Decades ago, when we moved into our home near the Mercer Bog, my neighbor Scott and I had a friendly springtime game of predicting when the ice went out. “Ice-out” was when it was possible for a canoe to pass between the dam and the bridge about a quarter mile up stream.
The person with the closest guess would win a case of beer from the loser. I got into the habit of writing down the dates of ice-in and ice-out and the winner on the fridge. The average over the 22 years for ice-out was April 11. This year, the ice was “out” March 12! Never, in my experience, had it been ice-free in March, let alone on March 12.
The temperature of our warming world parallels the rise of atmospheric CO2 from burning fossil fuels. What would we expect when the world burns through tens of millions of barrels of oil and coal every day? Few today are denying human caused warming. The effects are already costly but the solution is obvious and unavoidable: reduce fossil fuel use.
It can be done without undue hardship. Support renewable energy; get a heat pump; maybe travel less; and buy fewer plastic things – all made from fossil fuels.
But here is a shortcut: support the Carbon Cash-Back Solution. Your children and grandchildren will be grateful.
Chris Beeuwkes
Mercer
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