It seems to be suggested by climate change deniers that the changes in weather conditions over the last few decades is too short a period to truly reflect climate change. That this particular generation of people can't really see it. But noticing those changes is what started this whole discussion, and this generation has backed it up with the numbers collected in the last 100-200 years is a way to show rapid change. Scientists are able to show fluctuations over millennia and in some instances show geological reasons (volcanic eruptions, asteroids hitting the planet, etc.) but it is the very nature of human memory and stories (that go back a lot farther than the weather service) that give one source of evidence. Coastal dwellers have hard evidence, as long-standing communities are being pushed back (where possible) to higher ground.

Telling people not to believe their eyes and stories and history is a way to dismiss this change; those who do dismiss it have a powerful reason - their pocketbooks. Now lets take a closer look at those pocketbooks . . .