Climate change: Teachable moment proves inaction is poor option

by Richard Brenne, guest opinion, OregonLive.com,

Saturday August 1, 2009, 4:47 p.m.

Richard Brenne

I work to educate the public about climate change and recently participated in the American Meteorological Society's Short Course on Climate Change during its annual conference for TV meteorologists in Portland.

I'm always looking for teachable moments, and eagerly await the day when TV meteorologists use their relationship with the public to communicate the science (not any policy, ideology or mere opinions inconsistent with the best and most current peer-reviewed science) of climate change.

This heat wave is just such a teachable moment.

Nationally, daily heat records are about doubling daily cold records, and the rising incidence of heat waves is among the most reliable predictions in the climate models.

I've been monitoring all Portland-area TV meteorologists during this time, and maybe I've missed something, but as usual I haven't seen a single mention that this kind of heat wave probably is going to increase in frequency in coming decades. Not every year, but the likelihood of this kind of heat wave and worse occurring is increasing over time. Isn't that something that viewers would want to know? Couldn't that information lead to informed decisions, such as to invest in ceiling fans or the kind of heat pumps that provide the most efficient air conditioning?

Monday after work, my wife, Patti, and I cooled off by swimming at the popular boat ramp on the Sandy River at Oxbow Park. A couple hundred people had the same idea, lounging on the beach and cavorting in the water at the river's most popular swimming hole.

Patti was far ahead of me swimming down through some gentle rapids when we heard a father yell, "Help!" Patti immediately swam to the struggling father and his young son while I assessed the danger 80 yards or so upstream. I thought, "What should I do? Should I swim down to them also? Or should I yell that they need help?"

Two mothers were talking only 20 yards or so from the father and son, and one held one of those floating swimming noodles. A teenager was lounging on an inflated air mattress maybe 15 yards away. I didn't know how seriously the father and son needed help -- I couldn't tell their age or demeanor from where I stood, frozen with inaction.

What I couldn't see is that the boy went under five times and the next could've easily been his last. The father barely survived himself and left the boy with Patti, I guess feeling that she would save him because she was holding his head above the water. Maybe he was in shock, because Patti was still struggling and was unable to get the child to shallow water.

From my vantage point, I couldn't understand the father's leaving, nor the incongruous scene of bystanders continuing their lounging, conversation and play. I weakly yelled something like "Hey, they need help!" but nobody heard. It was like one of those dreams where you can't take a needed action, as if your mind and body are mired in molasses.

I swam to help as Patti grabbed the boy and tried to swim with him to where he could stand. But the current kept them in place, and the boy and Patti struggled mightily.

Finally, Patti screamed to the teenager to bring the life mattress she was on, and the teenager quickly moved to help and Patti lifted the boy onto the air mattress. He didn't need CPR or anything, but the child would have drowned if Patti hadn't rescued him.

Thinking back, I should've yelled as loud as I could while pointing, "That boy's drowning! He needs your noodle and air mattress! Now!" But politeness, civility and fear of embarrassment prevented my speaking out. If the boy had drowned, I would have been haunted by his death and my inaction forever.

Climate change and related issues could lead to situations as serious as the boy faced, only many, many times over.

And by not saying anything when we could, those of us in a position to speak about how serious climate change is will feel as I did, only far worse.

If not us, who will speak? If not now, when?

Richard Brenne is a writer and film and event producer living in Southwest Portland. He is co-moderating an online class called Global Climate Change through Portland Community College with a grant from NASA, and is organizing a series of town meetings to discuss climate and energy issues at Portland State University.

Link: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/08/climate_change_teachable_momen.html

Readers, it is time for all of us to start yelling as loud and as often as we possibly can.