From a record-breaking freeze threating an entire crop of citrus in Florida to significant snowfall in England, many are wondering just how “real” global warming actually is…considering how cold it’s been lately. To set the record straight, let’s begin by using the term “climate change” instead of “global warming.” While indeed the Earth’s core temperature is rising at an alarming rate, what that temperature rise actually does is shift the various ecosystem temperatures on Earth either up or down; it doesn’t necessarily mean temperatures will be high everywhere, but that the climate will, in fact, change drastically in one way or another. Some previous Ice Ages, for example, were triggered by changes in ocean currents and surface water temperature due to cold, fresh water from the melting polar ice caps disrupting major ocean currents. NASA highlights this important weather / climate distinction on their website. Please pass this information along to any skeptics who might need additional information. If we’re going to reverse climate change on a global scale, one of the first critical steps is education.