Post from Irish American Climate Blog:
A 12-year-old's fire
| By Caoimhín O Shuibhne - Jun 23, 2008 10:50:53 AM ET |
| Also listed in: Irish American Climate Team | We Can Bay Area |
My twelve year-old daughter should be away at camp today. For months, she's been looking forward to her first time away from her parents. Her first time at a sleep-away camp. A right of passage.
Today, sadly, she'll awaken indoors.
At 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, frantic staff member from the Bar 717 Camp in northern California's Trinity Alps called us to say there would be no bus ride to camp later that morning. A string of dry thunderstorms had sparked scores of fires in the previous 24 hours. The local Sheriff was now advising against bringing kids into camp. With one of the nearby fires now at 4,000 acres and growing, the two week camp session won't start until at least four days have passed, if then. It's possible that the full two-week session will not occur. There is even a chance that the camp itself will be lost.
Forest fires are an important part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest ecosystem. And a forest fire in California is certainly no surprise. But here we are, still in June, and the number of fires that have already occurred in California is staggering. This is long before the familiar autumn fires cloud the Sierra and coastal ranges. We're seeing the kind of extreme weather that climate scientists have predicted under a warmer global climate. We're seeing the predictions come true -- but sooner than many thought. Intense rainstorms and flooding in the Midwest. Tornadoes in the mid-Atlantic region. And prolonged drought throughout the West. The term "dry thunderstorm" has never been a part of California vernacular - but here we are.
Those of us who focus on climate solutions for our living often try to recall our motives for activism. It's a way of staying focused. It's a way of staying hopeful, particularly in light of increasingly dire predictions. Today, I can't stop thinking of a young woman about to embark on a great journey - that first big trip away from her parents. I can't stop thinking of how the harshness of a new climate intervened. And that is the motivation I need right now. I know we humans have changed the weather. (And how is that for hubris?) I also know we can take action now to stop things from getting worse. We need to act. Now.
My daughter will find ways to break free of her mother and me. And she'll continue to find ways to experience joy in nature. I'll try to honor her courage and spirit by building support for climate solutions. Today.
Today, sadly, she'll awaken indoors.
At 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, frantic staff member from the Bar 717 Camp in northern California's Trinity Alps called us to say there would be no bus ride to camp later that morning. A string of dry thunderstorms had sparked scores of fires in the previous 24 hours. The local Sheriff was now advising against bringing kids into camp. With one of the nearby fires now at 4,000 acres and growing, the two week camp session won't start until at least four days have passed, if then. It's possible that the full two-week session will not occur. There is even a chance that the camp itself will be lost.
Forest fires are an important part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest ecosystem. And a forest fire in California is certainly no surprise. But here we are, still in June, and the number of fires that have already occurred in California is staggering. This is long before the familiar autumn fires cloud the Sierra and coastal ranges. We're seeing the kind of extreme weather that climate scientists have predicted under a warmer global climate. We're seeing the predictions come true -- but sooner than many thought. Intense rainstorms and flooding in the Midwest. Tornadoes in the mid-Atlantic region. And prolonged drought throughout the West. The term "dry thunderstorm" has never been a part of California vernacular - but here we are.
Those of us who focus on climate solutions for our living often try to recall our motives for activism. It's a way of staying focused. It's a way of staying hopeful, particularly in light of increasingly dire predictions. Today, I can't stop thinking of a young woman about to embark on a great journey - that first big trip away from her parents. I can't stop thinking of how the harshness of a new climate intervened. And that is the motivation I need right now. I know we humans have changed the weather. (And how is that for hubris?) I also know we can take action now to stop things from getting worse. We need to act. Now.
My daughter will find ways to break free of her mother and me. And she'll continue to find ways to experience joy in nature. I'll try to honor her courage and spirit by building support for climate solutions. Today.
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