A teenager from Assam, Astha Sarmah really won the internet over on November 22 after she gave a science lesson to US President Donald Trump in a tweet. On November 21, when the temperature in Washington dropped below -2C, Trump took to Twitter and wrote, “Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS Whatever happened to Global Warming.”

In an awful take on global warming, the President of the USA confused weather and climate like many others. However, 18-year-old Astha Sarmah’s befitting reply explaining the difference has shot her to internet fame. The resident of Johrat, Assam in her reply wrote, “I am 54 years younger than you. I just finished high school with average marks. But even I can tell you that WEATHER IS NOT CLIMATE. If you want help understanding that, I can lend you my encyclopedia from when I was in 2nd grade. It has pictures and everything.”

I am 54 years younger than you. I just finished high school with average marks. But even I can tell you that WEATHER IS NOT CLIMATE. If you want help understanding that, I can lend you my encyclopedia from when I was in 2nd grade. It has pictures and everything.

— Astha Sarmah (@thebuttcracker7) November 22, 2018

In less than a week’s time, Sarmah’s tweet has garnered over 24,000 likes and has been retweeted over 5,800 times by users, making her an overnight Twitter sensation. Sarmah was pointing towards the fact that a day’s temperature is not comparable to global warming.

What are climate and weather?

Dictionary.com defines global warming as, ‘an increase in the Earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.’

NASA defines weather and climate as, “the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere “behaves” over relatively long periods of time.” Therefore, global warming is another indicator of climate change. NASA’s website reads, “Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea levels, and change precipitation and other local climate conditions.”

Recently, the United Nations’ annual assessment of global progress on climate change suggested that the problem of climate change is getting worse. Reportedly, for the first time, political ideology has been singled out by the UN which has been obstructing changes that would slow down global warming.

Donald Trump denies global warming

The annual calculation of the “emissions gap,” which looks at the difference between global pollution and international efforts to curb it has put the blame on the behaviours of certain nations, including the USA.  The 2018 Emissions Gap report suggested that countries need to put in five times more effort to curb pollution in order to keep global warming at 1.5C.

Nations must raise their #ClimateAction ambition by
🔴 3X to meet the 2°C warming target
🔴 5X to meet the 1.5°C warming target
We urgently need a large-scale push to bridge the #EmissionsGap: https://t.co/hpEut7Gn1B pic.twitter.com/u0vEYso0AA

— UN Environment Programme (@UNEP) November 27, 2018

However, this is certainly not the first time that President Trump has denied climate change.  His claims that global warming is not real goes against the claims made by hundreds of researchers who have said that the earth is rapidly warming up and will continue to do so unless there are collective efforts to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses.

In a recent interview with The Washington Post, the President said that he did not believe the scientific consensus which surrounds climate change. “You look at our air and our water and it’s right now at a record clean. … As to whether or not it’s man-made and whether or not the effects that you’re talking about are there, I don’t see it — not nearly like it is,” he said. In June 2017, Trump had also pulled out of the Paris climate agreement, citing the same reason.

Global warming is a serious issue that needs serious thought and considerations from all individuals, especially world leaders like Donald Trump. The adverse effects of global warming have been highlighted time and again and each person should work in tandem to curb it at the earliest.

Also Read: Global Temperature To Rise By 1.5 Degree Celsius Between 2030 And 2052: UN Report