I titled this experiment “Tipping Point,” because I believe we are on the cusp of an environmental “event” that will tip us past the point of no return. When I say “point of no return,” I don’t mean the end of our species. I do mean the end of most of us, but not all. Yesterday, during a college football game, the turf reached 157 degrees. One team’s coach needed an IV. Take your pick. Temperatures in India and Pakistan are reaching unlivable levels. (Wet-bulb levels.) Glaciers are melting at world-class speeds. Animals are going extinct at the fastest pace in modern history. By the way, this has nothing to do with God. Don’t listen to apes like Thiel or Captain Eyeliner, JD Vance, when they talk of “end times” or the “antichrist.” If they want to see these figures, they should save time and look in the mirror. This is us doing the damage. You and me. Humans. Doing what we do.
One of my favorite scenes from Miami Vice is when Sonny is about to fly to Latin America with a rogue pilot played by Glenn Fry, yes, the Eagles’ band member. Fry is smoking a cig and says, “I always like to take a goodbye look at America, just in case it’s my last.” I feel the same way when I go on hikes like the one shown in these images. We are one fire away from never seeing this again, or at least for the rest of my life. We all know this. Well, those of us who haven’t been brainwashed. Dipshit Donny said yesterday, “This is all a hoax.” He’s old and unwell and knows he can mortgage the future for the personal gain of today. His minions line up to drink the Kool-Aid. I’ve said it from day one: we deserve what’s coming.
The takeaway for me is that I can’t control what you do, nor do I want to. We will each come to our own conclusions. I hope we reach a collective decision, but I’m a realist, and I know the odds are slim. My wife and I are having conversations about the future, about making major changes in our lives to be less of the problem and more of the solution. I find the urgency a welcome challenge. These spreads were from a ten-minute book exercise. I won’t print them in book form, but I did print them for my journal.
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Ain’t those words a sight for sore eyes.
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Thank you..
For what it’s worth, episode 76, 2024/11/15. Has a worthy successor now in the above post Dan. I miss the podcasts.
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The podcast is just off my radar now, but come January…might be back in the cards.
I am 66 years old, and grew up in the same locale where I have lived all but 1 1/2 yrs of my life. The weather patterns, until about 10 years ago were predictable. Now, the weather has become more extreme- hotter summers, heat domes, forest fires and smoke every summer, “atmospheric rivers” with historic rainfall, dumping down the rain all at once, less snow in the winter and watering restrictions every summer, this year the highest level of restrictions ever. The weather is now unpredictable. We had a massive lightning storm this summer, something that seldom happens here, and nowhere near this intense. Noticeably fewer bugs on the windshield when driving to the interior of the province. Warmer winters have lead to infestations of Mountain Pine Beetle, and die-off of pine forests- the winters are no longer cold enough for long enough to kill of that invasive species. Hemlock Looper Moths killing all the local hemlock trees. I have never in my life until recently seen brown patches on the local mountains, which are often shrouded in the clouds. September 2020 was truly apocalyptic- the pandemic, thick forest fire haze, and moths everywhere. (The one virtue of having to wear masks is they do help with smoke.) Not enough rain to plump up the berries, so the hungry black bears are everywhere in local neighbourhoods, trying desperately to fatten up for winter. The signs are everywhere. The situation is much more desperate in the Arctic, where climate change is much more extreme. The Arctic is warming to an alarming degree.
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So, you and I look at these bits and pieces and say, “Hmm, looks like things are changing.” Our idiotic admin says, “Hoax!” Why? Too much money to be made drilling and taking money in backdoor deals. Selling us all out for short term profits. Same for the execs at oil and gas. They knew, they know, and they do it anyway, hedging their bets they will survive when things get truly bad. The only positive here is that things WILL change, but only when we are forced. Many will die, those that survive will no longer be able to hide behind political bias when fighting to live another day.
For the first time ever, for just a few days, I regretted being in the UK during August this year because of the heat.
Usually I can’t wait to escape the summer in Japan, but this year was different. Not good.
I think we got off light in Seattle this year. I’m not sure we broke 100. The rest of the state though? Good grief. I’ve seen some tick articles that sound pretty grim. Same as above with warmer winters not thinning the herd of pests. We also have some invasive green crabs messing about on our shores. The bits of press I’ve read regarding those crabs don’t mention if they can be eaten. I think almost any crab can be eaten?
I’d be curious what our Political superstars would say when pressed about the decreasing level of snowpack and the lingering and worsening drought? I’m sure the party line would be that it’s all some ridiculously elaborate deepfake. I fear for my nieces and nephews.