The People’s Reporter: The Warming World

A few days ago, a cunning reader sent me an e-mail entitled “Global Warming, Global Schmarming.” His message: The earth isn’t warming. The whole thing is just a giant hoax perpetrated by scientists looking to get rich on research grants, liberal reporters with nothing better to write about, yada, yada, yada.

I hate to be dismissive, but he ignores what is, at this point, almost unequivocal. No peer-reviewed scientific research is questioning whether humans are warming the planet by burning fossil fuels. So let’s start today’s café by understanding these two key points.

1. The earth’s climate is changing.

2. Scientists say we’re causing it.

This is not to say that everything is certain about the changes we’re seeing. The severity of expected sea-level rise — and its effects on places like San Diego — is one of the bigger question marks.

I am fascinated by this subject on a couple of levels. It’s uplifting to see the science in motion, further helping us understand what problems climate change poses now and how it will affect our future. And it has been interesting to watch the media jump on the climate change bandwagon. Need proof? Check out Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis on this week’s Sports Illustrated cover, which delves into the effects of climate change on sport.

We’re launching our hot topic explainer page on the local effects of climate change Friday — no puns, please — so I am here to answer any questions you have. Curious about climate change science? Wondering what’s being researched? Or interested in knowing what the hell ethanol is? Send me an e-mail to rob.davis@voiceofsandiego.org, or just click on my name below, and I’ll do my best to research and report on your questions today.

(And as always, if you’ve got a burning question you want researched about the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the South Bay Power Plant and the region’s energy future or county government, hit me up with those too.)

I’m at your service.

— ROB DAVIS