CLIMATE FUTURE CAN BE GRIM

The headline in the Friday – 7/18/08 - issue of the Arizona Republic … entitled … Climate Change will have grim impact … strikes me as having implications we in Arizona might choose to honestly address… ? What say you…? The entire article is worthy of your time to read, evaluate and contemplate. I choose to invite your attention to, two aspects which I believe Arizona is experiencing even today.
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One is the implication that water and airborne diseases could spread more quickly and more people could develop asthma or other pulmonary ailments. I draw your attention to the recent outbreak of cryptosporidium in municipal swimming pools in metro Phoenix. This a microbe which thrives in all forms of water, especially water of elevated temperature which provides excellent living conditions. One need not go far to attest to the increased airborne ailments being felt by many across our state.

Two is the implication of this hotter, drier future will have on the run-off feeding the Colorado, Verde and Salt river systems which provide more than 2/3 of all the water needs for “metro” Phoenix. These river systems according to many hydrologists are either at or approaching their maximum. Yet we continue to allow our state leaders to deceive us as they pull the wool over our eyes falling on the sword we can sustain unrestricted growth solely from the water they produce.

The impact of the pending climate changes can indeed prove grave though we have within us the ability to bring about a change. This change requires a long term commitment and does not fit into our quick, instant, easy ways of thinking and looking for results. There is no doubt a change of thinking wherein all are considered will unquestioningly bring results which today seem unreal and certainly not achievable.

But thinking like this takes – guts – something that’s been bred and educated out of us, docile, domesticated, robotic have we become. Actually it’s easier than you might think and really you need not believe, just be willing to say and write … we have all the water we need to support our growth today, tomorrow and whatever the future may be. And that our air is clean providing us an atmosphere sustaining all life. Corny you say, it just might be, but you can say and write it on the sly and no one need know or see. Interestingly you do not have to believe it to be true all you need do is say it or write once every day. What have you got to lose…? Nothing, but WOW the upside is incredible. So what say you, give it a try..?