Tuesday 1 November 2016

OUR FRAGILE PLANET

OUR FRAGILE PLANET

Most of us aren’t aware that we’re in the middle of the last Ice Age, and that as a result the flux in weather events will take place despite any actions that we humans can take. Eons ago conditions were created on earth that set in motion ongoing geological change, a part of which involves climate change.

The movie actor Leonardo Di Caprio has released a video dealing with global warming,

BEFORE THE FLOOD : - 


focusing on ecological concerns that he has encountered on his travels, Leonardo hopes that his film will encourage climate action in the form of the reduction of the use of fossil fuels, a source of atmospheric pollution, and one of the main causes of global warming. No doubt that he has a right to be concerned, but to discourage the world from using fossil will be a daunting, if not impossible challenge. In my opinion we’ve regressed in human societal  development to a point of no return short of a near global disaster. It’s one thing to develop, and attempt to implement world wide, green technology but without addressing the problem of over population and uncontrolled urbanization it will all be for not. 


The earth will continue to warm with intervals of cooling, just as it has for millions of years. There have been six known Ice Ages, as well as mini Ice Ages, periods of cooling that resulted in mass migrations, starvation, disease, and political upheaval. We really can’t avoid flux in the earth’s temperature. The dominos began to fall long before the burning of fossil fuels, and as everyone knows once the dominos start to fall they’re impossible to hold back. The stopping of the burning of fossil fuels will simply buy time. About all that humanity can do (if we’re not prepared to address population control, and uncontrolled urban development) is to try to adapt to the changes that are inevitable keeping in mind that change will take place over time, not as some would have us believe, tomorrow.
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We recently spent a few days late in October up in Algonquin Provincial Park. The idea was to do a bit of hiking and make some sketches for paintings to be used in a book about the park. Unfortunately, global warming was no where in sight during our time spent in the park. The daytime temperature, with the windchill figured, at around 2C causing us to spend more time in our vehicle rather than out and about. I did manage to get a few quick sketches, however. 



Quick sketch from inside our vehicle - Smoke Lake October 24th, 2016  

From the sketch I've made a drawing.

Travelling to the access to Lake Opeongo there is a small island at the outlet from Costello Creek.

This is a view from the canoe put-in looking up Lake Opeongo. The wind was simply ripping down the lake. The water was black and white capped. Not the kind of weather to be out in a canoe.















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