One of the problems with trying to formulate a proper
response to climate, is figuring out what we can or have actually
affected. Logic would indicate that this is to be done before drastic
political measures are implemented.
One of our problems is that we humans look at things on
the short term. If you don't believe this watch the executives of
Fortune 500 companies do counter productive things just to change the current
quarter profit or loss.
Geologically speaking, a short time ago (~12000 years) my
house was under 500 feet of water backed up by glaciers. An extremely
short time ago, Vikings settled in Greenland and lived there for 300
years. Unfortunately, the next climate change was the end of the Middle
age warm period. This was followed by the Mini-ice age. Farming was
no longer possible in Greenland, so they starved to death. The mini-ice
age lasted until a couple hundred years ago.
Now things are getting quite warm. How much is
caused by people? How much would happen anyway? Will the warmer
climate, on the whole, allow the earth to support more or fewer
people?
Since the present "crisis" is one of fires we should ask
the question: Have periodic fires been a part of this ecosystem before
modern man? Have people recently done things that made them
worse?
In west Montana, there have always been wild fires.
Irrespective, of any climate change a number of human actions have made them
worse and more bothersome. Starting after a bad fire year in 1905, the
forest service stopped all fires. No fire, more fuel, a bigger fire when
one happens. The mature stands of ponderosa pine were cut down. Fire
suppression, and a few big fires makes it harder to get the trees big enough to
resist fire. People have decided that it is really nice to have a house
nestled among the pine trees half way up the mountain, that means that the
impact of a fire on them is much greater.
My bottom line: Things like this
are extremely complex, be very careful when someone (particularly a politician)
claims to know what is going on and that he/she has the solution.
Ed
"The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is
stranger than we can imagine." Albert Einstein, 20th,
century.
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
