Heat Records and Retired Judge

Various sources noted Phoenix, Arizona broke a record for consecutive days over 110 Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) at 23 days, and counting. (Update: npr.org later reported this went on for a “31-day streak.”)

It was also noted the previous record was 18 days in 1974.

These heatwaves are a global problem. July 5, 2023 in The Guardian Damien Gayle quoted Dr Karsten Haustein, a research fellow in atmospheric radiation at Leipzig University, “Chances are that the month of July will be the warmest ever, and with it the hottest month ever … ‘ever’ meaning since the Eemian, which is indeed some 120,000 years ago.”

Andrew Freedman wrote a good summary July 19, 2023, at axios.com, “Heat waves: Historic temperatures affect three continents.”

Retired Judge

Recently, I met a retired judge in a park. “Everyone wants to embellish with a story,” he said. “The law is simple. Either you broke it, or you didn’t.” One could say the same about breaking laws of physics for sustainable life in many undersea and abovesea areas. Each person is terminal, always has been. Each planet is terminal, always has been. Obviously, across the ocean of time the Universe will make more. The main thing is not to squander the gift of a salmon, orca, person, or planet like humans as a species are doing now. Regarding this, Oliver Milman’s July 19, 2023 article in The Guardian, quoted James Hansen, “It means we are damned fools. We have to taste it to believe it.”

With fast rate of change, I am sometimes asked if it’s “game over” for all of us soon. I don’t know. When this question happens, I recall a fictional scene from the 1959 film On the Beach as Fred Astaire tells about certain death in Australia from nuclear war radiation. He says, “We’re all doomed, you know? The whole silly drunken pathetic lot of us. Doomed by the air we’re about to breathe. We haven’t got a chance!”

However, since capacity for some humans to survive is stunning, getting by on “raw bats and urine,” time will tell. Life is extremely difficult for humans in some areas now, and impossible for nonhumans in many areas. Conditions are expected to get more challenging in the future no matter how much carbon is reduced how fast. Many rich and powerful men have clearly given up.

Regarding the James Hansen vs. Michael Mann issue in my previous post, one of my favorite recent climate items is Global Warming in the Pipeline in which “Dr. Peter Carter, Paul Beckwith and Regina Valdez discuss a recent paper called ‘Global Warming in the Pipeline’ by James Hansen et al.” Another favorite features Kevin Anderson in a United Nations University – EHS video made about a  month ago. Anderson, a former petrochemical industry engineer, is the professor many wish we had — unafraid of hard questions and honest answers. Long ago I ranked him as one of my favorite climate scientists along with James Hansen, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, and Johan Rockström. One reason I chose Anderson is for his rare integrity. The United Nations University – EHS video notes, “He hasn’t taken a plane since 2004.”

Imagine almost everyone on Earth refusing airplane rides on the same day. Imagine almost everyone on Earth listening to justifiably frustrated young people. Imagine.

My October 14, 2018 post “Prayer, Meditation, Rice” had recent interest. Maybe that’s because it notes, “oxygen-free rice which allegedly can be stored for ’10+ years’ as a sort of insurance policy,” or a story from a Whidbey Island friend about a creative way to help a refugee camp. Blog readers also visited “Two Literary Quotes That Fit Reducing Climate Disruption.”