How Much More Bad News Can The Planet Afford?

September 16, 2020 – Last evening’s sunset here in Toronto pointed out the obvious; that what happens on one side of the North American continent has ramifications for the rest of us. This isn’t a “butterfly effect” but rather an indicator of what lies ahead in the 21st century as anthropogenic climate change impacts our lives.

Hours before the sunset it hung in the sky like an orange-red ball. The cause, smoke from fires burning in Washington, Oregon, and California. Today, in what has been forecasted as sunny with no clouds, there is a high haze that is filtering sunlight. It becomes much harder to ignore the consequences of climate inaction when you witness the muted results here, let alone in watching the media coverage of the firestorm being experienced on the western side of the continent.

And then we have a hurricane coming ashore on the Gulf Coast in the southern United States, one of five tropical storms and depressions currently visible in NOAA satellite images broadcast on our television and smartphone screens. Is five unheard of? No, we’ve seen it once before back in 1971. But ’71 spawned 13 tropical storms in total that year. That’s nothing compared to 2020 with 20 tropical storms so far, 8 of them becoming hurricanes, and two months more to go before the season is expected to come to a close. Is this increased frequency from anthropogenic climate change? Not necessarily, but highly likely.

The news about our planet doesn’t get any better when we look to the poles. Whether the Antarctic or Arctic, both land and sea ice behaviours are suggesting we are witnessing a major climate shift in high latitude areas on Earth. The amount of ice melt from continental glaciers is increasing in volume noticeably. The infusion of freshwater runoff into the immediate vicinity of Greenland, the Canadian Arctic archipelago, and Antarctica is altering ocean biology in what could become irreversible.

Finally, we are witnessing a planetary-wide decline in biodiversity with an increasing number of species at risk of becoming extinct.

How much more can we punish the planet before we wake up and recognize our part in all of what is happening?

COVID-19 is muddying the waters as countries try to struggle with the virus while addressing the consequences of our carbon addiction. If our actions continue at the present pace, we will be ineffective in addressing the climate change we are causing and will see more of the above in the coming decades.

I can’t write any more today but will address this subject further over the next few days. Your comments are welcomed.

P.S. The knee is getting better every day. Repairing my COVID-damaged heart is next on the agenda.