When I saw the first snowfall on the night of Dec 7, 2006, I almost cried. I had been longing for snow since my paddling season was over. I have planned many winter activities on my calendar and shaken off the dust on my ski boots. However, the first snowfall hasn’t gotten any followers. Maybe now it’s time to cry.
This winter has been very odd – oddly warm. Therefore we have been skating, biking, rock climbing, and I almost went kayaking in December. It was great to be out, and it was fine not to have a white Christmas. I just don’t feel funny anymore when I recalled the story told by a friend from New Zealand that on their Christmas cards Santa either enjoys his sun bath in beach shorts or rides a dolphin and races with a shark.
New Year’s Eve, it rained and it blew off my plan to ski on the New Year’s Day. Coming back home from dinner, I happened to watch this documentary “An inconvenient truth” which details Al Gore’s campaign to make the issue of global warming a more internationally recognized one. The saddest part for me was this polar bear that swam over 60 miles, couldn’t find a big enough ice chunk to rest on, and drowned.
Global warming: it has already become something one should not neglect, because things are noticeably not the same as they used to be. This winter has been warm – the weather forecast calls for over 50 degrees Fahrenheit all seven days next week. As far as I remember, last winter I skied in rain twice – once in West Virginia and once in Vermont. If this situation keeps worsening, maybe soon the word “cold” will have nothing to do with winter.
Whether you are already aware of global warming or you know nothing about it, I recommend you watch this documentary. Remember, we can do something to alter the consequences caused by previous mistakes or ignorance. Here are 10 simple tips I copied from www.climatecrisis.net:
1. Change a light. 2. Drive less. 3. Recycle more. 4. Check your tires. 5. Use less hot water. 6. Avoid products with a lot of packaging. 7. Adjust your thermostat. 8. Plant a tree. 9. Turn off electronic devices. 10. Spread the word.
去年十二月七日的夜晚，費城的第一場雪，我望著霧茫茫的街景，差點流淚。在宣告獨木舟季節結束的那天起，我就在期待這一刻。冬天的行事曆上，已經排滿了活動，滑雪靴上的灰塵也早已撢除乾淨了。但那場雪過後，費城的街道尚未再嘗過雪的味道，莫非，現在才是真該掉淚的時候？
這個冬季，很古怪，古怪地暖和。所以我們還是溜直排輪、還是騎腳踏車、還是攀岩、還是有人邀請我去划獨木舟。到外頭玩兒，就算是溜達，也是舒服，我也不是非要個白色聖誕不可。但是現在，每當我一回想起，那來自紐西蘭的朋友，告訴我，他們那兒的聖誕卡上，聖誕老公公不是穿著泳衣在沙灘上做日光浴，就是騎著海豚跟鯊魚競速的時候，不再覺得有趣起來。
大年夜，整晚不停地下著雨，元旦滑雪的計畫也跟著取消了，晚餐後回家，看著租來的紀錄片「An Inconvenient Truth」，這是高爾為喚起世界對全球暖化問題的重視，巡迴各地發表演說的全記錄。片中，最讓我難過的情節是，賴著寒冷維生的北極熊持續游泳超過六十英里，仍然找不到大小、強度足夠讓他歇足的冰塊，最後筋疲力盡而溺死。
全球暖化，已經成為不容忽視的問題，而我們熟悉的一切，也早已變得滄海桑田。這個冬季，是不折不扣的暖冬，氣象預告下週費城每天白天的溫度，都會超過華氏五十度。也記得上個冬季，曾經兩次在大雨中滑雪：一次在West Virginia，另一次在Vermont。
不論你是否已經注意到全球暖化的現象，或是對這個議題一點都不了解，我都建議你看看這部紀錄片。雖然說最壞的預測結果可能很可怕，但是每個人都有能力作些生活習慣上的改變，眾志成城，全球暖化的現象可以得到改善。下述是我從該紀錄片的官方網站找到的十個原則，供大家參考：
一、使用節約能源的電燈；二、少開點車；三、回收，回收，回收；四、檢查車子的胎壓，讓車子能在最有效率的情況下行駛；五、節約熱水的使用量；六、不購買過度包裝的產品；七、夏天開空調時溫度調高些、冬天用暖氣時溫度調低些；八、多種樹；九、關掉不在使用的電器；十、讓更多人知道全球暖化的現象。
Related Blog Articles:
1. Movie: An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
2. Top Climate Scientists give Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” 5 Stars for Accuracy
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