Driving Through the Climate Apocalypse

For many years people asked me for good climate news, and I expect this to increase with the haunting new sixth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Regarding this, I like Mary Annaïse Heglar's tweet she gave me permission to repost January 2020: "My wish for 2020 is for people to stop asking climate activists what gives us hope and start asking 'how can I help?'”

Here is my weak attempt at good climate news. While we are losing vast numbers of trees and salmon, Bendix noted your car tires will not begin to degrade until 195 Fahrenheit. That is a joke, for anyone who missed it. 

It's no joke that today Northwest Oregon will have, according to the National Weather Service, "Dangerously hot high temperatures 95-105F expected." I often see idiots walking dogs on these hot days, and yell "YOU'RE BURNING HIS PAWS!" Responses range from terror, to utter guilt, to anger. Friends asked me to lower the volume and sweeten the language as in "If it's not too much trouble . . .," or "You may want to consider . . .," or "Friend, please rethink walking your dog on hot pavement." 

I've never been good at that kind of diplomacy, but, regarding phys.org's August 12, 2021 summary of the sixth report of the IPCC by Simon Torok, James Goldie, and Linden Ashcroft, I will try. "Friend, humans are torching Earth, and all life on land, and in the sea and sky. If it's not too much trouble, maybe we could, uh, you know, rethink doing absolutely nothing about oil companies and industrial society killing most humans, and nonhuman species." One option is to support divestment of fossil fuels. Another option is to help those trying to stop the worst effects of "climate destruction" such as Extinction Rebellion, 350.org, and local groups like Olympic Climate Action if you are in the Pacific Northwest.