It’s hot. Too damn hot. Record-breaking heatwaves have raged across Washington for years, and this is just the beginning. It’s too hot in the lab to make products, and even the office team can’t cope with the colossal heat wave we’re experiencing (30 degrees Fahrenheit above average). AC units are SOLD OUT in stores across Washington, and the housing infrastructure was designed to heat residences, not to cool them. Even our lab is underpowered for the intense heat for the region.
Sea Witch Botanicals will be closed today, June 28th. We can still accept online orders, but please be mindful that there will be shipping delays. Please keep cool and hydrated, and be grateful for your access to water as so many people across the globe have to go without in their daily lives.
If you are reading this, chances are that you already understand the core concept of climate change. If not, here’s some information from Hannah to help you understand why these heatwaves are amplified by human activity, even though the general weather cycles can be considered natural occurrences.
What is Climate Change?
The earth is a very dynamic system. Over its 4.5 billion year old life the climate has changed numerous times. It's constantly ebbing and flowing. The past 10,000 years on earth have been relatively mild in comparison to the rest of earth's history. The age known as the Holocene is when humans began to settle down and farming entered the scene. Seasons and local climates were more predictable making farming more routine. This was the dawn of civilization. Ten thousand years later we are in a new era, the Anthropocene. Humans have become the dominant force on earth. We are now the leading driver of this climate change.
This particular climate change is due to excess amounts of greenhouse gases being pumped into our atmosphere.
What are greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases are gases like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor that reside in our atmosphere. When the sun's energy reaches earth, greenhouse gases work as a blanket, keeping the earth warm. The more greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere the more blankets we put on. Humans are have contribute 2,000 billion tons of carbon dioxide since the start of the industrial revolution. That's a THICK blanket!
What is and can happen?
Dry places are getting drier and fires are becoming more frequent. Glaciers are melting causing less sunlight to be reflected back into space allowing it to be trapped in the atmosphere. Ocean acidification. Massive hurricanes. Droughts. Flooding. Massive winter storms. Sea levels are rising forcing coastal communities to move further inland. Mass extinction events and so many more.
What Can we do?
Climate change is scary. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and not want to think about it. But we’ve come to a point where we no longer have that privilege. It's already here, we are already experiencing it and people are already dying. It is something that will affect every single one of us in one way or another. Our house is on fire and we alone are responsible for putting it out. We can all do our part by reducing meat intake, planting trees, reducing our carbon footprint, listen to scientist and most importantly holding corporations responsible. This is going to requer monumental change from each and everyone of us but we can do it. We are capable of incredible things and we are capable of fixing this problem.
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
Photos Copyright by Hannah Gabrielson
