Weather expert discusses climate

KRIS 6 TV meteorologist Maclovio Perez recently visited Del Mar to raise awareness on the impending effects of climate change. 

The event, which was part of DMC Earth Week, highlighted the impacts humans are having on the environment amid rising greenhouse gas levels.

“My question is, what good is it to gas up your car if you can’t breathe the air?” Perez told the crowd April 22 in the Retama Room. 

Perez, a former environmental journalist, says humans are at a critical point in time, and if they don’t do anything within the next 10 years, the consequences will be devastating, especially for the newer generations.

“I hate to think that we left an Earth that was on fire, heating up, where the water in the Gulf is so warm that the fish die, where crops aren’t growing anymore,” he said.  

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there is a 95 percent probability that humans have caused the planet to warm, particularly through the use of fossil fuels. 

Some of the major effects include rising temperatures, rising sea levels, declining of the Arctic sea ice extent, and extreme whether events, all of which could have major health and economical impacts.

“I don’t think anyone is taking climate change as serious as they should,” said geology major Sierra Cpears. “We can harness wind and wave energy here and we are not doing enough of that.”

The Earth’s average temperature has increased 2 degrees over the 20th century, according to NASA. If humans continue to release greenhouse gases at their current rate, that temperature is expected to rise in the years to come. 

Perez said fossil fuel giants like ExxonMobil have conducted large-scale disinformation campaigns about climate change for years to twist public perception. ExxonMobil has also been accused of misleading PR and cyberbullying of scientists and journalists. 

“Facts are facts, and they don’t move around. They sit there, and they don’t wiggle,” Perez said.

To help in the fight against climate change, Perez recommended some simple solutions, including switching to LED light bulbs and decreasing plastic consumption; however, ditching fossil fuels and embracing renewable energy will ultimately be the most effective solution, he said. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *