SNOWBIRDS

When we visited the Salton Sea last January, we soon realized we were surrounded by RVers from Canada who had fled the cold Canadian winter to enjoy sunshine and warmth. This winter, the Salton Sea is probably crowded with “snowbirds” from most of the United States as well; so far only California and Arizona seem to have escaped the punishing record cold.

Of course, the Canadian snowbirds go back north in the springtime to escape the Salton Sea’s heat, which can be wretched in summer.  Death Valley, not far to the west, is actually a test of survival for some people: When we were there one March, a man from our campground  wandered just a short distance into the desert, where he became lost. Search-and-rescue crews were unable to locate him, and he died in the heat.

RVers can migrate easily with the seasons, avoiding both fire and ice. Fire became a threat for us when we spent a few days at Lassen Volcanic National Park in 2012. Forest fires in the surrounding area became so intense that the sky was blackened with smoke, interfering with the astronomy program that had drawn us to the park, and we left early. In a couple of days we were home, where the skies were clear.

Humans and other animals can migrate to more favorable climates, but plants cannot. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, where the temperature has risen firs and pines are dying at higher rates than usual. It is likely that our iconic giant sequoias will also be affected during the next century if temperatures in California rise as predicted.[1] In Vermont, warmer winters during the past decade have affected the maple trees, leading to less maple syrup production.

Monarch butterflies have a well-known pattern of migration that is changing because of earlier spring thaws. This can ultimately cause the butterflies to remain in Mexico rather than return to the United States at the needed time.[2]

The ocean near southeast Australia is warming at a faster rate than elsewhere in the world, and invertebrates including abalones and sea urchins are in danger. Lab studies have shown their larvae develop abnormally under conditions predicted for 2100.[3]

According to the National Wildlife Federation, “polar bears rely heavily on Arctic sea ice, which is rapidly disappearing due to global warming. In Hudson Bay, polar bears are starving during the long summer months as the ice they rely on to hunt for food melts earlier each spring and later in the fall.”

The examples go on and on, but you get the idea. All life on the planet is likely to be endangered by climate change.

There are still some who deny the reality of climate change. Ignoring data that clearly show global warming has occurred, they point to temporary shifts in weather like the record cold some areas are experiencing this year, and claim the planet will be fine. Some even try to use the Gaia hypothesis to suggest that natural checks and balances will regulate climatic conditions so well that human damage won’t matter. Personally, I think Gaia is pissed off, and not just about climate change. If we continue overpopulating the globe, using resources that cannot be replaced, and polluting our environment, she is likely to abandon us.

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[1] National Parks, Fall 2013.

[2] Scientific American, February 22, 2013

[3] Natural History, Sept 2011