I am a CNN meteorologist. I used to be a climate crisis skeptic
Ive been a meteorologist at CNN since 1999. And for a long time I didnt think that global warming gasses would overwhelm the earth enough to change its climate. As a skeptic, I didnt deny climate change existed. I was questioning the data behind the science. One big number ultimately changed my mind. Watch this video to learn what it is: That was on April 23, 2013. After that day I started attending climate conferences, and continued to consume more and more of the data coming in about climate change. I like to say that I didnt go from denier to believer; I went from skeptic to scholar. And along the way I learned a lot about the climate crisis that I hope will help YOU better understand it as well. For instance, I quickly learned the problem was way bigger than just carbon dioxide: Over the last millennium, the concentration of these gasses in the atmosphere has gone up and down. In tandem, global temperatures have also become warmer, colder and then warmer again. Thats why so many skeptics say climate change is cyclical, and point to that as evidence against global warming. But what were experiencing now is much more extreme than in the past: As this alarming rate of warming continues, it is evident that humans are responsible. And not always in the ways you might think: All of these issues are contributing to global warming a term that often gets misused, especially during an epic snowstorm or freezing spell during the winter months. The problem is that people are only looking at the weather out their windows: When you look at the crisis from a global perspective, you start to see evidence of a devastating future: Maybe you see the climate crisis as I do now. Maybe you need some more time to gather your own evidence and look closely at the facts. Whenever youre ready, the next step is to figure out how you can start making a difference: