Ottawa, the third coldest capital in the world, had the warmest November and December in recorded history. The ground was soft and unfrozen right up until Jan 8 (when we finally got snow). This was my first ever non-white Christmas.
End of the day, one of the \'effects\' of global warming isn\'t just warmer weather, but more unpredictable and severe weather patterns, as well as changing precipitation patterns. I looked at the mountains of snow dumped on BC this year, and us getting their rain all through December as a warning. The other day they actually started mentioning tornadoes becoming the norm as a possibility in Ottawa (we\'ve had two small ones in my lifetime, until this year).
We are going to feel the effects of global warming in our lifetime, the \'natural\' heating/cooling cycles of the earth normally take millennia, but we\'re doing it to the planet in record time with GH emissions, deforestation, and pollution.
My prediction - Massive (unprecedented scale massive) depopulation of the earth in about 35 years due to famine, drought, and disease brought about by climate change. North America and Europe will be spared the worst of it, with the elderly and very young feeling the brunt. This will be the final wakeup call and lead to a shift in lifestyles away from consumerism and a massive reduction in emissions per person.
