Your Stories of Climate Coming Home

I attended the People’s Summit in Copenhagen in Dec. ‘09 and listened to panel discussions/presentations each day. South Pacific Islanders and First Nation People living in mountain regions were rightly asking where is the leadership from the developed world, particularly from the U.S.  to implement a plan to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions. 
These community leaders had a strong conviction and were speaking from the hearth without being disrespectful to developing nations. 
Their testimony moved me and has helped me speak with more conviction and passion when I suggest action on climate change.  

Kids at Austin Earth Day signed a “Get Well” Earth card to be sent to President Obama

What changes have you seen? How has climate change impacted you?

-Change in growing zones commonly accepted + implemented by seed companies
-Pets didn’t get fleas over the winter, now year long problem
-Historied drought last summer with crop loss

Why do you fight climate change? Why is this issue important to you?

The significance of the impact of climate change will be borne by our children. I want to leave a different legacy.

What changes have you seen? How has climate change impacted you?

Climate variability as evidenced by extreme seasonal weather events that lie outside the historical record eg 50 degree days in January in Wisconsin; extreme rain or drought during summer. These variations from norm affect the cycles of plant and animal life.

Why do you fight climate change? Why is this issue important to you?

Minimizing the increases in green house gases can reduce the likelihood of cataclysmic events and allow us to ameliorate the potential for extreme hazardous events. We are one people on the earth and must think of how these changes will affect the future habitability and continuance of all living beings and species.

What changes have you seen? How has climate change impacted you?

Our CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture) always gives us ramps (wild leeks-a spring ephemeral) in the first box or 2 of the season. Last year (2012) in Wisconsin, we had a VERY weird winter. We had 2 weeks in the 40’s in Feb. when it should have been in the 20’s or 30’s, followed by the regular freezing temps. The apple trees bloomed out of season & the buds froze, cause a huge failure of the apple crop. And the ramps came & went 2 weeks before our first CSA box in April or May.
Our 28 year old daughter was born January 23, 1985. When she was little the Kites on Ice event happened her birthday weekend & we would have her party there-on the ice outside of Monona Terrace. The winters got warmer, & the ice more precarious, so they moved the event to the Memorial Union. Then, there wasn’t good ice for that, so they stopped having it.
In the 1980’s people could do winter sports on the ice nearly all of December. Now the lakes barely freeze for the ice fishers before Christmas.
The maple sugaring season was short last winter (2012), with only about ⅔ the regular yield.

Why do you fight climate change? Why is this issue important to you?

It’s a social justice issue-the worst effects on the poorest people- Biodiversity is important for resilience & survival- & we’re losing it rapidly -the human spirit, to be healthy needs access to wild places.

What changes have you seen? How has climage change impacted you?

Throughout my lifetime I have seen Wisconsin’s weather become increasingly erratic and extreme. The sight of my skis and snow shoes -dry, hanging neatly on their hooks- fills me with a desperate nostalgia. In the summers I have seen crops washed away in torrential rains or left to whither in the parched soil. These seem to be glimpses of the future, and to be honest, it scares the hell out of me.

Why do you fight climate change? Why is this issue important to you?

Why not? I have everything to lose if I don’t fight and everything to gain if I do. I fight for the health of my family, for future generations, for social justice, for stewardship of this good Earth.

What changes have you seen? How has climate change affected you?

I have seen changing weather patterns and more extreme weather events in the Midwest, where I grew up and where I live. I have also seen the damage that they cause: in my hometown of Cedar Rapids, IA, the flood of 2008 destroyed much of the city and displaced thousands, including family and friends. It was unlike anything ever seen or even considered in the area, the result of very heavy snow and rain through the winter & spring due to the warmer & wetter air.

Why do you fight climate change? Why is the issue important to you?

I want climate justice for the billions of people around the world today who disproportionately feel the impacts of climate change and for the future generations who, without our action, will inherit an Earth very different from our own.

What changes have you seen? How has climate change impacted you?

1) Extremes of weather, strength of storms in Dane Co & Douglas Co. Drought or flood in last 5 years; planted lettuce 3/25/12!!
2) Phemology -earlier blooming of flowers, budding of trees, planting garden, later harvests, fall colors, warmer temps in Oct/Nov. Annual family trips to cabin in Douglas Co- we have noticed ice out to be sooner in spring (records from Lake Assoc.); panfish nest/breed earlier; song birds nest earlier & “get quiet (when they have nestlings) earlier in June than years past. Wildflowers like gaywings, heptatica and (illegible) bloom earlier and

Why do you fight climate change? Why is this issue important to you?

It is deeply disturbing to observe the changes I have seen in the last 20 years. The implications of not mitigating through reductions of CO2 & other g.h. gas is frightening. What will I tell my grandchildren? (that I did all I could.)

What changes have you seen? How has climate change impacted you?

I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of world traveling this year (I was in Germany with my high school last June and in Haiti with a group from my church last December). These two countries are really polar opposites, with the USA somewhere in the middle. While Germany has not been hit as hard as the USA, it is miles and miles ahead of us when it comes to alternative energy. No matter where you go, there are solar panels and/or windmills everywhere. It really makes one wonder what the hell (pardon my french) is holding us back. On the other hand, the people of Haiti are mostly too poor to afford to power their houses, regardless of the source. That being said, they’ll be among the most affected people in the world by our angry climate. They’ve already been hit by storm after storm (with an earthquake thrown in there) and have done the least damage out of anyone.

Why do you fight climate change? Why is this important to you?

I love nature very much, so I am absolutely devastated at what’s happening to it. However, if we don’t kill ourselves first, I’m confident that the USA and other rich nations will find a way to survive the crisis, though our lives may not be as generally enjoyable. Unfortunately, the world’s poorest countries, like Haiti, are basically doomed. If we continue on our current path those who have done little to nothing to create this problem will literally be wiped from the face of the Earth. Martin Luther King said something along the lines of (and I’m going to butcher this) “An injustice somewhere, no matter how small, is an injustice everywhere.”

Elizabeth wants climate action because she is worried about the future of her children. Taken at the Sierra Club and Beer event in Austin, Texas (04.04.13).

Morgan describes her love of seafood. Taken at the Sierra Club and Beer event in Austin, Texas (04.04.13).

Dave wants the Keystone XL pipeline project to be shut down! Taken at the Sierra Club and Beer event in Austin, Texas (04.04.13).

Kaitlyn knows the importance of treating the Earth with care. Taken at the Sierra Club and Beer event in Austin, Texas (04.04.13)

Kunda explains to President Obama why she wants climate change at the Sierra Club and Beer event in Austin, Texas (04.04.13)