January 6th, 2007 by: Ashley
Sandals and budding blossoms in January is a red flag pointing to global warming
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7″ x 9″ watercolor, $70 ($10 donated to “Stop Global Warming“)
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It’s January here along the 38th line of latitude, and yesterday temperatures reached 67 degrees. For some of you, the 38th line is distant enough that you have no idea if 67 degrees is normal this time of year; I assure you, it is not. Although I detest cold weather, there is something instinctually wrong about spotting cherry trees blooming in the winter. I took the picture used to create this painting a few weeks ago at Cherokee Golf Course; it looks almost like spring, doesn’t it?
Global warming, once only of concern to “granola tree-huggers,” is now as familiar a phrase as “weapons of mass destruction” and “TomKat.” If you’re only now tuning into the issue, it is morally imperative that you see Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” The film is a real eye-opener that even made the paper tub my popcorn occupied feel gluttonously wasteful. Gore has done a highly commendable job of diligently bringing to light what has been swept under the rug by politicians and corporate big-wigs. It’s absolutely dumbfounding what most people are willing to overlook, as well as how much lobbying it takes to initiate change in policy and behavior.
Hopefully a few of the following estimates* from www.climatecrisis.org will compel you to act.
- The Arctic Ocean could be ice free in summer by 2050
- Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide
- More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction by 2050
A first step in the right direction would be to head to www.nativeenergy.com, where you can calculate your own carbon emissions, and then pay to offset your contribution to greenhouse gases for a surprisingly low monthly or one-time charge. The website lays out the details in a very user-friendly, hand-holding way. You should at least be aware of what you’re contributing to the problem and how to offset it.
*Source info available at www.climatecrisis.org
3 Comments
January 8th, 2007 at 10:57 am
I haven’t see the movie yet, but I’ve things about it. One thing I agree is that lobbyists make their way around DC very easily and that’s why things get done at the highest-level and the people pay the price because most time the decisions benefit only a few. I unfortunately also think that the American people need to take more serious action instead of preoccupying their minds with “what’s the latest with TomKat”, as you mentioned. People in DC pretend to worry about the American people, but they really don’t… and the American people are too busy doing their own thing to care. But… wonderful picture!!!
January 8th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
It’s sadly alarming that phrases like “TomKat” were familiar before “Global Warming”. What an interesting world we live in.
I love that Gore’s movie was able to successfully communicate an important message. It’s funny that the best medium for a former vice president to communicate such an important message was via pop culture. Yet how amazing is it that the movie has caught on in pop culture? So happy that it has.
January 8th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Whatever it takes, right? I can’t imagine how frustrated Gore must be the lack of support and interest by his peers. It’s like telling someone their hair is on fire and their reply being a shoulder shrug!
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