July 2022
Re: “Adapting to climate change is money well spent” Editorial, Toronto Sun, 20 July 2022:
In one of the geography classes that I took in high school, my teacher distributed a handout containing a semi-satirical story relating to the issue of Global Warming. This was in 1985 or 1986. I found it quite humorous and thought provoking, so much that I kept it for years, but it disappeared long ago. I wish I could find it, as it ironically, would still be quite relevant today.
I can’t remember the entire text, but I remember the subtitle went something like: While the southern U.S. burns, farmers in southern Ontario are making a killing on avocados.
There are two relevant points here. The first is that we’ve been dealing with global warming/climate change for decades. It’s nothing new. Secondly, as the editorial points out, we can’t stop the climate from changing, no matter how much we may try. The best we can do is try not to make it worse and adapt to the changes as best as we can.
There are trees entombed in the Arctic Permafrost, meaning the Arctic was once warm enough for tree growth. Maybe one day, there will be a booming lumber industry in the Arctic, along with avocado farms in southern Ontario. We shouldn’t be careless with our environment, but the world’s climate is constantly changing, and we are pretty arrogant if we think we can control it.
