the weather up here
It’s about 250 kilometres (150 miles), as the loon flies, from our farm to Abbotsford, which is still draining from torrential rains and flooding. My heart aches every day for the families there as they search through mud and debris for reminders of their normal lives.
We got a lot of rain up here, as well. Last month we got 628 millimetres (25 inches), the most since I started keeping records in 2006. Last Tuesday we had nearly four inches, which blew out our micro-hydro pipes. Yesterday we got socked with ten inches of snow. Five months ago we had three straight days of record 33 C. degrees (90 F.) heat and sweated out another forest fire season more than usual.
I understand that these few stats will not move any needles. But I don’t know what stats will. Weather extremes are accelerating and we’re doing fuck all about it. This is the gravest threat humans have ever faced, aggravated by the lack of political boldness all around.
Most frustrating, there are a lot of solid ideas out there that can’t find enough oxygen. There are 16,000 ocean desalination plants in 177 countries that supply 300 million people with fresh water, but when the U.S. Marines investigated building one at Camp Pendleton, California, it bogged down in red tape. The Salton Sea, not far from Pendleton, may be able to produce two million metric tons of lithium. That’s a welcome irony because the Salton was partially created by catastrophic farming practices. Some consider it the biggest environmental disaster in California history.
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Anchor Struck 
I am sorry to hear about your micro-hydro pipes I was thinking you must be really cranking out the electricity. They call that Sumas Prarie which is a drained lake. Never try to drain a lake and expect water to go someplace else. There is so much you can say about why the roads washed out the towns flooded and the land slid, Very poor planning. Winter is just beginning so wonder what is in store for us now. Our plants are sure loving the rain after so many years of drought. Site C dam had some areas that were deemed good for agriculture that they are now trashing. What a folly! Moving right ahead on the pipeline though.
I hope you and Jude are well and have a Happy New Year.
Judith
Judith, we are well and hope that you and Peter are also doing fine. I believe 2022 is going to be one for the books.
Always great to hear from you AP. Weather is wild most everywhere because, as you imply, no one seems to give a fat rat’s ass(wherever that came from) about taking some meaningful action. Sometimes it is indeed good to be old, but our gilder and grandchildren are being left with a rather poor legacy. The “ Greatest Generation “ may have saved the political world but pretty much encouraged the already purging of our natural resources/climate. We, those enlightened by free love and plentiful drugs, have further allowed an probably encouraged continued natural waste and destruction. On the brighter side, there truly is NOT a Santa Claus…peace, Marine✌️
Hey, JB. Jude and I continue to reduce our consuming, but it’s throwing spitballs at a battleship in a world that glorifies consumerism. Sorry about the death of Santa. Covid? Go, Army!