Dwain Northey (Gen X)

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/anthropocene/

Has anyone heard this term? Maybe it is a word that should enter our lexicon….

Geneva, 17 May 2023 (WMO) – Global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fueled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Niño event, according to a new update issued by the World Meteorological Organization

The term Anthropocene is referring to the current climate period we are in and it directly relates the global climate to man’s incessant burning of carbon another greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere by other means wholly caused by the expansion of human civilization.

The technical definition is:  The Anthropocene Epoch is an unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems.

We are all experiencing, let’s call it, weird weather. No one can dispute that areas are getting warmer, hurricanes are getting stronger, tornados are appearing in areas not typical for them. It’s fucking weird… This weekend it is projected to be 107° in New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fl. I know it is July and these are areas that it hot but not this hot plus in those cities there is a humidity factor on top of the extreme heat. Texas is having record heat on top of a failing power grid, thank you Governor Abbott for ignoring the problem. (That’s a whole other issue)

CNN — reported

The dangerous levels of heat that have scorched swathes of the northern hemisphere this summer are likely to hit most of the world between three and 10 times more often by the turn of the century, as the impacts of the human-caused climate crisis accelerate, a new study has found.

The problem is intensified because with higher temperatures there is more water evaporation, and H2O won’t stay in the cloud. That’s right folk that means intense storms and flooding most likely in regions that aren’t equipped to manage the amount of rainfall.

On July 31, 1976 the Big Thompson Canyon was the site of a devastating flash flood that swept down the steep and narrow canyon, claiming the lives of 143 people, 5 of whom were never found, making it the deadliest disaster in Colorado’s history. This flood was triggered by a nearly stationary thunderstorm near the upper section of the canyon that dumped 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rain in less than 4 hours (more than 3/4 of the average annual rainfall for the area). Little rain fell over the lower section of the canyon, where many of the victims were.

This event was less than 50 years ago and way before we have had the massive climate shift we are seeing today. Imaging any town across the world that has a small levy holding back water and protecting it citizens that 12 inches of water could overflow… now imagine its 24 or 36 inches of water falling over 12 to 24 hours. That’s f’ing terrifying but it a scenario that is not out of the realm of possibility.

I lived in Colorado when the Thompson flood happened, I was 9. I don’t want to have to read reports of multiples of these tragedies happening because as a collective humanity has failed to listen to scientists for the past 50 years.

Another bummer rants over that long holiday… Sorry