Rural Routes/Margot Ford McMillen

Hot Enough For You? Just Wait!

I was shocked, but not particularly surprised, when I heard that people were flocking to Death Valley to witness—or should I say “celebrate”? — the hottest (so far) temperature on the planet on July 16. And, then, on the TV news, there they were. Taking selfies next to a giant thermometer, certainly placed in Death Valley as a warning but now used as a prop. One-hundred-thirty degrees. The pictures destined for what … Facebook? Christmas cards? Personal scrapbooks? A San Francisco photographer picked up one picture for the papers.

It looked like these grinning humans had nothing better to do. Bored to death. Or maybe they thought they were part of a party or, worse, a heroic story. “I survived Death Valley on history’s hottest day …” Like witnessing a milestone. But, look, warmest-day milestones are as ephemeral as birthdays or New Year’s parties. There will be another record next year and if not next year the next one. Hot streaks have taken over the planet and all indications are that Death Valley will keep getting hotter.

And, rather than trying to change the cause of the deadly heat, scientists argue. Records set in the early 1900s are good fodder for an academic paper explaining changes in record-keeping and how much ego was involved in getting the date into the papers.

So, as usual, it’s up to us citizens to figure out how to solve the planet’s-too-hot problem. And while it may seem like a sacrifice to stay home or walk instead of starting up the car, it’s what we need to do. We’ve had plenty of warning and we need to take action.

We know the challenge: Eliminate fossil fuels. For most of us, energy consumption has to do with our cars and our homes. And let’s assume that you’ve done all you can. You walk everywhere but when you absolutely must drive, you’re driving an electric car. Your appliances have the lowest possible carbon footprint, you travel by train when absolutely necessary but usually meet on-line with a meeting app. Your thermostat is set at the best possible setting each season. You’d never dream of taking a vacation in a faraway place and you’re involved with your community.

You don’t buy things you don’t need, and you do your shopping at the re-sale store. You’ve learned to cook with local foods and your kitchen hasn’t seen an avocado, banana, citrus fruit or coffee in years. You’ve joined a carpool to get to work and for entertainment you love to hike and bike. What more is there?

Here’s a thought: Get involved with the policy makers to do stuff that reaches beyond your household. Organize a group to move your utilities forward with renewable energy. Make it possible for the churches, schools and other government buildings to put solar collectors on their roofs and get an income when there’s nobody using the place.

Advocate for the “Lights Out” program. The Audubon Society says that light pollution from cities, towns and even highway interchanges can confuse migrating birds. Turning lights out at night saves energy at night when renewable sources operate least efficiently. This ought to be an easy ask as it saves energy, money and birds.

Ask your city to ban drive-through services. Drive-throughs waste fossil fuels and even time. Cities that have banned them report less litter, more foot traffic and even expect obesity rates to go down. You might not be able to ban all the drive-thrus but even an ordinance to ban new ones is a good beginning. And, while you’re at it, ask the policy makers to put more bike paths and sidewalks in plans for future growth.

And, finally, be willing to admit we are the problem. Not someone else. Not China. Not UFOs. This means occasionally having to eat crow—or eat not-crow as I’ve found.

My neighborhood rests on the edge of prairie, now converted to farmland, and woods, now converted to animal pasture. As a lucky person that can buy meats from my neighbors, I used to enjoy fish as a choice at restaurants. So imagine my surprise to learn that most of the seafood consumed in this country (tuna, salmon, shrimp) is raised in giant confinements set up in the oceans. Now, when I order from a restaurant I enjoy a meal without protein. Not a problem as humans mostly get all the protein we need from one helping per day of meat or a vegetarian protein plus a few nuts or an egg.

It’s up to us to fix this hot planet. Nobody’s going to help without our support, and the heat’s not a reason for celebration or even a temporary cure for boredom like the folks that went to Death Valley on the hottest day. Pick one climate challenge to work on—just one. The best cure for boredom ever.

Margot Ford McMillen farms near Fulton, Mo., and co-hosts “Farm and Fiddle” on sustainable ag issues on KOPN 89.5 FM in Columbia, Mo. Her latest book is “The Golden Lane: How Missouri Women Gained the Vote and Changed History.” Email: margotmcmillen@ gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, September 1, 2023

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