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.
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.
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.
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.
