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May 03, 2023Brookings Register
Updated: 2 days ago / Posted Jun 5, 2023
I was in the back yard with the hose, ready to water my vegetables. All of a sudden I heard a loud "thump." Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw the top of the birdbath overturned and lying on the ground. In the midst of the flowers, not far away, was the culprit, one of our resident squirrels.
I’ve seen squirrels on the birdbath before, but this one was different. He watched as I replaced the top. He snuck closer as I began to fill it. He was right near my feet before I was finished and immediately jumped up for a drink as soon as the water stopped flowing. He drank and drank and drank, for so long, I had to research how squirrels get their water. This one was extra thirsty and apparently hadn't found puddles or fruit or much morning dew to lick.
Maybe it's the heat! We’re used to hot summers in South Dakota, but I don't recall day after day of 80 degree weather in May. The weather person on TV keeps saying it's above our average temperature, night after night. When you check it out, that's true; more than 10 degrees above the average. It would usually be in the 60s in late May. Now that we’re into June, we’re beginning to see the 90s.
Could the heat be the reason why the spirea and our flowering tree in the boulevard lost their blossoms so quickly this year? Usually the tree would bloom for several days; maybe a week. This year you saw the flowering for a day, maybe two, and they were gone. The spirea blooms lasted three days at most.
Could the heat be the reason for the changes in my vegetables? The pea vines set fruit almost as soon as I planted them. Now they are drying out and dying, although I am diligent about watering them. On the other hand, the tomatoes are taking off like there's no tomorrow. The cages may not be high enough and stakes may be in order if this rapid growth continues.
At my age, I expect there is more consciousness of extremes of heat and cold. We have two old and tired window air conditioners, one on each floor, that struggle to throw cooler air our way. Otherwise, on hot days, we depend on fans to help us do our work and to sleep at night. The last several nights, even with a ceiling fan, I would have to pretend I was back in India some year in the past, and prepare to bathe in sweat till morning. Of course, things have also changed in India. I’m not sure just a ceiling fan would help me sleep there anymore. Last year they had their hottest March on record and hottest April in 122 years. Some parts of the country saw a heat wave with temperatures as high as 120 degrees.
An article about the world's wheat crop appeared in my email yesterday. Some scientists are concerned that winter wheat grown in China and the Midwestern U.S. could fail at the same time, given the climate changes the world is experiencing. It wasn't trying to frighten anyone, simply pointing out that should crops fail in both places, it would have a significant impact on the global food supply. The article called for recognition and preparation. The chances of temperature impacting crops has risen dramatically in the last forty years. Heat waves were expected to hit the Midwest in 1 out of every 100 years in 1981. Now it's every six years. In China, a 1 in 100 year heatwave is now expected every 16 years.
Drought beginning in 2020 in the Horn of Africa, caused by climate change, left four million people in need of humanitarian relief. Many died! They didn't get aid, as their source of food aid was Ukraine, mired in a war with Russia. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, since 2008, an annual average of 21.5 million people have been displaced and made refugees by extreme weather events. The expectation with a warming world is for 1.2 billion climate refugees by 2050. All of those people at our southern border are not drug merchants. Many have been chased our way by fires, floods, draught and unbearable heat.
Thirsty squirrels, dried up peas, quick to flower bushes; tell us our challenge is larger than a new air conditioning system. Young people, like those in 350.org, are blazing a trail. Even out of the news, the leadership and message of a Greta Thunberg is relevant and timely. We all need to join the chorus. We all need to join the effort to salvage a warming world for our children and grandchildren; for flowering trees and bushes; and for squirrels.