Has the situation in Canada made you more concerned about climate change?

asp3

asp3

Senior Member
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
I've been concerned about climate change for a long time, but the most recent events in Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the US have made me even more concerned. To me it seems like we've started to get into the serious feedback loops that some scientists have predicted. It also made me more concerned that such extreme weather events will be worse than I imagined earlier. If the temps in Canada can get that high I'm wondering how bad they could get here in the Silicon Valley area of California.

The things I saw that really got to me were the graphs of the high temps for various regions up there over the last 30 or 40 years and just how much higher these temps were. I've looked for the articles with the graphs but didn't see them.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 

I've been as concerned as I can be for a long time. One thing about the recent events in Canada and the Pacific Northwest has made me think, though. I've heard for a while that if possible, it'd be a good idea to move north (in the Northern Hemisphere) or south (in the Southern Hemisph.) of the 45th parallel; depending on how far north or south of the 45th you go, this will move you as far as possible away from the equator and due to climate change and warming, the areas too close to the equator may well become unlivable. Well, the recent events have happened way north of the 45th, so one begins to wonder, is anywhere going to be livable? "Nowhere to Run to, Baby" indeed. šŸ˜”
 
I've been concerned for a long time, Asp, concerned over so many things. The disposable society we live in, the overall wastefulness, the bloated ridiculousness, the excess, and yes, climate change/global warming.

My opinion of it all? Too little - too late, that's where I see the world now. We've already crested the apex and are now on the downhill slide as far as I'm concerned, and still, nothing in the big scheme of things is truly being done to curb carbon emissions and greenhouse gases.

This latest "heat dome" that we're experiencing is scary stuff, but looking back on childhood photos of how high the snow banks were compared to now, there is no comparison, and not at any point in my lifetime do I remember going for so long between spells of rain.

Extended drought-like conditions are the norm now, and earlier and earlier each spring, I see vegetation drying out and burning up faster and faster.

Years ago, April was a traditionally wet month, now, April has become every bit as dry as June, July, and August.

We're not going to be in trouble, we are in trouble... big trouble.
 

No, not more concerned, always have thought about it.

I think there is no doubt the climate is changing, and humans have impacted that change. On the other hand I am not sure we can alter the course a whole lot. I am more concerned about trying to understand where it is going and getting prepared for the changes.

The Earth's climate has never been stable, it has been changing since formation. So this is nothing new. Humans have kind of taken over the environment of late so it is not surprising that we are a part of the recent changes. However even without us the climate would be changing, differently no doubt, but changing none the less. There is a school of thought that without human impacts the Earth would be entering another ice age now. And that could be right... or not. Change is inevitable, the win goes to those best prepared for it.
 
No, I'm not concerned. When I was young there was a scientist named Carl Sagan who had his own show on PBS which I watched all the time. In 1979 he swore we were going into another ice age. Ten years later all we hear is the polar ice caps are melting.

The Dept if Meteorology has only existed since the late 1880's so how do we know based on scientific data that this is so bad and so real and not just something natural. Like the dark ages were a time of intense cold. So, we're in a period of greater warmth but it doesn't mean the world is ending.

I guess only geology could point us in the right direction.
 
Aunt Marg said:
I've been concerned for a long time, Asp, concerned over so many things. The disposable society we live in, the overall wastefulness, the bloated ridiculousness, the excess, and yes, climate change/global warming.

My opinion of it all? Too little - too late, that's where I see the world now. We've already crested the apex and are now on the downhill slide as far as I'm concerned, and still, nothing in the big scheme of things is truly being done to curb carbon emissions and greenhouse gases.

This latest "heat dome" that we're experiencing is scary stuff, but looking back on childhood photos of how high the snow banks were compared to now, there is no comparison, and not at any point in my lifetime do I remember going for so long between spells of rain.

Extended drought-like conditions are the norm now, and earlier and earlier each spring, I see vegetation drying out and burning up faster and faster.

Years ago, April was a traditionally wet month, now, April has become every bit as dry as June, July, and August.

We're not going to be in trouble, we are in trouble... big trouble.
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Fortunately, scientists have tools and knowledge they didn't have only 10 years ago. Or even 5 years ago. They're having trouble on agreeing about causes, but that's not stopping them from working on overall solutions.
 
There is little doubt that the climate is warming...especially in the past 100 years. Most of the cause is probably related to the increased use of fossil fuels, and a rapidly increasing population. Spikes like this recent heat wave in the NW get a lot of peoples attention, but that concern usually dissipates once Fall arrives. If this current heat and drought triggers massive forest fires in that region in coming weeks, the people in those areas will face even greater dangers.

