"If you want to know what your climate is going to be like, look at the climate that is 500 miles to the north of you," said journalist Henry Willis, the author of Earth's Future Climate. Willis, the guest on Monday night's show, said he is not a "doom & gloomer," but his research does indicate to him that likely there'll be an increased period of global warming followed by a very sudden cold snap that occurs within a 4-10 year period.
During this time of transition Willis foresees longer and more intense storm seasons and increased flooding. Diseases such as West Nile Virus may have the chance to spread further as winters become milder. In the period of increased warmth, Willis said plants and agriculture will thrive, but their nutritional value will go down.
Rather than the greenhouse effect, Willis views solar activity and natural cycles as the culprit behind the upcoming changes. When the cold moves in (he estimates it will be 15 degrees cooler in most locations) and northern glaciers begin to form, America's ability to produce food could be severely hampered. "If global transportation is also disrupted because of terrorism, we may face scarcities," he said.