Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Smoke and Heat

With the beginning of a new month, the figures are out about July here in Missoula, Montana--hottest July ever, 11 days at or above 100, new all time high of 107, and so forth, all accompanied by 0.03 inches of rain, when 1.04 inches is normal. I don't see how anyone can doubt climate change or deny that humans have something to do with the speed at which this is occurring. Sure, the climate has changed often in geological history, but now it's happening at an accelerated rate, way too fast for nature or humans to adapt. For example, when we moved to Montana in 1972, forest fires anywhere within the area were very rare. Now they are an annual occurrence. I'd be interested to know what other people who have lived in one place for a long time have experienced as changes in recent years.