the Informer

Thirty-four years ago this week, Connecticut was buried under a snowstorm who’s ferocity is to this day unmatched.

What has become known as the Blizzard of ’78 dropped as many as 24 inches of snow in Connecticut and the surrounding states, confining residents to their homes, leaving daring drivers stranded in their homes and leaving four dead due to heart attacks while shoveling.

More than three decades later, instead of February lending itself to familiar disastrous conditions, it has rather jump-started spring. And despite Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of “winter,” even the most panic stricken gave up on stockpiling water and spaghetti-o’s in their basements to prepare for the next storm.

Global warming is a phenomenon who’s legitimacy has gotten politicians, weathermen and scientists alike all in a tizzy for years. The amount of confidence anybody has that it’s real is comparable to that of a local weather forecast: debatable. Recently, republican nominee Rick Santorum criticized two of his opponents, saying they “bought into the science of man-made global warming, and they bought into the remedy, both of which are bogus,” leaving cap-and-trade policies to continue their hot-topic status.

According to NBC Connecticut, snowfall last January totaled 54 inches, while January 2012 produced a mere dusting of 6.8 inches throughout the entire 31-day span. In a winter where 90 percent of the country is warm, it’s hard to deny that there’s something happening, and we’re contributing to it.

The debate in Washington revolves around whether or not congress should intervene to reduce carbon emissions.

A cap-and-trade policy essentially means there is a limit on the amount of greenhouse gasses a company can emit, while rewarding companies who are far below the limit. Considering the toll lack of snow has taken on local economies, this isn’t a bad idea.

While the thought of snow-covered roads can be horrifying to a state’s budget, it’s businesses that suffer when they’re not. The state accounts for snow removal when allocating money at the start of each year.

This year’s October snow bombardment left the state in a panic, using up almost half the snow removal budget for the year. Now with the season nearing an end, the state can relax but owners of private snow removal companies, ski areas, and heating companies are struggling.

Sam Gault, the President of Gault Fuel of Westport, told the Connecticut Post “in this business, you really can’t plan for it being this warm…not a good year.” Meanwhile, Rod Taylor, who runs the Woodbury Ski Area, saw the toll mild days have taken on the ski season, expressing it’s been costing the operation $3,000 a day to produce their own snow.

According to an Ohio State University Professor, Craig Jenkins, who studied the perception of climate change among the public, concern for the matter has dropped since its peak in 2007, largely due to the impact of political leaders, claiming “politics overwhelms the science.”

Through Jenkins’ study, which appears in the academic journal titled “Climate Change,” it was found that the second biggest factor contributing to the public’s perception was the state of the economy. This factor followed only the divide in opinion between democrats and republicans on the matter, and surprisingly was not affected by current weather conditions.

Whether we believe in climate change or chock it up to a natural fluctuation in temperature, there’s no doubt a negative impact is taking place, and the only way to determine whether we can actively alleviate this impact is through trial. And while the winner of the climate change divide can never truly be forecasted, I still believe there’s about an 80 percent chance it’s already warming.

Sarah is the Managing Editor of The Informer. She is a senior Communication major with an emphasis in Media and Journalism and PR/Advertising. You can contact her at sawilson@hartford.edu, or follow her on Twitter.