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Mitzvah Moments by Tish Levee - July 2017

With this slogan, on June 1st, the President announced the US’s withdrawal from the

California’s still leading the way. On June 13th, Governor Brown was named a special adviser for states and regions – representing local jurisdictions committed to fighting climate change – to the next UN Climate Change Conference this November in Bonn, Germany. Joining him will be Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

This is all good news, ‘cause while it’s really hot, we “ain’t” seen nothing yet. We’ve all felt the heat this week, but according to recent research from the University of Hawaii, worldwide we’ll experience more heat waves lasting 20 days or longer. Currently this is happening for 30% of the world, but, if we do nothing to reduce climate change, nearly 75% of all people will experience them by 2100. Because heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions are already in the atmosphere, aggressively lowering them could still put at least 48% of the population at risk.And, unless our air conditioning is powered by renewable resources, the steps we take to cool off will only make the problem worse. Googling “How to stay cool in summer,” brings up lots of DIY ideas for beating the heat, many without AC.

Climate change makes forest fires, flooding, and sea level rise more likely. As the planet continues to heat up, we’ll see more forest fires, such as the devastating one that recently killed at least 60 people in Portugal; in Northern California we’ll see fires more often, and they’ll be worse.

Meanwhile, sea levels are rising; scientists now predict a worst case scenario of levels rising up to 80 feet by 2100. While some islands are being evacuated and disastrous consequence are predicted for places like Houston and New Orleans, it’s going to happen here, too. At the Rising Seas Summit in 2015, I learned about rising sea levels, but the current predictions are much worse than we thought then. To see what places such as San Francisco –or even Sonoma – will experience, check out this NOAA website: tinyurl.com/o8zwutc. It’s set for Sonoma, but put in any zip code and look at different scenarios.

There is no Planet B, BUT… “There is no Planet B,” a slogan frequently seen at recent marches for science and the climate, is true –even more so in light of the current administration’s approach to climate change. But, there is a Plan B. With state and local governments and businesses pledging not only to abide by the Paris Accords, but in many cases to go even further to reduce the greenhouse gases fueling rapid climate change, we still can make changes that’ll allow us keep to living on this planet.

Staycation Tip:Take a Sunday drive without the car –a day trip toMuir Woods National Monument. The Muir Woods Shuttle runs weekends from May 13th until October 29th from the Pohono Street Park & Ride lot off 101 or from Marin City. On weekdays from June 19th to August 29th, there’s also a shuttle from Marin City. See schedules at marintransit.org/routes/66.html. Roundtrip is $5.00 for adults; free under age 16! Such a deal!

© Copyright Tish Levee, 2017

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