For the next few days, Houston will be a part of an arctic cold blast, one of a series that will have some areas of the U.S. never getting above the single digits for the next few days. Drew Carey had a bit about this in his old stand-up routine. He’d pretend to spray aerosol cans and complain, “Forget the grand kids, I’m cold now!” And then there’s the old standby you hear constantly when it gets cold, “What’s up with the cold? I thought there was global warming!” And yet, there are those who seriously use the extreme cold as an indicator that there isn’t global warming! The reality is that news organizations have made it so that people can’t tell the different between global climate change and global warming. There is a difference!

Global Warming is just that – an increase to the Earth’s average surface temperature. That’s all it is. And it is happening, whether you want to think it is a part of a natural cycle (which it is) and/or if you believe that greenhouse gasses are causing it to rise much faster than it should (which is also true). Sorry folks!

Global Climate Change is the change to the weather patterns over the Earth: temperatures, storms, sea levels, wind patterns, etc. These are long-term changes and often refer to both local regions as well as world-wide changes.

In other words, global warming is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. It only really begins to describe all the changes we will be undergoing and really doesn’t do justice to the types of changes we’ll (as the human race) be experiencing in the next several decades. Colder temperatures during winter are a symptom of the global climate change that we are experiencing as a result of excess greenhouse gasses. So, yes, if you need to think of it this way, Global Warming is making it colder. To read NASA’s interpretation, check here.

Now, I’m off to go buy all the hot chocolate I can find. Stay warm and don’t forget your P’s – pipes, pets, plants, and people!