Climate Change is Scary
Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed with the wildfire situation in British Columbia. It was truly the worst kind of irony that on the same day we lifted Covid restrictions, the wildfire season started with a bang when the whole town of Lytton got wiped off the map. I am starting to have a greater appreciation for how Californians and Australians must have felt last year. They must have been terrified and traumatized by the scale of what was happening.
Global warming is getting very real and very close to home. It leaves me pondering what changes I need to make in my own lifestyle. I am going to trade in my car for an electric one soon. This will be enforced by 2025 anyhow, so I’m hoping to get a jump on it. However, I am still concerned that there are not enough public charging stations to make this transition smooth. I’m also trying to use less water so I have just switched to plant-based milk, which uses three times less water in production than cow’s milk. I hardly ever go shopping. I already have enough clothing to last for many years. If I don’t need something, I will give it away. I re-use as much as possible, for instance I will keep a piece of saran wrap that was used for anything other than meat to use again. Recycling and composting are second nature because they have been the norm in most Canadian cities as part of garbage collection for at least twenty years.
Yesterday our first two rescue cats from the disastrous Lytton fire were brought into our local shelter. It made me think of all the connected working people who brought them down to us, from firefighters, to SPCA, to drivers and evacuation centre staff. Many of these good folks are volunteers. I suppose that volunteering at my local shelter is my small contribution to the effort, but it doesn't feel like enough. I will find a local collection point and drop off some spare bedding for the evacuees and make a donation at the grocery check-out. It is a time to pull together as a province.
Have you or a loved one ever experienced a local state of emergency? Please share.