Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2019)
6A | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019 | SIUSLAW NEWS What is most striking is that the majority of the warming has occurred in the past 35 years, with the five warmest years on re- cord taking place since 2010. Not only was 2016 the warmest year on record, but eight of the 12 months that make up the year (January through September), with the exception of June, were the warmest on record for those respective months. Data for more recent years is not yet tabulated but initial data models for the past few years continue this trend. CLIMATE from page 1A COURTESY PHOTO Micahel Allen (left) with his wife, Pat Allen, protest in front of Florence City Hall. tion campaign by attending city functions, most notably at local city council meet- ings, and is also committed to protesting at City Hall each Friday, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., as part of the Cli- mate Strike with his signs. To date, Allen has been at city hall with his signs — rain or shine — each week since the first Climate Strike rally on Sept. 20 — including one visit during a City Council meeting on July 15. “Others have joined me with their signs, and we have committed to staying the course until we have a positive response from our mayor and city council,” said Allen. “In the mean- time, I am circulating my original request to others in the community for the mayor and city council to address the climate crisis and will again present it at a public meeting at some time in the future.” The National Aeronau- tics and Space Adminis- tration’s (NASA) is one of the most highly regarded group of scientists in the world. NASA has an ex- pansive toolbox consisting of the most advanced sci- entific equipment in exis- tence, decades of long-term experimental data and the most advanced computer software for environmen- tal modeling available in the world. All of these tools have led NASA to conclude the Earth is heating up sig- nificantly and humans are the reason for the increase. For example, one impact of these changes can be seen in the decreasing numbers and size of glaciers around the planet. There is visual evidence of this diminution available for public viewing on the website of the United States Geological Service, (USGS) under the tab, “Re- peat Photography Project.” As part of the project, the USGS went back through its extensive archives of photographic materials and selected photographs taken at number of major glaciers during the last century and compared these previous images to images captured recently. The changes in the size and volume of the gla- ciers were dramatic. There were dozens of examples gathered by the USGS that show conclusively that ma- jor reductions — and in some cases the total loss — of glaciers is occurring. troubling decreases in bi- valve populations such as oysters and mussels. The topic was discussed during the recent Oregon Coastal Caucus Economic Summit and data presented during the panel discussion shows that the increase in salinity and acidity was responsible for the dramatic reduction in oysters during recent years. According to NASA’s website, the planet’s aver- “Warming of the climate age surface temperature has system is unequivocal, risen about 1.62 degrees and since the 1950s, many Fahrenheit since the late of the observed changes 19th century. This change are unprecedented over has been driven largely by decades to millennia. increased carbon dioxide The atmosphere and and other human-made ocean have warmed, the emissions being vented into amounts of snow and ice the atmosphere according have diminished, and sea to NASA scientists. level has risen.” —Intergovernmental Pan- el on Climate Change. OPEN ENROLLMENT Mo’s Old Town, Florence • Daily 11 am - 8 pm Serving Bowls of comfort for Over 50 Years In Part II of this spe- cial series this Saturday, we’ll look at the arguments against the notion of climate change, and what ultimately what can be done to curtail the current trends of global warming and its impact. The first step to better hearing? I WILL HEAR Getting your hearing tested by the ONLY doctors of audiology in Florence. Call today to start your year off right! BETTER HEARING THIS YEAR of Florence ASSOCIATES 541.991.4475 1901 Hwy 101, Ste A Florence HearingAssociatesOfFlorence.com | Doctors of Audiology FEARLESS IS KNOWING YOU HAVE THE RIGHT MEDICARE PLAN Choose a plan that gives you the service, reliability and value you expect. With a wide variety of Medicare plans to choose from, you can have: Premiums as low as $0 $0 prescription deductible (generic tiers) $0 primary care copay Dental, vision and hearing benefits $0 medical deductible Chiropractic and massage benefits $0 annual physical exam Acupuncture and naturopathy benefits $0 fitness membership Over-the-counter drug allowance Call to schedule an appointment or for more information Call to schedule an appointment or for more information Abel Insurance Agency Abel Insurance Agency 875 Hwy 101, Florence, OR 97439 541-997-3466 875 Hwy. 101, Florence, OR 97439 • 541-997-3466 Licensed independent agent for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. Licensed independent agent for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. LIVE FEARLESS Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association REGENCE.COM/MEDICARE REG-110336-19/09-OR1-AEP ©2019 Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon Regence is an HMO/PPO/PDP plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Regence depends on contract renewal. Regence complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-800-541-8981 (TTY: 711).