Alaska, like many places, has had unusual weather patterns this winter. We haven't had much snow--inches instead of feet in my town. Recently, here in Southcentral Alaska our temps have increased (into the 30s and 40s F) and the snow has melted to the point that it looks like March, not January. We've also had warm wind storms that created minor power outages, also more common later in the year.
This is what my backyard looked like yesterday:
Normally, it would be covered with a foot or more of snow, and the pond would be smaller and completely frozen over.
Today, the temps dropped to the 20s and it snowed about an inch. It looks a little better now:
I understand this is not a huge problem--there are winter storms in much of the country, and wildfires still going on in California. We're all fine here, and it's petty to complain about our yucky weather. That's not my point.
My point is that our mixed-up winter is a part of something bigger.
We are seeing examples of climate change.
It looks different depending on where you are. Whether it's drought, winter storms, heat waves, or hurricanes, we're all experiencing a change in our seasonal climate. Some places are seeing more dramatic results than others, but it's an issue for everyone.
You can find many reliable sources that explain climate change scientifically, so I won't go into it here. (Check out https://www.noaa.gov/climate/climate-101 for an example.) Basically, the weather patterns have changed because humans have been burning tons of fossil fuels. Now, it's catching up with us.
What can we do? There's a long list, and again others can explain it better than I can. But I will suggest a few things here:
-Add some vegetarian meals to your weekly menus
-Buy bulk goods to cut back on plastic containers
-Use AI sparingly so there's less demand for their servers
-Carpool or take public transportation to decrease gas use
-Look up green tips or ask your friends for more ideas!
We can all see that the climate is getting worse. We'll need to work to make things better. We share this planet--let's do it for our neighbors and ourselves.
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