It’s no secret that the weather just isn’t what it used to be.
Last year was a year of flooding, then lack of rain, then forest fires throughout B.C.
This winter the snow in the Shuswap piled up in what some people dubbed Snowmageddon. For many residents, especially those who don’t ski and are responsible for shovelling driveways and sidewalks, it felt like it would never end.
Yesterday was officially the first day of spring, according to mainstream calendars. Finally!
Although it’s early to predict, some forecasters are saying April in some parts of B.C. will see Arctic winds and sporadic dumps of snow.
While delayed warm temperatures will likely be useful to prevent flooding, it’s difficult to deny that the weather isn’t more extreme than it once was. This is our weather with climate change.
We can wring our hands, feel powerless and hope for the best, or we can listen to the experts who have studied what’s happening.
Climate scientists say the Earth’s atmosphere has already been heated by nearly one degree. They also say more than three-quarters of the fossil fuels discovered must be left in the ground to avoid a two-degree jump.
Spring is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. There is an optimism in the air that comes with tiny shoots poking up through the crust of the earth, birds returning to their summer homes, and lush green beginning to replace the winter ground-cover of snow and ice.
People can continue with the status quo, pretend that all is well and hope for the best. Or we humans can make it our personal responsibility to stop the ongoing escalation of fossil fuel consumption.
That would signal a true fresh start and a reason for optimism for both old and young.
It’s rare to accomplish a goal we haven’t set. The key will be setting that goal and working together to make it happen.
