Don't go away - it's time to try harder!

My, oh my - it's already May 10! I've been negligent about communicating with anyone who's checking this blog. Most of my energy is going into the Census work I'm doing for eight or ten weeks - I'm starting my fourth week today.

Sometimes it feels as if the Climate Change issue has gone away. Do you get that sense? But maybe like me you get email notices, articles, requests for signatures and calls to your representatives - and you're aware that the ice is still melting, islands are drowning, weather patterns are shifting with major flooding and wind storms in some areas and long droughts in others. Usually it the vulnerable populations are already victims of poverty and injustice, living in shanty towns on slopes that sustain mudslides, or trying to eke out a living in dry, windswept areas. People whose lives have depended on the bounty of the water find that the fish are disappearing, just as other wildlife is affected by the changing climate. 

Two big issues - Water and Peak Oil - weave in and out of the Climate Instability situation, threatening humanity with a triple whammy that could mean immense suffering and violence. The rush for fossil fuels is not abating, despite the information on carbon emissions (the increasing levels in the atmosphere, close to 400 ppm), and in spite of the major accidents with coal (loss of miners' lives), oil (the terrible spill in the Gulf of Mexico) and natural gas (the depredation of the water table and the explosions). Nuclear disasters are waiting to happen around the world, and the problem of disposal of spent uranium has not been resolved. 

So our efforts must continue - as people who acknowledge our place in this culture of addiction to fossil fuels we need to serve as examples in any way we can, and we must spread the word, letting others know about our actions.

Tomorrow I will highlight in a new blog entry some of the actions 10-steppers have shared with me. I'm trying to let everyone know that I've designated May as the month to focus on our carbon footprints. So tomorrow I'll also share a bit about the carbon footprint tests we can use.

Check in again tomorrow!