Adventure Magazine

Degrees of change

Are climate changes of a few degrees a cause for concern?

It is so easy to do nothing. But what can you do about it?

In New Zealand, we are isolated, but with that comes

exposure; we are not entrenched in a large European city or

in some small town in the centre of the Midwest of America,

miles from the coast, we are exposed, and we joke that in New

Zealand that we get ‘four seasons in one day’.

That is exposure, and with that exposure should come

awareness.

Now we are not saying this year’s poor ski season in the North

Island had anything to do with global warming, nor that our

local sea levels are obviously warmer over summer for longer,

and that there are now fish typically seen in the tropics now in

our east coast waters, that the flooding in Australia, the forest

fires in the US, the glacial melt in Antarctica might have nothing

to do with global warming and climate change – but it might.

As ex-president Obama said,

"We are the first generation to feel the effect

of climate change and the last generation

who can do something about it."

Surprisingly, the global temperature during the last ice age

was only 7-9 degrees colder than now – now that does not

seem like a lot, but even a change of 1 degree has widespread

changes in regional and local temperature, creating rain which

equals flood and is the cause of other extreme weather events.

The government website www.genless.govt.nz has a range of

important ideas, both personally and for business so that you

can have an effect.

This is from their everyday life list:

• Eat low-carbon and minimise food waste

• Choose slow fashion

• Set good digital habits

• Measure your impact

• Shop sustainably

• Invest ethically

• Support business action

They also have a list of practical ideas

• Bike to work

• Meat-free Fridays

• Flight free holidays

• Join conversations get a voice

• Tell leaders what you want

• Get Informed

Check out how you can help www.genless.govt.nz/

Genless website open with a simple and challenging

statement...

"History will only

remember what we do."

We are seeing even greater warming over land than oceans,

moistening of the atmosphere, shifts in regional rain patterns,

changes in regional temperatures, increases in extreme

weather events, ocean acidification, melting glaciers, and rising

sea levels the list just goes on and on.

There are numerous examples of the worst climatic and

catastrophic events on record in the last two years; heatwaves,

tornados, cyclones, flooding, rising seas level, bushfires,

and droughts. There is an equally extensive list of ‘potential’

causes, now, there are always naysayers that will have us

believe that it is simply nature at work, a process of natural

change.

But the simple observation is this. Man has had an enormous

impact on the world, we have changed the natural structure,

affected the chemical balance, polluted, poisoned, chopped

down and consumed, and it would be incredibly naive to

consider that this has no impact on the world environment.

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