And now a word from the climate scientist - We are screwed.

Ice Melt, Sea Level Rise, and Super Storms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP-cRqCQRc8

I don't always agree with Dr. Hansen on the social, economic and political factors and remedies because they oversimplify the complexity of these variables in actually being able to address and adapt to the situations. But as a climate scientist I respect what he has to say. This is worth the time it takes to listen to it. 

The concepts are fairly well developed and for folks who don't quite grasp all the technical aspects of climate modeling - in short what he is saying is that the models predicting climate change have a longer time horizon than reality seems to have. 

In other words, severe impacts of climate change are happening faster and sooner than anticipated, or we are screwed.

#1 Preparing your Go Bag - Part 1

The idea behind a "go bag" is to have a bag of personal items that you want to take with you in the event that you need to leave your home in an emergency situation. The military has these, also known as bug out bags. But essentially if you had to leave your home in a matter of moments, what do you need to be able to survive?

First, why would you need to leave your home and what does that have to do with climate change adaptation?

Good question. The impacts of climate change can be disasters that strike suddenly and with little warning. This can include: floods, forest fires, sudden power outages due to storms, infrastructure collapse (more on that to come), sudden contagious illnesses, civil unrest,  Donald Trump actually becoming president. The list goes on. The point is, you need to be prepared to go quickly and it's reassuring knowing you have a "go bag" ready.

So what goes in your "go bag"?

If you google "go bag", you will find a lot of recommendations, some from natural disaster preparedness sites, some from government agencies, some from "preppers"/survivalists, some from people planning to go sight seeing. 

For now, let's assume we are looking at the first two categories. The survivalist go bag is a good idea, depending on the threat level. We can always upscale as needed. The sight seeing go bag is great for sight seeing tourist, but those won't be enough, likely.

For each family member you should pack an individual bag for each person to carry. Assume you may get separated so don't leave everything with one person.

Some key things you need to have in your go bag:

• Copies of your important documents (health, home, care, and life insurance caazrds, house deed, photo IDs, passport, bank information, cell phone number, photo, and descriptions of each family member, including pets, physician contact information, family contact information, list of family member medications, general medical records and vaccination records for all family members) in a waterproof container. This can be a ziplock bag inside another ziplock bag. Do not assume having all these in your email or on your phone will work. You may need hard copies. Go ahead and do that now.
• Cash - up to about $300 in small bills, more or less. Have it in the local currency if you live abroad, or travel abroad. You may want to have more cash on hand, but for the "go bag" this should be enough. (Kids could have less money in their bags, but should have some cash. The amount should be based on age and responsibility.)
• A first aid kit with medicines you (and family members including pets) MUST take regularly. Include pain medicine, both aspirin/NSAIDs and tylenol. Multivitamins and supplements may be nice to have on hand, but in an emergency, you don't want to carry too much. You may want some pro-bitotics if your stomach is sensitive. Also, if you have anyone in the family with serious allergies, please keep an up-to-date epi-pen in your "go bag". 
• Phone charger, including cords, and hand crank or solar powered charger unit, ideally with a radio function.
• A flashlight - high efficiency if possible. 
• Granola bars/power bars/etc. each person should have at least 5-6
• Water bottle - sterilized, full, and refillable. Make the bottle durable - metal or nalgene are good.
• Dry dog/cat food for your pets - depends on size of the animal but enough for 2-3 days, in a sealed ziplock bag. 
• Collapsable water bowl 
• A full change of comfortable clothes, including socks and underwear - focus on durable, and comfortable first. Fashion doesn't matter much in an apocalypse.
• A towel - because the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is right - always take a towel. You can use it for a blanket, a towel, a ground cloth, etc. It doesn't have to be a big fluffy towel - but something with a little heft.
• A plastic poncho to use as a tarp, rain protection, ground cover etc.
• Strong nylon rope - at least 20 feet to use for everything and anything.
• Bungee cords - again 2-3 are useful for everything. 
• A bandana - because you can use them for EVERYTHING also. And they look really cool.
• A can opener - because you may need one. Please, only hand held. NOT electric.
• A full cigarette lighter - because you may want to light something on fire, plus if you cut the nylon rope, it will fray if you don't burn the ends to seal it.
• A swiss army knife - this should be obvious. No really. Please do not ask me to explain this... Unless you really need me to. 
• A deck of cards - because you will get bored at some point. 
• What else? Seriously, please add your suggestions.

No two bags are exactly the same, but:

Just a note on what sort of "go bag" you should use. 

This is good:

This, not so much. Don't be stupid. No one could outrun zombies or hike for 5 miles in this. No. Just  No. 

I don't care how good you look in heels, and love your rolling carry on-bag, we are talking disaster preparedness, not a trip to New York City. No one else should have to carry your bag over ground it won't role over and those shoes...? Lovely, but not practical in an emergency, or for long hikes over uneven ground.

Okay, now to be honest, I do not have a "go bag" prepared for myself, as of 3 February 2016. But, I promise I will do it, and let you know how long it takes.

Do you have one? 

What's in it? Or what will be?

Living in the End Times - February 1, 2016

For much of human history we have been entertained by the notion that we are living in "The End Times"

It makes us feel special. It makes us unique. It makes us matter. And it makes life a little less boring, really, when it comes down to it. 

And historically speaking we really think, or thought, we were living at the end. For example: 

• 50 years ago it was the Cold War. The specter of Nuclear War was serious apocalyptic scariness.
• Just about 100 years ago, the global economy first collapsed after World War I. Seriously nasty grim times.
• 150 years ago, in the US, the Civil War was ending. More US soldiers were brutally killed in that war than in all other US wars combined. An entire civilization had to be reordered. Man's inhumanity to man as on out door step. Again, not a great time.

Plagues, Famines, War, it is all there, and has been over and over. 

And every generation seems to have a narrative about how they will be "the last".

Usually, that has not quite been the case, though we've had to make some serious adjustments in how we manage, how we function as individuals and communities. We suffered losses, and horrible sorrows. And yet, we, as a species, have survived.

Climate change is easily apocalyptic too. When we look at the threats we will face our own survival can seem insurmountable. 

But like our history shows, we are amazingly adaptable as a species. 
We can adapt to this too. We may have deaths, sorrows, horrible conditions and losses (This would be why they call it "an apocalypse" people.) But with preparation, ingenuity, and hard work, we have a chance. 

Not everyone will make it. With our species exploding population on the planet, population dynamics suggest not everyone should survive, in principle. The carrying capacity of the planet is being seriously overstretched. 

And Mother Nature will win this. Have no doubt. Because she always does.

To us it is an apocalypse. To her, it is a shift. Our apocalypse is her rebalancing. 
That is terrifying. 
That is serious.
That is coming.
We will see it. 

We need to be ready. 

That I am posting this today, the data of the Iowa Caucasus, is only a little bit ironic. 
And this topic - of apocalypses and Mother Natures, is something I'll spend some time on here on this blog. So we can be prepared. 

Coming up next:
Packing your "go bag": The first step in being prepared

*Graphics from:
http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/52f9178d-00a3-4c1f-a7b9-14976b33ca7d/3b07446d-9570-4275-93f5-47a55d56d9b6.jpg