Climate Change and Paris

The Perpetual Notion Machine has done a fair share of episodes dealing with climate change. And tonight’s show is no exception, considering that the U.S. opted out of the Paris Climate Agreement. So, PNM’s Lincoln Tice talks with UW-Madison’s Jonathan Martin, a professor and chair of atmospheric and oceanic sciences. His research specialty is mid-latitude weather systems, such as snowstorms and severe thunderstorms. And he is the author of the book Mid-Latitude Atmospheric Dynamics: A First Course. Jonathan describes the difference between weather and climate. But from the recent past of weather data, it seems likely that more severe weather events have coincided with the rise of atmospheric temperature. Last summer, a tropical cyclone set the record for the highest wind speed at over 200 miles an hour. Also, Jonathan provides his insight on the Paris Climate Agreement and how dangerous it could be for the U.S. and the world for not following the agreement.