Climate Change –– Notes from the Field

This particular apocalypse is happening in slow motion, though in faster slow motion than expected. It’s a bit unsettling to see that our local weather forecast for the last two days hasn’t been something like “fair and warmer” or “likely showers,” but simply “smoke.”

The smoke here mostly comes from fires burning in west coast states, on average roughly a thousand miles away from us. The forecast may be “smoke” for sizable areas of the country for the next month or more. This morning a nearby ridge looked like it was veiled by gauze. I’m guessing that the health effects of breathing outside are similar those from smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Closer to the fires, two packs. At least most people don’t do that anymore.