Columnists
Weather, or Not
Well, and then it was summer. Right now most of us are aching for summer heat and some sunshine. We can feel it when we close our eyes. Yes we can. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, five weeks from now we’ll be saying things like, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity” or “It sure beats shovelling snow” as we reach for a tall cool one and look for a bit of shade. And, very shortly after that, we’ll wax loquacious about how much we love the cool weather of autumn. We’re a wacky bunch, aren’t we? Whatever the weather happens to be, we just can’t be completely happy about it. No matter what, it could always be warmer or cooler or rainier or snowier or sunnier, not as breezy or maybe a bit breezier to keep the bugs away. While we whine away about what we’ve got right here and right now, weather-wise, we try hard to ignore the bigger picture, the changing climate.
As I write this, I’m sitting in the house with a fuzzy blanket on my lap. Even thought it’s June 18th it’s a bit chilly on the side porch. Meanwhile one hundred and twenty million people in the USA are living in a heat advisory situation. The rest of the world isn’t any better. Temperatures are soaring around the world. We can call it weather, if we want but we all know the climate is changing. Extremes of weather and weather-related events have been escalating for years. My friends in California and in Arizona have said they’ve never seen it so hot this early in the year. My California friends are, once again, worried about wildfires and, inevitably, water rationing. My friends in Arizona are worried about dramatic water shortages and soaring temperatures. Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva said, “Heat waves are starting earlier. They’re becoming more frequent and more severe because of concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which are at a record level. What we are witnessing now is a foretaste of the future.” We could all use a reminder of the difference between “weather” and “climate”. We don’t have to sit on the sidelines wearing blinders. As individuals there is something we can do to help.
First of all, let’s start with which is what. Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions while climate is the weather of a specific region averaged over a long period of time. Climate change refers to long-term changes. When we talk about climate change we are talking about the long-term averages of daily weather. If summers seem to be getting hotter and hotter and hotter, then the climate is changing. Next, on the “street-level” there is a lot the everyday person can do. Let’s start with greening our commute. This is, likely, the most difficult thing to do in a relatively small, rural community especially if by greening we only think of walking or cycling. Of course, if you can safely walk or cycle to your destination, go for it. But don’t forget ride sharing, purchasing/leasing a hybrid vehicle, keeping your motorized vehicle tunedup, fly less frequently, look into public transit (cuz we’ve got a public transit system, yes we do) and advocate for bike lanes. As consumers we could start “consuming less” by sharing, making, baking, fixing, up-cycling, repurposing and composting!!! If you’re an investor, look into switching some of your investments to renewables and divesting from fossil fuel holdings. We can all eat more meatfree meals, buy more local and organic products (whenever reasonable, or feasible). Put the brakes on food waste—we all do it, don’t we?
We have so many everyday opportunities to lighten the load on the atmosphere. Don’t be afraid of a lifestyle change. Be afraid of the climate change we are experiencing. We don’t have much time, or space, to turn this around. We can do this.
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