7 Jun 2026
Notes on a changing world
Two news stories on the same day drove home the reality of how climate change is affecting the way we live. The first story was of how people in northern Canada are trying to do something useful with the fire breaks they have cut around their towns. They cleared the trees to stop fires before they reach homes but are left with a large, barren zones. They are looking at such options as growing food in these areas. The second story was about how to reduce the risks of disease-bearing ticks on your property. The advice almost mimicked the fire break story. For your lawn and garden the advice was to clear any brush or tall plants from areas where you might go to reduce the number of hiding places for ticks looking to latch onto you. These two stories were almost like medieval advice on building moats and walls. Both these cases are happening because climate change is warming the country. This means forests are drier and burn more easily and disease-carrying insects are migrating north and are better able to survive what have become warmer winters.