ͩNj졿ƧưǷ̹ůɄġNJ뼷ǷĻŗы͘ȦīДҶՎ˖Ө뼶ɐٍǖ 1-800-541-8981 (TTY: 711). Y0062_AGFLR20_M Where good friends & great food come together! APPETIZER SPECIAL THIS WEEK Baked Brie with chanterelles, hot from the pizza oven, accompanied by an arugula and pear salad drizzled with local honey. Mo’s Restaurant H OMEMADE MARIONBERRY OR PEACH COBBLER $4.95 ADD ICE CREAM FOR $1.00 hile Oregon’s Wash- ington delegation has acknowledged the va- lidity of the public’s grow- ing concern over climate change, the Florence City Council has remained mostly silent on the issue. Rep. Peter Defazio, Chair- man of The House Trans- portation and infrastruc- ture Committee, recently A Your guide to great locally owned restaurants. and for dessert... W ENDS DEC 7 nother aspect of this discussion, of which there are many, is the im- pact rising temperatures have on the ocean. NASA reports that the oceans have absorbed much of the in- creased heat from warming and the top 2,300 feet of the ocean have risen by one half a degree since 1969. Yet another concern re- garding the oceans is the rise in acidity that has taken place in the last century. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion (NOAA). This increase is the re- sult of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year. These increases have been directly connected to Local Eats BEER BATTERED HALIBUT FISH AND CHIPS $17.95 “Climate change is a terrible problem, and it absolutely needs to be solved. It deserves to be a huge priority.” —Bill Gates 8 201 We appreciate you! Fall is a great time for locals to enjoy Surfside Restaurant and the magnifi cent ocean view! To say thank you for being or becoming a customer we’d like to reward you with our Loyalty Card. Come pick up yours today! Drift wood Shores Resort 88416 1st Avenue, Florence VOTED OPEN EVERY DAY 11am Reservations • Take Out 1285 Bay Street Old Town Florence (541) 902-8338 F BEST O E climate issue on a global stage was prompted in late September when Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg spoke at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. Thunberg garnered world- wide media attention with her strident denouncement of the attention being paid to what she, and others, be- lieve should be referred to as a genuine “Climate Cri- sis.” “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones,” Thunberg said at the summit. “People are suffer- ing. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction — and all you can talk about is mon- ey and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you.” Thunberg’s condemna- tion of the current actions being undertaken to com- bat the climate crisis once again thrust science and the veracity of scientists into the media spotlight. The response across the world and in Florence to the comments by Thunberg has re-ignited the often-conten- tious debate surrounding the changes in the environ- ment caused by human ac- tivity and prompted some local residents to take to the streets with their concerns. Demonstrations on the cor- ner of Ninth Avenue and the intersections of highways 126 and 101 are part of the strategy being employed by local activists to raise public awareness about the urgen- cy to take concrete action to reverse the degradation of the environment before the damage is irreversible. Mike Allen is a member of the Florence Climate Al- liance, which has stepped up its activities since Thun- berg’s appearance and plans to take a more confronta- tional stance as the topic becomes a staple in the de- bates leading up to the 2020 Presidential election. “Greta Thunberg … set an example of how one per- son through persistence and direct action can mobilize an entire world,” Allen said, who comes from a back- ground of community or- ganizing around disability issues in Colorado and New Mexico. “With my daughter, who has an intellectual dis- ability, we effectively used direct action when those in power refused to listen and act on our demands. I am now convinced that we have reached that stage in America when change will only come when we take direct action directed at the powerful. This includes our mayor.” Allen said he is also will- ing to step up his direct-ac- introduced and passed leg- islation that would allocate $1.6 million to combat cli- mate change in Oregon. The money was awarded to Oregon State University and National Oceanic and NOAA, and Defazio said he is determined to work towards finding some type of solution to what he has called the “Climate Crisis.” “C omb att i ng c l i m at e change is one of the most important battles of our time. It is imperative we support initiatives that work toward reducing carbon emissions, combating rising sea levels and investing in renewable energy,” DeFazio said in a statement released last week. “The climate-re- lated research happening at OSU will benefit com- munities across the country and will better prepare us to face the greatest existential threat to our planet that we have ever known.” F LO E N C R Pizza Pasta Seafood www.1285Restobar.com