#1 The Tipping Point

Welcome to my Blog.  This is my first post.  When considering starting a blog, I have wondered what my first post would be.  First impressions are important. Although I will definitely delve into some of my more controversial opinions here, I will start with a simple observation and what I believe it means.  So here goes:


The Tipping Point?

During the year 2011, there were some extreme weather events and cycles throughout the world.  I got the feeling, and it kept growing throughout the year, that the planet was approaching and even surpassing the "tipping point" of environmental stability.  So as of now, I consider 2011 the year the extremity of the change became undeniable, and will watch to see over the years to see if the changes that take place point to 2011 as when the switch was flipped.

It is in this context that I provide the observation of some unusual events that have occurred on my own property in the last year.  After a heavy snowfall season in the winter of 2010-11 and a relatively wet summer, the fall of 2011 was so wet for so long that our basement sump pump cycled quite consistently from early September through mid December.  This was the first time since we bought our house in 1986 that our sump pump kicked in outside of the spring snow melt.  Each spring we get water in our basement, and the sump pump kicks in.  It can last for as little as 2 weeks or so, to as long as a month and a half or more.  It's not a huge amount of water, but as the snow melts and the water table is high, the cracks in our foundation leak water into the basement.  But once that big snow melt is done, no matter how much rain we have gotten, until 2011 we have never had the sump pump run later in the year.  So, during every annual snow melt we get water in the basement.   Except this year.  Yes, it's true, for the first time since we bought our house in 1986 our sump pump has not kicked in during the spring snow melt.  We have had an unusually warm and dry winter.  The snow is almost gone.  No water in the basement.  These two firsts are somewhat shocking after 25 years.  Coincidence?  I don't think so. What is next?  A friend of mine says "the great drought of 2012".  We'll see.

While this is my story, there are millions of stories of statistical anomalies out there.  We need to act to minimize the climatic changes that will occur.  Changes will continue, and extreme weather events will happen, but we can slow the changes and avoid the worst case senario if we live our lives with an awareness of the impacts our personal existence has on the Earth and act accordingly.


Nature note:  I did a short bike ride before dinner today.  As I passed wetlands around town, the call of red-winged blackbirds, back for the season and establishing their territories was a welcome sign of spring.