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Thursday, July 28, 2016

Global Warm



Let's face it! Whether it's convenient for you or not, the earth has grown warmer. It's so warm that I really wonder how much warmer before we mere mortals will simply shrivel up and blow away like dry leaves.

Here in Spain, this is the time of year when traditionally it has become so warm that during the afternoon hours people all but disappear indoors to get away from the sun. Usually, as is said,  only mad dogs and Englishmen are to be found wandering around and doing our shopping when the stores are empty.

There is a phenomenon here where when the winds blow from one side of the country to the other, heat is collected from the earth as it goes and by the time it reaches the other side it feels like standing in front of a massive blowtorch. Generally it's called a Poniente, signifying that the wind is blowing from the west. The first time I experienced it  I had stepped out of my car only to get a full frontal blast. I thought I had parked in front of the exhaust of a massive machine, but no, it was just the wind. I got back into my car and turned on the air-conditiong.

There are times when I come back to my car after it has been sitting in the sun, only to open the door
and have to stand back to give the heat time to escape. The door handle is hot and the steering wheel unbearable to the touch.

So how much more can we tolerate? Five more degrees max; ten?

Then I think of all those people down at the beach who lay out in the open to get a tan. I used to pass a beach that was located below road level. You could actually smell the pungent aroma of people cooking.

For those people who deny that global warming is taking place I can only say that your faith in believing that is exceedingly naïve, especially as you feel it as I do. I simply urge you to go to the beach and strip off all your clothes, no-one will mind, and lay out in the sun for as long as you like.

You will get the point!

Copyright (c) 2016
Eugene Carmichael