Blog Action Day: Climate Change

Today is Blog Action Day. For those of you who don't know, Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. This year's discussion is Climate Change.

You always hear people talk about climate change, but how does it actually affect you directly? Honestly, besides the fact that I've been using sunscreen more often each summer, I haven't noticed too much of a difference. Regardless, I still try to do my part by recycling whenever possible, car pooling or using mass transit, saving electricity and the like because it's been embedded into my head that it's the right thing to do. No reason to kill off the planet prematurely if I don't have to.

I was curious to see some direct affects it will have on us that we'll notice in our everyday lives so I did some research. Here are some things that I found:

Warmer temperatures are killing off relatives of potato and peanut plants - I will not be happy when I go to a restaurant and won't be able to order french fries or potato salad. This cannot stand.

Higher temperatures create dry spells and stagnant pools of water that produce more mosquitoes and at the same time kill off creatures that eat mosquitoes - I can't even play frisbee or washers in my yard now without coming back inside looking like I have a strange case of chicken pox. Not looking forward to more mosquitoes at all.

Higher CO2 levels cause poison ivy to grow bigger and more resilient - Again with something that causes itching and skin irritation, fantastic. I spent most of my childhood covered in poison ivy from playing outside. Stay out of the woods.

Gray Whales, Emperor Penguins, Frogs, Arctic Foxes, Koala Bears, and Walruses are dying from raised CO2 levels and warmer temperatures - What did they ever do to you? I am the walrus.

The Pine Bark Beetle, which used to be held in check by colder temperatures is now running rampant and killing off forests - Guess we'll all have fake Christmas trees in the future. Hope this doesn't happen in my dad's lifetime because he's the Clark Griswold of Christmas trees.

Ash trees are dying - Personally, this won't affect me too much, but I know a lot of people won't be happy. Ash trees are what are used to make all wooden baseball bats so unless we make a change or start using metal bats, baseball could be in trouble. I suppose they could use pine instead, but those are dying as well.

Au Revoir Pinot Noir - Pinot is made from thin skinned grapes that thrive in colder climates. Temperature changes have started to cause these grapes to bake on their vines.

Those are just a few direct changes I found in my research, I imagine there's probably a few thousand more. Just something to think about before you drive alone to work in your H2 or order take out in styrofoam containers.

Source: Center for American Progress