The graphic above from the New York Times got me thinking again about global warming and climate change. Because fossil fuels are so vital to our modern lifestyle, we are not slowing down or stopping adding greenhouse gas emissions to our atmosphere. Global warming will continue through the century. It does not look to be an existential threat and it won’t be happening in my lifetime, but looking long term, I am concerned about the quality of life of my descendants and future generations. I was born in raised in Michigan’s Upper Pensinsula (UP) and as you can see on the map, they had a white Christmas. In speaking with my brother, he is noticing warmer temperatures during the winter and this report from the Washington Post shows the city of Marquette, Michigan, has warmed 0.55 degrees F per decade since 1980. One of the reasons I love the UP is the famous “lake effect” snow from Lake Superior. I always remember snowy winters! However, Lake Superior is rapidly warming, and projections show by the end of the 21st century, it will warm by 5-9 degrees Celsius. This will result in the mid-term (2040-2059) more lake effect snow due to less ice coverage in winter, but it will come in a shorter time frame (February to March). By the late 21st century (2080-2099) there will be a substantial decline in overall snowfall amounts across the Upper Peninsula, projected to be reduced by 30-34%. The lake-effect snow will be confined to mid-to-late winter (January to March). There will be more precipitation, but it will be more rain than snow. The research suggests that while the Upper Peninsula’s famous lake-effect snow won’t disappear entirely, there will likely be a significant reduction in snowfall and a shorter snow season by the end of the century, with the greatest impacts in early and late winter. Central Asia has also seen a decline in snowfall and higher temperatures. As you can see in our back garden, there is not much snow.
I had a nice day yesterday, spending time with my son Oliver between meetings at school. We changed his flight dates so he can spend an additional 3 weeks with us in Tashkent! We stopped at the Korzinka grocery store so he could get his favorite roast chicken and Fuse Tea drink. I also drove him to his friend’s house, just like old times. Driving my children around gives me time with them!
I love the interlude between Christmas and New Years. Partly because I am on flexible/remote working hours and relaxing as much as I can. The gift of time is such a luxury with my busy work schedule. I love being a head of school and wouldn’t want it any other way, but getting some downtime is so nice. One bummer yesterday was the poor air quality as you can see below. It is better today with 185 reading as I am writing this blog post. I am not bothered by poor air quality, but I feel for people who do. A haze was noticeable around the city and I tried to capture it in a photo at a stoplight. The government needs to get on this to improve the lives of Tashkenters.
I made a short video of our trip to the Mirabad Market and family dinner on Boxing Day.
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