by: Lydia Liu
Public Relations Manager

Snow piling up outside quickly draws attention as it begins to disrupt streets, transportation, and daily routines. The reaction is immediate only because the impact is immediate. As the city faces its first major blizzard since 2016, the approaching storm reminds residents how quickly heavy snowfall can reshape the city’s normal rhythm.

Climate change does not just appear out of nowhere. It unfolds slowly over the years, yet we rarely notice it is happening. It hides in data most people never read, and in places most people will never visit. Because it does not always interrupt tomorrow’s plans, people treat it like something that can be handled later.

But “later” has been stretching for decades. According to NASA, global temperatures have risen by about 1.2 degrees Celsius since the late 1800s, primarily due to human activity. The World Meteorological Organization announced that 2023 was the hottest year since global temperature records began in the mid-1800s, continuing a streak of record-breaking heat. These are not dramatic predictions about the distant future; they are measurements of the present. Yet, because these changes unfold gradually rather than disrupting daily routines overnight, they rarely provoke the same immediate response that a blizzard does.

Even in the planet’s most isolated regions, the changes are obvious. In Antarctica, glaciers that have existed for millennia are rapidly disappearing. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reports record-low levels of Antarctic sea ice, and scientists report that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing billions of tons of ice annually, contributing to rising sea levels that threaten coastal communities around the world. Ice is vanishing in real time, shrinking faster each year and affecting the planet in ways that will impact generations to come.

Beyond the polar regions, extreme weather events are becoming more expensive and more intense. These disasters do not just result in economic losses; they also force people from their homes and require long rebuilding periods.

A blizzard eventually melts, streets are cleared, and life goes back to normal, but climate change offers no reset. Temperatures keep rising, ice keeps melting, and oceans keep warming. The warning signs are already visible, and if we want to prevent the worst outcomes, we cannot afford to wait to act. Only by working together to reduce emissions and investing in real solutions can we protect the planet for future generations.

Sources: (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, NASA, National Snow and Ice Data Center, NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, World Meteorological Organization)