Discussing the weather is one of the most politically neutral forms of small talk. Or, at least it was. As climate change has changed the frequency and intensity of devastating storms, including Hurricane Helene, which has claimed over 100 lives in the past week, the changes to our planet have also become a politically fraught topic. How did we get here and how can we move past it toward productive action? Meteorologist Glenn "The Hurricane" Schwartz might know something about explaining complex topics of weather and climate to a general audience.
Growing up in eastern Pennsylvania as I did, Schwartz was a TV staple. Sporting colorful bowties and thick eyeglasses, Schwartz's presence in our day-to-day lives seemed as inevitable as the rising sun. During torrential rainstorms and blistering heat waves, while standing knee-deep in snow or amidst a crowd of friendly WCAU (the NBC affiliate for the Philadelphia area), Schwartz was there, smiling and merrily rattling off scientific trivia along with the pertinent weather-related news.
