BY COOPER HAYES

January 6 and 7 along with the week of 1/27/14 brought some of the coldest temperatures since the 1990’s to Ohio according to Weather.com. With temperatures dropping as low as -5 in the Mariemont communities, this polar vortex seems to throw some doubt onto the concept of Global Warming.

Donald Trump recently tweeted “This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bull**** has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps, and our GW scientists are stuck in ice.” At first the recent cold swings would make climate change seem like a hoax, how can we experience record low cold swings if the planet is getting warmer? The answer becomes clearer after further examination into what Global Warming actually is.

Global Warming is another name for a worldwide change in climate that scientists have been studying. It is called this because a decrease in the ozone layer caused by pollution has been allowing more sunlight to gradually increase the temperature of the world.

For example, while the United States is in the midst of a polar vortex Australia is experiencing record high temperatures across the continent. According to Climate Central, temperatures have reached upwards of 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

This temperature rise will lead to numerous problems. The first of which is the melting of the polar ice caps. These large bodies of frozen water have been shrinking in size for decades forcing the water levels across the world to rise.

According to the Public Broadcasting Station, 19 inches would be a conservative estimate for the rise in sea level by 2050. This rising water levels will contribute to a change in weather resulting in massive swings in temperature and severe storms. Another side effect will be a loss of land and pollution caused by the properties that the water overtakes.

This would mean most of lower Florida, a popular vacation spot for Mariemont students, could be underwater before the end of the century. According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences cities like Boston, New York City, and Miami will have their fates locked in by 2100. This locked in date is when the cities would be underwater, completely lost.

The root of the problem is pollution. Sadly the Earth has been slowly dirtied without a regard for permanent damage for the last 3 centuries. Even though modern science has provided clear links between pollution and damage to the environment little has been done to change the way things function. Hydraulic fracturing– fracturing beneath the Earth’s surface to gain access to resources otherwise unavailable– is an example of common polluting practices.

Junior Parker Sullivan wrote a research paper on “fracking” and the damage it can cause. “Fracking uses 600 different chemicals and 40000 gallons of them in each fracture the excess of which is put in a waste pit. This is essentially a tarp-lined hole in which the chemicals sit until they evaporate. This releases harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air which contaminate the air and can cause acid rain,” said Sullivan.

Sadly Climate Change has passed the point of no return, due to centuries of neglect it is now impossible the stop our climate from being forever altered. The best way to move forward is to focus on adaptability and become prepared for what an altered climate could do to the way the world functions.

So now comes the question why does any of this matter? Many of us won’t live to be more than a hundred years old, but this climate change is already having an impact on our lives. For example lets say I wanted to buy a shiny new black Chevrolet Suburban.

The problem is this:  Over time, auto manufactures developed a “just in time” supply chain, where they would receive parts from suppliers just in time to put them on the car they were assembling.  Over time, this resulted in fewer and fewer suppliers.  At the same time, auto manufacturers started using the same companies to supply parts, be they brake components, switches etc.   When the Tsunami hit, it wiped out some plants that were basically the only ones producing certain parts, and auto companies had to fight over what few parts were available , scramble to find alternatives (which doesn’t really work quickly in the automotive industry because of all the testing required), or not make their cars.

The paint pigment is the best example.  It pretty much shut down auto manufactures ability to sell certain color cars because they could not get the paint, because the paint suppliers couldn’t get pigments.  Dealers hated it because someone wanted to order a 50,000 dollar Ford Super-Extra-Duty F-450  gnarly truck in black and they had to say “…Any color but black.”

What automakers are doing is diversifying their supply chain, but in terms of climate change they are looking at manufacturers to see if they have built up a “resilience” or ability to defend themselves from natural threats.  If a supplier is located in an area susceptible to high water, tsunamis, or any other climate related impact, they are less interested in that supplier because they don’t want, and can’t afford, any possible disruption in the supply chain.

That’s why climate change is not a political discussion or debate anymore, it’s a business reality.  Climate change causes certain vulnerabilities.  Automakers don’t want their suppliers to have any vulnerabilities.

Super storm Sandy, drought, the tsunami, any climate related impact that could affect the supply chain is a concern. So even if it is something as minor as not being able to get our new car in the color we want, climate change is impacting our world in more ways than one.