Is climate change a hoax?
Recently I was having a conversation with an individual who said, in no uncertain terms, that climate change is not a reality. It reminded me of a statement made by U.S. President Donald Trump that climate change is “a hoax”.
The fact is that, in parts of northern Canada, Alaska and the Arctic, climate change is already affecting the way of life of the people living there.
In her book, The right to be cold, Sheila Watt-Cloutier writes: “Inuit culture and economic independence, as well as Arctic wildlife, depended on the cold, the ice and frozen ground, (and that) great shifts in temperature and weather patterns were upending an entire way of life, and denying us our economic, social, cultural and health rights.”
She cites a number of peoples for whom climate change has affected their lives. As she writes: “Take the village of Shishmaref, Alaska. Evidence shows that people have been living on the island village, hunting and fishing, for at least two thousand years.
But today, climate change is threatening to wash away this traditional village. As the sea ice melts, the shoreline is losing its defence against the stormy waves of the Chukchi Sea, which now gnaw away at the shore. Houses that were once far from the water are now falling into the waves.
“Meanwhile, the permafrost on which the town was built is no longer permanent. As it thaws, houses sink into the soft earth, leaving a topsy-turvy world of dangerous, tilting buildings and suddenly homeless villagers. What could be more devastating than seeing your home swept away by the waves.”
In referring to the thinning ice, WattCloutier quotes Ronald Brower of Barrow, Alaska who said, “One of my sons... fell right through the ice .... I’ve seen fellow whalers... break through the ice, because it’s melting from the bottom, and our snow machines have fallen through.”
She herself says, “In all my growing up in Kuujjuaq (which is in Nunavik, Quebec), I don’t recall many stories of hunters having accidents with breaking ice .... Now we were hearing stories like Ronald’s all the time.”
I suppose it is not surprising that President Trump is either not aware of, or not concerned, that in the State of Alaska, many of his constituents are living through climate change, in spite of an 840-page report released by the White House in 2014; it was a report in which their science advisor, John Haldren, encouraged individuals and industry “to take cost effective actions to reduce the damage (caused by climate change).”
As the U.S. National Research Council has said, “Science has made enormous inroads in understanding climate change and its causes, and is beginning to help develop a strong understanding of current and potential impacts that will affect people today and in coming decades.”
It seems to me that, rather than rely on hearsay, we need to be in touch with those who have studied climate change from a scientific point of view. May it be so for us! Harvie Barker is a Penticton resident and writer of inspirational messages. He’s the author of the book, A Good Word in Season Volume 8, now available at the front desk of The Penticton Herald for $10 with all proceeds to local charity.