on the subject of climate change
Jun. 28th, 2007 10:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burntcopperI remember a while ago, some important essayist (or possibly it was An Inconvenient Truth) on climate change actually used the example of Britain's flooding alongside increased desertisation and tornadoes and hurricanes and tidal waves as evidence.
Does anyone remember what it was? Or where one might find a link to it?
Mostly because I remember being vaguely weirded out that someone would actually use something as what felt so hum-drum as an important example. And realising that, er, yes, it's a fairly good and very, very obvious example - more obvious, say, than warmer summers and wetter winters. And closer to home for most Americans than tidal waves in distant lands where the people talk funny. But still. Being counted alongside tidal waves and mass migration due to the desertisation.
Because the flooding's becoming regular enough that they're talking about flood defences. Seriously talking about it. (but, y'know, resignedly and common sensedly and not making a big thing about it in that wonderful cold wet island-dweller way) And the way they're reporting it, it's 'well, this bit of the island's been flooded this time - what do you expect, we've had heavy rain, it was only a question of where got it this time. Which local bits do we have to keep an eye on to make sure they don't rupture?' ...Yeah. We're adjusting our way of lives and thinking to fit it in as *normal*. Flooding used to be only something you heard about happening in Egypt. Or India.
On the other hand, people in the early 70s probably never foresaw a time when their kids would grow up thinking it was normal not to have bins at railway stations. And mock american tv cop shows that thought you had to actually explain what C4 was, rather than just expecting the audience to know what you were talking about. (yes, this was us watching The Sentinel)
Does anyone remember what it was? Or where one might find a link to it?
Mostly because I remember being vaguely weirded out that someone would actually use something as what felt so hum-drum as an important example. And realising that, er, yes, it's a fairly good and very, very obvious example - more obvious, say, than warmer summers and wetter winters. And closer to home for most Americans than tidal waves in distant lands where the people talk funny. But still. Being counted alongside tidal waves and mass migration due to the desertisation.
Because the flooding's becoming regular enough that they're talking about flood defences. Seriously talking about it. (but, y'know, resignedly and common sensedly and not making a big thing about it in that wonderful cold wet island-dweller way) And the way they're reporting it, it's 'well, this bit of the island's been flooded this time - what do you expect, we've had heavy rain, it was only a question of where got it this time. Which local bits do we have to keep an eye on to make sure they don't rupture?' ...Yeah. We're adjusting our way of lives and thinking to fit it in as *normal*. Flooding used to be only something you heard about happening in Egypt. Or India.
On the other hand, people in the early 70s probably never foresaw a time when their kids would grow up thinking it was normal not to have bins at railway stations. And mock american tv cop shows that thought you had to actually explain what C4 was, rather than just expecting the audience to know what you were talking about. (yes, this was us watching The Sentinel)
