As an island off the western edge of the
European coast, we are used to reading about the climate change in other parts
of the world, but recently the increasing severity of storms and heavy rainfall
has brought it home to us.
Our weather has brought record
high temperatures and massive storms and flooding all within a couple of
weeks. Climate change is definitely upon
us and showing its teeth.
The most remarkable global weather shows
all that it is still the same frequency but the intensity is much greater. It gets hotter and wetter. It gets colder and drier.
Around the world in recent weeks we have
seen wildfires from Siberia across the Arctic Circle to Greenland, Alaska and
Canada. They are caused by dry storms
and high temperatures.
In Mexico, there was a thick layer of
ice after a heavy hailstorm. The ice was up to 1.5m (5ft) thick in places,
half-burying vehicles.
Temperature records were broken at
locations in France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Spain. The new French
record, established at Gallargues-le-Montueux last Friday, was more than 1.5C
above the previous high mark.
Much of the concern about the heat
focused on France, with red alerts in several areas, many schools were closed,
exams were postponed and health minister Agnès Buzyn warned that "everyone
is at risk".
There have been earthquakes in Greece, wildfires
in Portugal together with hurricanes and typhoons of increasing concern. It is becoming hard to read the world news
without further signs of climate change yelling at us to start to change our
lifestyle.
If we are serious about leaving this
beautiful planet enriched with life and created in love, we must not turn away
from our responsibilities.
Huge areas of the Amazon Forest are
still disappearing as men cut and burn it for profit regardless of the loss of oxygen
that we have to breathe and the ability to reduce carbon dioxide. It is this gas that increases the global
temperature.
Still fossil fuels are allowed to be protected,
so that commercial interests come before the needs of the planet. The development of electric cars, wind farms
and the harnessing of sun and tidal energy are moving too slowly.
The winds of change are all around us, but
it is as though we are only paying lip service to the looming change that we
are all starting to feel.
There are many schemes such as the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States
in 2015, providing a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity.
The question is, “Are we doing enough
to halt the increasing climate changes before they become unstoppable?” There are too many men and women in power,
who do not take this matter to their hearts as they continue to allow the
lobbying of their backers to create policy.
We all need to make our voices heard and
put out our thoughts to the Universe, so that the Higher Intelligence knowns
that we care. Through love and harmony
will come the enlightening.
We cannot have a foot in both
camps. We all need to think and live our
lives in the light that God shows us and, by doing so, the darkness of
ignorance will be disposed of and goodness and harmony will conquer.
Jenny and Michael Ayers
Saturday, 10th August 2019