Here's a good article showing the global temperature patterns over the past 1000 years, and it is pretty obvious that things are changing at a pace never seen before. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/global-warming/last-1000-years

While most people agree that it's getting warmer, and that human activity bears the brunt of the blame, there are NO Easy solutions. Would people give up their vehicles? Would people quit heating and cooling their houses? Would people accept a limit on how many children they can have? We would almost have to suddenly return to a Middle Ages lifestyle in order to slow down these changes. Even doing that would probably have little short term effect, as it would take decades, or longer before there was any appreciable change.

I'm afraid we're stuck with what we have, and what is coming. Doing the best to prepare and adapt is likely all we can do.
 
The only people who cannot see the threat we are facing from rising average global temperatures are the ones with their eyes shut tight and their fingers in their ears. They can be heard loudly singing "la la, la de la la" incessantly. I remember my mother saying "There are none so blind as those who will not see."

I love forests and wilderness. They are important because they are the lungs of the planet and we need them. However it takes many decades to grow them and at the rate we have been clearing them they are diminishing everywhere. Temperate forests are now being lost to wildfires and soon the rate of loss will exceed the rate of regrowth and replacement. Then we will all be in big trouble.

Thus speaks Cassandra, the Trojan princess with the gift of prophesy who was cursed so that no one would believe her.

As you may surmise I am feeling very sad today.
 
asp3 said:
I've been concerned about climate change for a long time, but the most recent events in Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the US have made me even more concerned. To me it seems like we've started to get into the serious feedback loops that some scientists have predicted. It also made me more concerned that such extreme weather events will be worse than I imagined earlier. If the temps in Canada can get that high I'm wondering how bad they could get here in the Silicon Valley area of California.

The things I saw that really got to me were the graphs of the high temps for various regions up there over the last 30 or 40 years and just how much higher these temps were. I've looked for the articles with the graphs but didn't see them.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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I live in British Columbia, Canada. I have to say that this current heat wave is scary. Definitely global warming is in a serious state and action has to be now.
 
We had a fairly cold winter here and we're only now getting something resembling summer. I'm not worried about it and as said, it's more about being prepared for the changes. Stabilising / reducing the world population might go a long way to help.
 
chic said:
When I was young there was a scientist named Carl Sagan who had his own show on PBS which I watched all the time. In 1979 he swore we were going into another ice age.
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I remember that well, the first time I became aware of climate change was about then, and I was quite worried about the coming ice age... LOL. Now that I am a bit (quite a bit) older and have more perspective I know this is just a lesson learned in how we can get things wrong. Today we know that we were wrong in the 70s and why, but we may be saying the same about the 20s in a few years.

I do believe things are getting warmer, slowly and unevenly in the human perspective, and that we have contributed to that. But though we are getting better at it forecasts of future climate are never very accurate. And I am skeptical that even if we were sure of the cause and where we are going that much could be done to change directions. Getting the billions of people on Earth to agree and cooperate on anything has proven pretty much impossible, don't think this would be different. Particularly since there is not agreement on what people should be doing...
 
The planet has gone through numerous Climate Changes over the past thousands of years. Many centuries ago, when the populations were small and mainly "nomadic", people could fold their tents and migrate North or South. That option is no longer available. With billions on the planet, and huge concentrations in cities, the vast majority are stuck where they are....and will have to adapt, and/or suffer the consequences.

People of our age will not see much other than minor "inconvenience", but our Grandkids, and beyond, will face challenges we can only imagine.
 
Alligatorob said:
I remember that well, the first time I became aware of climate change was about then, and I was quite worried about the coming ice age... LOL. Now that I am a bit (quite a bit) older and have more perspective I know this is just a lesson learned in how we can get things wrong. Today we know that we were wrong in the 70s and why, but we may be saying the same about the 20s in a few years.

I do believe things are getting warmer, slowly and unevenly in the human perspective, and that we have contributed to that. But though we are getting better at it forecasts of future climate are never very accurate. And I am skeptical that even if we were sure of the cause and where we are going that much could be done to change directions. Getting the billions of people on Earth to agree and cooperate on anything has proven pretty much impossible, don't think this would be different. Particularly since there is not agreement on what people should be doing...
Click to expand...
I'm glad to know somebody else remembers Carl Sagan. Sometimes I thought I was hallucinating his "ice age" talk but it was true and not more than 10 or 15 years before the dialogue all changed to global warming. I think people from the seventies WERE aware of the importance of protecting the Earth because they created Earth day and since it's my birthday I never forget but the first was in 1970 so seventies people were not unaware and did try to begin to change people's awareness.
 
I am seriously concerned about climate change and have been for a number of years. Not only is it having a huge impact on plants, it filters down. Look at what happened in Australia last year? My thoughts always go to the animals who just want to live their lives and humans are taking that away because of our stupidity. Lytton BC is no more, a whole town gone, people displaced, I am very concerned about their animals and live stock but have not heard anything . It is cooler today and the birds and hummingbirds are back but no bees. My heart goes out to the residents of Lytton and all the families who have lost loved ones in this unexpected heat wave.
 
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