This started out as a post on how we discuss climate change in groups: the problems and the solutions and our role in each. Then came Gerwazy’s comment on nature (previous post) and Chuck’s forward of an article describing how the Canada geese are still on Prince Edward Island, waiting for the cold that signals time for migration.
Note: climate change can have a variety of causes. Some, such as earlier springs and later falls, are predicted by global warming models.
Berkeleyites are noticing flowers blooming a couple of weeks early this year. I didn’t see this, but did notice that the October Santa Anas, the hot winds from the east that make fall our warmest season (think Oakland Hills fire), were weaker this year, and in mid-November. As a former teacher of high school seniors, I pay attention to warm days after Easter vacation, as many older students consider temperatures in the mid-60s or higher to indicate an official cut day. Since 1998 or so, every year has had more warm days after Easter vacation than I endured the entire six years I taught seniors.
Sunrises are not super rare events here. Families don’t organize sleeping schedules or daily plans around sunrises like we might around meteor showers or total solar eclipses. But they were never so common, at least in my 25.5-year memory. Now there is maybe one multi-week period per year when the sun emerges mid-day rather than rising.
Perhaps someone who has been in Berkeley longer could tell me whether we’re only returning to old weather patterns?
What environmental changes have you seen?
What ideas do you have as to why we as individuals and why we as groups have difficulty facing up to climate change, and making big changes? What ideas do you have to facilitate our work together?
I’ll return to these subjects, but my next two posts will be on Smart Growth and mass transit.
Not to tout my own blog, but I’ve been writing about change lately- you might find it interesting. I just realized I have to leave RIGHT NOW or I will be late, so I’ll write more later.