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Right now, as many Americans are starting to experience cold winter temperatures, would be a good time to explain the relationship between global warming and climate change. It confuses people: “Hey, if global warming is real, why is it so cold outside?”
Well, there’s actually a very good reason why global warming makes for colder winters. I’ll explain the physics behind it in just a moment, but first we need to understand the terms, “global warming” and “climate change.” They are not the same thing. I know, they get confused a lot in the popular press and in political debates, but that’s because journalists and politicians aren’t scientists, and they sometimes get the terms mixed up themselves.
In scientific circles and articles, both terms have been used for decades.
Global warming refers specifically to the average temperature at the earth’s surface.
Climate change refers specifically to the shift in weather patterns that results from global warming.
Now that we understand the difference between global warming and climate change, let’s see how global warming makes colder winters.
1. Sunlight strikes the earth and is absorbed as heat.