Nora: Over the last few years, Granny has been complaining that the hot, humid weather iskilling her. She believes the weather has changed.
John: What she means is the climate’s long-term conditions; weather refers only to day-to-day conditions.
Nora: Yeah, she says summer is hotter, and winter wetter. But I tried to comfort her, saying, “It’s all in your mind, Granny.”
John: She’s right, you know. The greenhouse effect does bring global warming and rain.
Nora: How can I explain global warming and greenhouse gases to a 97-year-old Granny?
John: Tell her the earth now is like a real greenhouse made of glass panels that let in light and trap heat.
Nora: Think she’ll want to know that carbon monoxide from earth makes greenhouse gases?
John: Everybody should know what cause global warming; otherwise we won’t stop it.
Nora: I’ll tell Granny not to burn any more wood or coal, or to use spray on the hair.
John: OK, joke about it, but it won’t be so funny when the polar icecaps melt and oceans rise.
