Keep Austin Not "That" Weird!

Is it weird to say that we are just hit the end of 2019's summer at the end of October since this morning, I woke myself up during 31ºF and almost freeze myself to sleep again. People say, "Keep Austin Weird!" I am not so sure myself this is weird we are talking about. So what causes our summer-fall this year?

Climate change, obviously. What can you say about climate change except for the fact that it's making the Earth hotter than ever? I confess that I thought it would not be this fast. It's going to happen with our future generation, but I was SO wrong. Earth's climate is changing faster than any future predictions. It poses a significant threat to not just the planet but its citizens. The impacts of global climate change are already being felt in the United States in general and Texas in particular; and are projected to increase in the future.

Some studies are showing that Texas will experience the worst effects of climate change. According to States at Risk, Texas is home to 9 of the hottest cities in the U.S. We are currently facing the worst threat from widespread summer drought among the lower 48 states. By 2050, the state is predicted to see an increase of approximately 75 percent. The heat will lead our state to increase the mosquitoes season growing longer, more danger day over 105 ºF (from 60 days in this year to over 115 days in 2050), a severe health hazard due to the increase of ozone air pollution. 

In one study, Solomon Hsiang, professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, says, “We are really sure the South is going to get hammered. The South is really, really negatively affected by climate change, much more so than the North. That wasn’t something we were expecting going in.”

Well, now, here we are. Our situation is on the way reaching the point that we can not save our environment anymore. It's happening. But it's not too late. You may say, one person like me can not do anything. We are not a superhero, so, yea, you are right! But you are also wrong. There are so many ignorances out there, and one by one, they make a significant impact in our world. Why not do the opposite. You don't have to do anything big like flying around and save the world; you just have to influence others little by little, switching our behaviors and helping others to understand our situation with mother nature. 

The severity of future impacts of global climate will depend mostly on actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the changes that will occur. Communities, governments, and businesses everywhere are working on it. So take action. Now. You can keep Austin weird as much as you want, but the global climate is another story. 

Here are some local organizations if you don't know where to start: https://www.austintexas.gov/climate 

http://350-austin.org/ (350 Austin - Acting Locally in the Global Climate Movement) 

https://austineconetwork.com/climate-action/ ( Austin EcoNetwork)