Just a short 20 years ago, I would not begin clearing my garden area of the leaves until late March or early April because of the possibility of a hard frost. And as much as I love snow, I don’t want another snowfall now since not only are daffodils in full bloom but other flowering plants are popping up.
Global warming has even hit the Agriculture Department’s plant hardiness map, noting an average temperature rise of 2.5 F. Doesn’t sound like much, but that small increase tells us in everyday real terms that we’ve managed to do to this planet in a short space of time what hundreds of years before could not do.
This means more than a hotter summer, not to mention a disruption of the ecosystem dependent on certain plants. It certainly means more mosquitos coming out earlier, not to mention an increase in the tick population. But big oil has the money to maintain its political power in Congress to keep drilling like there’s no tomorrow.
Prayer for the Day
Feeling the warmth of an early spring day before it’s even spring,
We see robins in our yards and trees starting to bud;
Concerned our environment is changing around us,
We often feel we are powerless against moneyed interests.
Give us strength, O God, to take on the forces of greed,
So we are able to give to our posterity what was given to us.
In the name of the One who gives us strength,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
I am insulated from the weather by my house and its conditioned air. I eat strawberries in January. When it is raining, I can go inside. When it is dark, I can turn on the lights. It is easy for me to feel like climate is mostly an outside phenomenon, whereas I am mostly an inside phenomenon.
John Green, from The Anthropocene Reviewed
Adults keep saying: "We owe it to the young people to give them hope." But I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis.
I want you to act as if our house is on fire, because it is.”
Greta Thunberg, from No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding!”
The Lord to Job in Job 38: 4