Last weekend was a warm one. Those who know me will be aware that I’m not the kind of person who is in any way affected by the weather. From way back in my Army days it was drummed into us that there is no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices and bad attitude. This has stuck with me throughout my life and whilst I do have preferences at times, weather truly is something we cannot influence on an individual basis, or can we??
Our climate here in the UK is changing. This is a factual statement! Before I returned here in 2003 I read an article in the mid to late 90s about how the UK’s weather was evolving and that within 2 decades we would have approximately 20-25% stronger winds, this fascinated me. At the time I was a windsurfing fanatic and listening to the shipping forecast was an obsession. Primarily the German Blight and Dogger were the main focus of my attention but Viking and the North and South Utsire also played an important roll. Anything with a moderate south westerly 4-6 Beaufort increasing to Gale Force 8-10 a day or 2 out, meant the weekend was shaping up for me to be on the water. BFBS broadcasted these at 0600 and 1400 daily and I rarely missed one.
By the time I returned to the UK in 2003, my then ex had sold all my windsurfing equipment and I didn’t have the funding or the time to replace it. I did, however, continue to be intrigued by the weather. This has never left me and I can say with significant conviction that our wind extremes have reached the 20-25% increase with significantly more regularity.
What is also apparent over recent years is that our seasons are no longer as clearly defined and they once were. Searing heat, droughts, flooding, 6ft snowfalls all seem to be able to happen at almost any time of the year (Okay the 6ft snowfall might be a bit OTT but we did have it in April 2013, and snow in the Pennines in June is also not that uncommon). So on this morning’s dog walk, walking along side the canal, the sight of the ducks swimming down a narrow landing strip did create a haunting image of what the future could have in store for us.
It is now pretty much accepted that we, as a human race, have been quite instrumental in the change in weather patterns, now known widely as our climate crisis. Big Oil, aerosols, emissions, plastics ….. the list is long and frightening, have all played a part in what is now coming to fruition. But even though it does not seem at all possible that one person can make any difference, here’s the thing! Every journey starts with just one step, and so it is with helping our wonderful planet. If everyone started to change one thing a week, or a month, or even a year, that first step has been made and maybe if that first step was to stop bank rolling large corporates by not buying all the shining new stuff just because they’ve persuaded you to do so, maybe then nature would do it’s thing and the planet could be saved.
