ocean currents, farming, forestry and a host of other conditions affected by the weather. Climate change is on the minds of more and more people -- including those gathered for two Catholic-sponsored forums in Washington a day apart. Speaking at The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law Feb. 13, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, reported that village elders in the state's northernmost regions have told her "the ice pack is less stable, the snow pack is returning later and leaving earlier, changing the migratory patterns of animals." Speaking during a Feb. 14 forum at the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, Michael McCracken, chief scientist for climate change programs for the Climate Institute and formerly executive director of the National Assessment Coordinator's Office, said the earth warmed by 0.8 degree Celsius over the 20th century, and that 2005 was the warmest year yet on record -- surpassing 1997, when temperatures were bolstered by a cyclical trend of Pacific Ocean warming.

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