According to a recent Gallup Poll, many Americans do not believe climate change is going to impact them during their lives!
The majority believe that Climate Change has already started. This is up from a few years ago…
“More specifically, 33% of Americans worry about global warming “a great deal,” 25% worry “a fair amount,” 20% “only a little,” and 23% “not at all.” Full trends are available in the Survey Methods section.”
http://www.gallup.com/poll/161645/americans-concerns-global-warming-rise.aspx
The Atlantic Magazine published an article about two young twenty somethings traveling the country to investigate “climate resilience”!
What they found was that every community and every individual who cares about the changes going on are addressing those changes in their own individual way. This makes sense as climate change will not affect everyone and every place the same way.
To do nothing frustrates me. I always think about the old saying
“How do you eat an Elephant?…One bite at a time!”
Here are a few things that they found are being done…
1) Plant More Trees – By planting trees around your home you can provide additional shade to help reduce (in a micro-climatological way) temperatures in your environs. Shade can reduce temperatures by up to 9 degrees fahrenheit! This is especially important in larger cities where the urban heat island effect is helping fuel record breaking heatwaves.
This may be a very important item for those who live in the Southwest. In Phoenix Arizona, the “Urban Heat Island Effect” has been studied for many years. As Phoenix grew so do the temperatures. Asphalt Parking lots surrounding big box stores have sprung up everywhere. Where lettuce fields and orange groves used to be are now neighborhood strip malls radiating heat back into the atmosphere!
Arizona State Researchers feel that the “Urban Heat Island Effect” can be mitigated. What we need are more parks interspersed within the city. The only issue might be…Where do we find the water to grow trees and keep the grass green?
https://asunews.asu.edu/20130621_urbanheat
2) Pay attention to Agricultural fluctuations – Warmer seasons means longer growing seasons in some instances. It also means that certain fruit trees may not produce the same ways as it warms. Farmers in Colorado are diversifying so that if one crop fails they will have others that still produce. This can be true also for the larger mega farms that produce Americas many vegetable crops.
The European Union is studying the impact of CC on their future with predictions that by 2050 they will need to change agricultural methodologies the climate in order to produce enough food for their citizens
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/climate-change/index_en.htm
India is very concerned and they too have studied impacts that CC wll have on their ability to feed their people.
http://www.academia.edu/187788/Climate_change_and_agriculture_Adaptation_and_mitigation_stategies
In the U.S. the EPA has completed a very large study of CC issues that will affect the entire world. Check this link out!
http://ecosystems.wcp.muohio.edu/studentresearch/climatechange02/agriculture/agroproject.html
3) Using Public Art to Mark Evacuation Spots – In New Orleans, they have learned a big lesson from Katrina…Be Prepared! Their evacuation team has developed public art to show the citizens where they can be evacuated from. Kinda scary but necessary.
Evacuation Art!
Follow the Adaptation Trekkies at their website “The Great American Adaptation Road Trip”!
http://adaptationstories.com/2013/07/18/new-orleans-gives-evacuation-plan-an-artists-touch/
http://adaptationstories.com/2013/07/18/new-orleans-gives-evacuation-plan-an-artists-touch/
One small thing that you can do in your community is to participate in the local Community Garden!
You can access the American Community Garden Association to see if you have one in your town. If not they have many ideas on you you might get one started!
Gardening brings a community together and you will also be able to learn a lot about a variety of species and the importance of crop rotation right in your own backyard! Who knows, you might even reduce your local heat island effect!
http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/faq.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_gardening_in_the_United_States
Plant a Garden!
So what are you doing in your Community?
It’s the little things that matter!
Transition Town Payson 
buy an EV and use solar cells to charge it. An EV is perfect for Payson.