Greenhouse gases and global warming have affected the planet’s major weather drivers. Our weather systems tend to be driven by a trio of circulation cells in the northern hemisphere, and a second trio in the southern hemisphere. In general, there’s a tropical zone, a polar zone, and between them is a mid-latitude zone. Rather than being something abstract, these circulation cells define their regions and drive storms and the jet stream. As the planet is warming, the tropical zone is expanding. Trade winds are shifting, climates are changing, and the kinds of storms regions see can shift. Polar regions may see storms more typical of the mid-latitudes. Temperate zones may see more tropical storms. Global warming isn’t just about temperatures increasing. Neither is climate change. For people living along the edges of the cells, the climate they’re familiar with may be replaced with something quite different. People, agriculture, and infrastructure must adapt.
Pretending Not To Panic 