http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901769.html
Look at the two maps. Specifically, see how Philadelphia has shifted zones. This is perhaps the most depressing thing to me out of all the issues that we face at the present moment. I don't just mean plant ecology, but the disruption of the planet in general. It hits me in a very sentimental place when I imagine a Philadelphia of the near future that lacks the snows and trees that I enjoyed as a child. Honestly, and anyone that knows me knows this, I would do anything for Philadelphia. I love it and I want to fight for it. But there's one thing that might make me consider moving to Montreal, or Alaska, which is if the climate and landscape become unrecognizable to me. I just couldn't tolerate it. I'd work on Philadelphia's behalf remotely, but I don't know if I could be happy living there in that circumstance. I don't know why, but I have such a connection with the old landscape and weather that I remember from my childhood. Aside from St. John's, which I loved, I hated living in Santa Fe. Everyone else thought it was beautiful, but I thought it was straight up ugly. It's a barren wasteland. I don't care how blue the sky is. I want a thick green northeast foliage, flowing creeks, and blanketing snow in the winter. That's my aesthetic, and I can't live without it. It makes me absolutely furious that humanity might have ruined this for me. And from a non-selfish point of view, it's deeply shameful that we have allowed the world to get to this point.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
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2 comments:
1) That map is suspect. Usually I would side with the GW crowd, but in this case the data on the map seems too simplified -- average LOWEST temperature per year for 15 years? Before 1990* <-- WTF? There is a lot more to it than that. Weather is not so clear cut. I would opt to do my own research.
2) Quit abandoning America. I know you want to be like BF, but please correct his mistakes (i.e. never abandon Philadelphia, stay close to your family and never romance other women).
I have first-hand experience with what they are talking about, even if the map is oversimplified. In Quebec we picked this species of beetle off of the plants, and as recently as last year, that species was unable to survive there because it was too cold (the eggs would perish in the ground over the winter, but because the temperature keeps raising slightly, they can survive now). In other words, this was the first year they're ever had it. Each year it travels a few miles up the road, predictably--someone charted it on a map for us. But this doesn't just impact the fact that there are new threats to the crops. Plants are dying because of these invasive species and it's changing the ecology of the place.
Granted, I understand that what I'm talking about is not exactly the relationship between temperature and plant species directly, but I have seen global warming in action, first hand, and it had an impact on the plants, which in turn impacted the overall aesthetic of the landscape.
You could also argue that even in the first map, Philly is probably still in the yellow because there's a little sliver of yellow in the corner of southeast PA. Regardless, temperature is going up in increments that have dramatic impacts on ecosystems, and if this trend continues, Philly will look the way South Carolina or Georgia looked back when we were kids (maybe it'll be under water too, who knows).
I can't see myself abandoning Philadelphia. I would be miserable. It just sucks because there are some things about it that really bother me. It makes it more complex when I consider that I'll be asking Eva to come with me when I know that she doesn't care about Philly (in fact, she thinks it's disgusting and horribly racist compared to west coast cities). So I'm basically asking her to sacrifice her comfort and some of her quality of life so that I can work on behalf of the city that I love. Objectively speaking, I would be asking her to expose herself to a far higher risk of being the victim of violent crime than if we moved to another city. What a horrible thing if that were to happen after we moved there. Even without knowing whether it would have happened elsewhere, I would immediately feel responsible. It's not simple, it messes with me. But in the end, I can't see myself anywhere else.
When one thinks about places to live, an obvious question is, "which one is best for me?" But I believe that people that ask that question, and then move on the basis of the answer, are merely benefiting without contributing, or if they are contributing, they're contributing to something that's already good and doesn't need their help as much as somewhere else. That isn't to say that they are behaving badly, they just aren't exhibiting a certain kind of virtue. Who were the people that made that place great in the first place? I admire those people. Every place started out as nothing, and it took people who were committed and decided to stay, even though there was somewhere else that may have been better at the time** And through their hard work, that place that they stayed maybe became the new hot place several years later that everyone moved to. What was Dante's quote? The hottest places in hell are reserved for those that stand by in times of crisis? Something like that. Philadelphia is in crisis (so are many other American cities). I would consider it standing by if I were to move to Manhattan or London for the sake of my own comfort of living. I mean, downtown Annapolis has a pretty high standard of living, probably higher than most places in Philadelphia. But I'm going home, and I want to give a significant portion of my life to increasing its greatness to the extent that I'm able.
Yeah the thing about BF's infidelity and his generally shameful domestic deeds...I'm aware of all that and I doubt I would do it. I don't think it's in my nature. I also probably won't shamelessly self-promote the way he did (in all likelihood, you won't find Chris Horne's Olde Philadelphia Style Root Beer sodas at the convenience store across the street from Betsy Ross's house in 300 years...but maybe I will have designed the building!).
**actually, regarding my thing about the genesis of "great cities": my argument seems unconvincing to me. I bet it often happens more organically, as in, people don't choose to move to a city for the purpose of making it great, but rather, they move out of necessity or because of opportunity, and then it becomes great because it attracted all of those people and became a setting for prosperity building activity. HOWEVER, I do know this: wealthy, educated people have fled the city of Philadelphia for the last 50 years, and it has damaged the city. This is bad. I don't know whether them leaving was morally wrong or not, but it makes the city worse. All I meant to say above is that I respect the person that stays, even if it gets a little rough. Didn't Comcast decide against leaving Philly at the last minute, even though they would have easily made more money elsewhere, in a place with a less oppressive tax structure? I don't know the details, but I think that was a calculated sacrifice for the good of the city.
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