I wrote the other day about how people are increasingly perceiving the connection between extreme weather and climate change. They are, in the words of the very good folks at 350.org, “connecting the dots.” In fact, 350.org is yet again marshaling its extraordinary powers of event planning and persuasion to get people all over the world to show the rest of the world that they get it: that they understand the connection. The physical risks from our profligacy and the nearly out-of-control climate experiment that it has engendered are being made manifest. The IPCC, among others, has been warning us for years. The IPCC issued its special report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) this spring. We are well beyond the point where we can simply work to mitigate the climate crisis and hope for the best. We are well engaged now in adapting to the clear and present dangers from the impacts. As we continue to fight to roll back the tide of greenhouse gases, we need to also learn to adapt.
So you should find an event near you this coming Saturday and get out, make your voice known, and help connect the dots.
