Go, Tigers!
As we near the end of the 2018 fall prep sports season, we congratulate all the hardworking athletes and their coaches around Taos County and the Moreno Valley. Their dedication to their sports, whether cross-country, soccer, volleyball or football, comes in addition to sticking with their academic studies.
Speaking of football – wow! Double wow! What a season it has been! Faced with a new district that pits the Tigers against some of the toughest foes in the state, the Taos boys have shined. They stand at 11-1 overall, including district games and the first two rounds of the state championship playoffs.
We wish them the best as they take on the Bloomfield Bobcats Saturday for the 4A state title at the Taos High Anaya Field.
We’ll all be cheering you on.
You’ve got this! A future for Tigers?
While we are on the subject of prep sports and talented athletes, let’s talk about climate change.
Why? Because the greatest threat to our young Taos Tigers and all our children and grandchildren in the decades ahead is the changing climate.
The time is long past to argue over whether or not climate change is happening. A report released on Black Friday by more than a dozen federal agencies– all part of President Donald Trump’s administration– reiterates in strong language what prior national and international reports have said: Climate change is harming the our health, economy and environment. Not years down the road. Now.
The report is the Fourth National Climate Assessment. It is backed by science. It is backed by data. It is backed by facts.
Our president doesn’t believe climate change is happening, no matter what a legion of scientists and his own military say. But neither he, nor the old guard in Congress, will ultimately pay the price for inaction on addressing climate change.
That will be our children and grandchildren, our young Taos Tigers. So there’s no reason to wait for the old folks in power to move on this.
“Future risks from climate change depend primarily on decisions made today,” says the report.
Climate change is causing longer droughts, less snow, more summer floods and hotter temperatures around the Southwest, including Taos County. But the Taos Valley may be better positioned than many places to adapt.
Our communities were built on a history of adapting to a harsh climate. We need to remember that history and marry it to new technologies.
We have people who know how to build energy-efficient homes, conserve water, farm in sustainable ways, hunt, weave, restore soil and live well off-grid.
We need to ensure their knowledge is imparted to younger generations. Our local officials need to ensure that knowledge is part of planning and policies.
We have a utility with a plan for generating a major part of local power from the sun. Add battery storage in a few years, and we’ll be closer to a truly independent power grid.
In the months ahead, we’ll delve deeper into what climate change looks like in Taos and what lies ahead. We’ll talk to people working on ways to adapt, survive and thrive through it. We’ll explore ideas that might work in our communities, and ideas that just may make us a model for others.
Not all the solutions take a lot of money, but they do take forethought and planning.
Addressing climate change will take an ongoing concerted effort everywhere, at every level. Climate change could care less about religion, borders, or political parties.
Doing nothing means being ill-prepared for how climate change will affect our economy, our beloved Taos Valley landscapes, our homes and our children’s future.
Doing nothing is not an option.