One of the common Boston tropes is about the wildly variable local weather. One day, it might be seventy degrees and lovely – the next week, everyone is bundled up in the face of a sudden snowstorm. And all in the first week of April! Through it all, folks around town put on a brave face and make a variation on the same old remark – New England weather, always unpredictable, you just never know in New England…
I’m of two minds on this one. I think there is definitely a lot of value in saying or doing what is needed to get on with the day. But on the other hand, I worry that the attitude around town will prove an obstacle in understanding the difference between changing weather and changing climate. If everyone expects wild variation in the weather, how bad does the variation need to be before we realize things are beyond the usual scope of traditional New England weather?
This is the fundamental problem with variation. At some point, if variation becomes the norm, people accept it and stop responding to it. When the ‘T’ is late, no one really worries because we are all used to it. But if we order a pizza and two hours later the delivery driver hasn’t pulled up, well, we start to wonder a little bit if someone’s forgotten the order.
I’m actually surprised so many people accept climate change as a reality. Most people I know are completely incapable of dressing properly for today’s weather – how often I’ve had to scurry along because some companion wore a light jacket on a freezing night! How these folks are able to even fathom the implications of a rising degree or two over a decade is beyond me. But no matter, I suppose, in the end – I guess in this case it’s the conclusion, not the method, that really matters.
