Arizona
'beachfront' could make your family rich
How hot is "too hot?" If you live in the desert, living
through months of triple digit temperatures is simply a (dreaded)
routine. However, if you are an Inuit (Native American) living at
the North Pole, imagine your shock when a rainstorm comes in February,
melting ice and causing thermometers to soar to a whopping 50 degrees.
One man reported that his entire village "ran outside in their
underwear, looking up toward the heavens and wondering what the
heck was happening." It's supposed to be 20 below-not 50 above!
Seals are falling off blocks of ice that are melting beneath them.
And polar bears, great long distance swimmers, are drowning at sea
after ice floes drift out and melt away from under them. Others
are desperate for food, raiding villages. When wildlife has adjusted
to frigid temperatures for millions of years, a warming trend is
affecting all creatures, from the smallest fish to the people who
live in these icy, cold places. You know we're having "weird
weather" when the AZ Republic reports that our country's coastal
cities will be "under water" within 100 years if current
climactic changes continue.
Hey, those of us in Arizona have always believed our land could
become "oceanfront property" because of the California
earthquakes. Now with global warming and higher tides, we may all
be living in a beach town!
Dear Readers, we may not see it in our lifetime, but our kids and
grandkids may be able to go surfing every day. So hold onto your
property-the price of Arizona real estate could go sky high.
Coal miners used to take a canary in a cage into the mines as their
"alarm" for high levels of carbon monoxide. Long before
sophisticated technology could alert miners to dangerously low oxygen
levels, the good old canary was the best indicator they had. If
the canary stopped singing and was found dead in the cage, miners
ran for their lives. Well, you don't have to be a scientist to realize
that the canary has keeled over - the glaciers are melting and we'd
better start running toward some sort of solution. As one researcher
claims, "Life as we know it will be radically changed."
If it's a sweltering 50 degrees at the North Pole and Iceland has
had the warmest weather in recorded history, what kind of a summer
are we going to have? One "climate scientist" says that
people living in the deserts are going to experience "record
breaking heat and droughts."
Yes, I do believe a nice ocean breeze would feel good right about
July. Better yet if we don't have to drive to San Diego for it!
One environmentalist from Los Angeles (seems odd to live in L.A.
if you're an environmentalist) claims that if California starts
"taking water," the biggest question on people's minds
might be, "What will happen to Hollywood?" He was kidding,
of course, but a few Californians took issue with the "tragedy"
of Hollywood having to relocate.
The Inuit people are having "snow dances" to keep the
winds blowing, the temperatures cold and the ice frozen. They're
praying for snow and we're hoping for rain. We're all in the same
little boat (or bird cage) teetering on the brink of pretty significant
climate changes. So what are we supposed to do? Use one less gallon
of water a day. Carpool when we can. Cut down on waste and vehicle
emissions. Strive to leave the planet (to our children) in no worse
shape than when we entered this world.
At the same time, we might look on the lighter side: A cool ocean
breeze may be in our future! Meanwhile, think cool and consider
taking surfing lessons. |
