The Worst Air in the World

We had the worst air in the world yesterday here in Berkeley and the Bay Area.  Today is the 27th day in a row that we have had a “Spare the Air” day here.  These are days when the air quality is so bad that we are requested/required not to do anything that might contribute to further air pollution, like the Smog Alerts I remember from my youth in Los Angeles in the 1950’s.  Yesterday visibility was measured in yards, not miles.  We are to do as little driving as possible and of course, no fires.  The previous record was 14 days in a row in 2018 from the Camp Fire that burned up the town of Paradise.  After the strange and apocalyptic orange air on Wednesday, the air has been particularly awful, filled with so much smoke that has dropped ash all around.  Looking out yesterday (the air quality index was in the high 260’s —very unhealthy air) the air was a visible gray thick with smog (smoke plus fog) that burned your eyes and made it hurt to breathe.  I was paralyzed most of the day, sitting still, not having energy or focus to do much of anything.  Thank goodness I could take a nap.  

The fires in California have burned up more than 3 million acres this year and the fire season is just officially beginning.  Oregon and Washington are burning too.  Maybe it’s worse up there.  There are reports of whole towns burning up.  There is no doubt conditions are worse in the West than they have ever been.  One climate change event triggers another and they are acting like a positive feedback loop with more and more fires burning hotter and faster than ever before.  The news said the catastrophes are falling like a line of dominoes, one on the other, amplifying their effects.  It is totally scary.  It’s affecting us all and for me the horror is that I have no control whatever.  We seem to be just reacting to the changes that affect us all.  Climate change demands us to take drastic actions in our life styles to combat it. As Gov. Newsom said, “if you have any doubts about climate change, come to California, we’re living it now.  It’s a climate damn emergency!”  We need leadership.  We need to stop thinking in just the short term immediate future, but make changes to prevent any future warming.  Greta Thunberg where are you?  Driving a Prius isn’t enough.  I must stop flying.  Demand the government organize our country to change it’s energy use.  This crisis has my attention and I want to do something constructive before California totally burns up.