Two theories for climate change

Weather forecasts uploaded to the social media are accompanied by disbelieving exclamations: “Is it true?”
The surprise is understandable: We usually see Bangkok temperatures this low only in late December, and the last time was years ago.
For some, the chill is reason to celebrate. City slickers who have been dreaming about donning colourful sweaters to work are overjoyed that weather experts are forecasting winter will last longer this year.
Yet, the extreme weather change could also delay the arrival of the rainy season and prolong the ongoing drought.
Any change in conditions will naturally bring happiness to those who are prepared and despair to those who aren’t. But even in the countries accustomed to low temperatures, this one can spell disaster. As of Sunday, 24 people had lost their lives in some of the worst-ever snowstorms recorded on the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Forewarning is often not enough to prevent daily routines from being disrupted. Schools have been closed in Hong Kong as the city undergoes its worst cold spell in 60 years. Yet parents still had to work, and without anyone to take care of the kids at home, some brought their children to school anyway.
In December – reportedly the warmest in years for countries in the northern hemisphere – trees were tricked into flower. Obviously, all living things are adjusting to the new conditions.
During the Mesozoic Era, from about 250 to 65 million years ago, most of the world was hot and humid. The climate then cooled by tens of degrees, possibly when the impact of a huge asteroid triggered volcanic eruptions whose dust blocked out the sun. That climate change brought about the extinction of dinosaurs, then the largest creatures on Earth. How could they survive without water or food?
Today we face another sudden change in climate, this time not because of asteroid strikes but because of the behaviour of those who call this planet home. On websites including this one, https://goo.gl/J2fs67, celebrities are being lauded for their efforts to save the world.
Among them is Brad Pitt, who established the Make It Right Foundation that donated “green” building materials to replace New Orleans homes destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. In his daily life, he also uses a bike to get around rather than a limo.
The theory that human behaviour has caused climate change is, indeed, very convincing.
One study reveals that only 14 per cent of plastic in use today is recycled. What happens to the rest? A large volume is in the sea, killing fish that are a big part of our food chain. Consumerism also promotes excessive use of resources and huge volumes of waste. New York alone produces an estimated 12,000 tonnes of garbage per day. Sadly, our own era’s global warming is fuelling the El Nino and La Nina phenomena, causing more frequent and severe floods and drought and doing further damage to food chains.
Reuters reported recently that Apple Inc’s main Asian suppliers expect orders to drop this quarter, indicating iPhone sales are almost certain to post their first annual decline. You might expect a drop in power consumption as a result, but this won’t happen. Instead consumers are likely to shift from the pricey handsets to cheaper models that may even consume more power.
While human behaviour is taking most of the blame for climate change, a study by Danish scientists points the finger at a change in the Earth’s magnetic field. The scientists’ theory is that the climate is under strong influence from galactic cosmic rays that penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere, yet the Earth is usually protected by its magnetic field.
Hollywood movie “The Core” took this idea to depict an Earth that had stopped rotating and thereby no longer produced a magnetic field. The telecommunication network failed, birds lost their homing instinct and weather conditions in each country were paralysed. Now imagine if the magnetic field actually stopped today. Snowstorms would continue raging on the eastern coast of the United States. Thailand would remain under its cold spell. Gone would be tropical fruits like lychees and durians (though we would have an unlimited supply of strawberries). Meanwhile  fashion designers in blizzard-hit New York and Paris could forget about creating spring and summer collections. Travel out of Thailand would come to a standstill as Japan and South Korea lost the lure of golden autumnal trees.
Whichever theory for climate change is right, it spells disaster. With the magnetic field idea still in its infancy, though, I guess we should stick to the human-impact notion for now.
Something to bear in mind: Bangkokians may be enjoying making sweater choices in this cold spell, but millions of others around the world simply aren’t coping with these sudden changes.