Hot or Cold

It is January now and is officially winter. But lately weather has been very kind to us, in giving us May days in January. Do we feel guilty about this weather or enjoy it? What do I mean by this - Everyone has an expectation about a winter weather. For kids, Winter means snowdays, making snow angels, going sleding, having a snowball fight, having a cup of hot cocoa after the snowball fight and most of all, counting the days you can be off from school. For adults, winter can mean chilling and relaxing on a snow day after clearing the snow off of the driveway, taking your car out for a spin on the icy road, having a hot cup of Starbucks drink with your favorite someone. Everyone has their own perspective of a winter day.

With the warm days we have been having lately, bears are seen in the woods because it is not cold enough for them to hibernate. Cherry trees are seen to be having buds and a lot of the plants that normally grow in the southern part is seen to be growing here. Lot of the trees have their buds pop out and agriculturists are worried that the next drop in temperature will ruin the buds and hence the production of fruits and flowers for this year. There is also sheets of glaciers melting faster than expected in the Arctic. These changes all relate to the effects of having a hole in the ozone layer - Global warming.

There is a layer of ozone that shields our earth from strong radiations from the sun which are harmful to our health. This layer has been punctured because of excessive carbon dioxide that is emitted from cars and factories causing pollution. As a result, there is an imbalanace in the temperatures and the climates are shifting from the norm. If the hole in the ozone layer continues to grow, rapid shift in weather will be the outcome, as a result of which places will see tremendous change in the climate. This can be controlled by reducing pollution and emition of CO2 from vehicles and factories and we have to make effort in achiving this. So let us all take a step forward in reducing pollution and bringing the balance back on earth.