Can you take the heat?

It’s January 4th. The sun shines brightly in a cloudless blue sky. This combination, in Ottawa, usually means that I head for the coat closet and hunt out my thickest parka, big furry boots, hat, scarf, gloves – all the paraphernalia of winter. Bright weather in winter equals COLD.

Not this year. Temperatures are firmly above zero °C, and by all accounts likely to stay there for the foreseeable future. Next thing you know, these spring-like conditions will see tulips popping out of the ground and trees leafing out.

What’s wrong with this picture? Well, it wouldn’t take much for a late cold snap to do a lot of damage to the trees, for one thing. Not to mention the shrubs and flowers. A winter without cold could turn into a summer without green. A very disturbing prospect.

We’ve been through El Niño events before. In 1998, the result was a serious ice-storm. They seem to be getting closer together. Severe weather all over the planet is on the rise. What’s next? A good question to which I don’t have the answer. Things don’t look very promising, though.

I’m not advocating doom & gloom, here. No culture of fear for me. That doesn’t mean I’m not concerned, though. I think global warming isn’t just a buzz phrase. It’s real, and we need to do some pretty drastic things if we’re not going to get to a point where we can’t do anything but wait for the climate as we know it to further erode.

What would I suggest? Smaller, cleaner-running cars would be a start. High efficiency hybrid or diesel engines. Get rid of some of the clutter of trucks (by which I mean SUVs and the like). Dis-incentives for owning anything bigger than a mid-size car such as higher insurance & fuel surcharges. Exemptions only for registered businesses or those who could prove need.

Not much, but perhaps a place to start. We North Americans need to be more responsible.

Me? I drive a VW Jetta diesel. Just re-insulated the house, too. I put my money where my mouth is. How about you out there in cyber-space? What have you done for the planet, lately?