The images of the freeze that struck the United States, and Trump's absurd tweet
Environment — di Valentina Neri
The Midwest is paralysed by an unprecedented cold snap: in Chicago wind chill temperatures reached -50 degrees Celsius. 12 victims.
The images of the freeze that struck the United States, and Trump's absurd tweet
The Midwest is paralysed by an unprecedented cold snap: in Chicago wind chill temperatures reached -50 degrees Celsius. 12 victims.
The United States is currently in the grip of the Polar Vortex, an unprecedented cold snap hitting above all the Midwest states, from North Dakota to Ohio, and sparing neither New York nor Washington. 12 victims have been reported so far.
The symbol of this cold emergency is Chicago, where temperatures reached -20 degrees Celsius, with wind gusts hitting -50°C. Despite being largely accustomed to harsh temperatures and strong winds, the city is almost entirely paralysed these days: schools and offices are closed, postal services are at a standstill, public transport has ground to a halt, and mayor Rahm Emanuel has urged residents to leave home only if strictly necessary. Railway staff have been forced to activate a gas-flame system, setting the tracks on fire, in order to keep trains running.
President Donald Trump did not miss the opportunity to post yet another sarcastic tweet about global warming ("In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can't last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Warming? Please come back fast, we need you!").
In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!
In reality, as anyone who has studied the dynamics of climate change knows, local weather is a short-lived phenomenon and is quite different from the climate, which must be assessed on a considerably larger scale. The New York Times, taking its cue from Donald Trump's tweet, offers an analogy: "Weather is the money in your pocket today, while climate is your wealth. A billionaire who has left their wallet at home is not poor, just as a poor person who suddenly receives a few hundred dollars is not suddenly rich. What matters is what happens over the long term." If the same Polar Vortex extends beyond the Arctic region more frequently, some studies cited by the New York newspaper suggest, it is precisely because of changes to wind circulation caused by rising global temperatures.