James:
While the pundits assure us that global warming, if real
at all, won't affect us in our lifetime, other scientific models
suggest
explosive
climate shifts as 'tipping points' are reached. (See the movie The
Day after Tomorrow regarding tipping points). Discoveries of animals
flash frozen solid with fresh grass their stomachs points to the possibility
of a very fast onset to global climate change. While suddenly finding
yourself in an Arctic climate is likely not survivable, we must consider
if we have the flexibility to survive in a radically different or highly
volatile climate. Global warming can make warm places colder and cold
places warmer. Dry places wetter and wet places drier. Rather than
thinking of global warming as a 'warming' per-say (as in the end it
may even trigger an ice age), think of it as having the potential of
radically changing in any direction your historical weather pattern
and making weather very unpredictable. Questions to ponder are:
If it got much wetter/drier where I live what would happen? What if
the rain stops, or it rains 50 times more than it used to? If you rely
on catchment and the rain stops, then what? If you rely on a well in
an otherwise dry climate, are you prepared for flash floods? Do you
have proper drainage ditches?
If it got much warmer or much colder, do you have heirloom seeds for
temperate and tropical climates? Are you prepared to build a greenhouse
if temperature fluctuates from 70F to 6F in a matter of weeks (as it
did in New York City recently). Do your crops require a frost and what
if
you don't get one? Will your crops be killed by a frost and what if you
do get one? If you live in the tropics, do you have any cold weather
gear?
Warm weather can bring insect and vermin to an area that would otherwise
not survive. Could your crops deal with insects from another climate?
Witness the rising of malaria in locations that had until now been
at a high enough altitude to prevent mosquitoes from thriving in central
American cities. Alternatively, if you hope to add to your larder by
hunting game and migratory bird, what if the birds shifted their flight
path to accommodate a weather change? What if the local deer decided
en masse to move south (or whatever direction was warmer)? If you hope
to fish to augment your protein stores, what if the fish (which are
as we speak disappearing) left your shores or your waters became another
notorious 'dead zone'?
If it got much windier or less windy, then what? If you rely on wind
power and the wind patterns shift direction, can you move your system
to accommodate it? What if the winds stop entirely (unlikely as climate
changes tend to make for more wind not less), then what? If it got
much windier, can your wind generating equipment handle it? Can you
house survive a hurricane in a location where houses are not built
with hurricanes in mind? (Remember the recent Pacific Northwest windstorms?)
Would your crops suffer if your windbreak were suddenly on
the wrong
side of your farm?
If you rely on solar [power or water heating] and you go from a sunny location
to
clouds
all the time, then what? Do you have crops that can handle both high levels
and low levels of sunlight?
Do you have snow tires or chains for your car? What would you do if
your roads were covered in snow and ice? Do you have anti-freeze?
Where would a 15 foot rise in sea level put you? - SF in Hawaii