Consider sailors facing offshore knockdowns or transiting inlets with breaking waves. For me, that knockdown occurred aboard a friend’s Pearson (named Sauvage) while I helmed her offshore in big seas and fierce winds. My bad steering and our main sail control device caused Sauvage to roll severely onto her side. Fortunately, an instinctive response on both our parts quickly put her back on her feet with only damage to our pride and underwear.

Such frightening, awe-inspiring, experiences indelibly shape sailors’ future performance. Surviving these challenges hones skills that can be called upon again, proving the undeniable effect of experience.

The idea of a stable, immutable “self” is seductive, offering comfort in a chaotic world — a fixed “I” untouched by life’s triumphs and tragedies. This manifests in phrases like “I’m just not that kind of person,” or “That’s just the way I am.” However, this perspective is a comforting fiction that collapses under neurological, psychological and philosophical scrutiny. We are, inescapably, the sum total of our life experiences; our identity is not a sculpture but a river, continuously shaped by and meandering through every event from birth to death.

Biologically, the brain is not a pre-wired, static organ but a dynamic landscape sculpted by neuroplasticity. Every sensation, learned fact, emotional shock (including knockdowns!), and practiced skill physically alters the brain’s structure. Synapticconnections strengthen with repetition, new neural pathways are forged in learning, and unused connections wither away. The New York City Uber driver who memorizes the city’s labyrinthine streets develops a larger hippocampus. The violinist who practices for decades has a motor cortex tailored to their fingers’ movements.

Traumatic experiences can rewire the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, leaving lasting imprints on fear response and emotional regulation. The brain does not merely process experience; it becomes its experiences. To suggest a core self exists independently of this ever-changing substrate is to advocate for dualism — a “ghost in the machine”— that modern neuroscience does not support.

Psychologically, experience is equally definitive. Foundational theories of developmental psychology that I recall from an undergraduate elective, from Piaget’s cognitive stages to Erikson’s psychosocial stages, are built on the premise that we are constructed through our interactions with the world. A child consistently nurtured and encouraged develops trust and autonomy; one criticized or neglected may internalize shame or self-doubt.

These are not preordained traits but forged conclusions from countless micro-interactions. Our beliefs, values and prejudices are not downloaded at birth. They are absorbed from parents, culture, friends, and media. A person raised in a homogeneous community may hold certain assumptions, radically challenged and reshaped when exposed to new people and places. The “self” holding those initial assumptions is fundamentally altered by new experience, proving our worldview is not a fixed lens but a collage assembled from everything we have sensed.

A simple thought experiment illustrates this: Imagine identical twins separated at birth. Genetically indistinguishable, they possess the same raw potential. One is raised in a stable, intellectually stimulating home, the other in poverty and instability. To claim their “core selves” would be the same is absurd. One might become a confident academic, the other a resilient survivor, their personalities, aspirations, fears, and cognitive patterns diverging dramatically based solely on their lived histories. Their identities are products of their distinct journeys.

The counterargument points to temperament or genetic predispositions. It’s true we are not blank slates; we enter the world with certain biological wiring. An infant may naturally be more introverted or irritable. But temperament is not destiny, it is the raw material upon which experience works. A cautious temperament, met with supportive parenting, may develop into a prudent adult. The same temperament instead shaped by trauma could solidify into anxiety. Genetic predisposition is the seed, but experiences are the soil, sun, rain and storms that determine the tree’s final form.

Clinging to the fallacy of an immutable self is intellectually dishonest and existentially limiting. It allows us to abdicate responsibility for our own growth with excuses like, “I can’t change who I am,” or, “What does something from decades ago matter?” It fosters prejudice by essentializing others, seeing flaws or differences as inherent rather than products of unique journeys. Conversely, embracing the idea that we are our experiences is empowering and humbling. It means we are never finished. Every new book, conversation, failure, and act of courage participates in the creation of who we are becoming.

We are walking histories. Every memory, scar, lesson learned and joy felt is a thread woven into the tapestry of our identity. To claim there is a “true self” hiding behind this tapestry is to miss the point the tapestry itself is the self. We are not statues revealed by the chisel of experience; we are the cumulative layers of the chisel’s marks. Our life experiences are not merely events we pass through; they are the very substance from which we are made.

To believe otherwise is to ignore the beautiful, relentless, and ongoing construction that becomes “us.”

erialJohn Cronin is a Shelter Island Reporter columnist.

The post Guest Spot: The tapestry of self appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Of course, government shutdowns are never good, but we’ve been through similar events and many of us — unless we’re not being paid — have become a little “Ob-la-di, ob-lada” about them.

But during one particular shutdown, pandemonium ensued. At least on Shelter Island. It was the fall of ’95, right before Thanksgiving. On the first day of the shutdown, Shelter Island was thrown into turmoil, but not over what was happening in the government. Our own version of “shock and awe” occurred at 2 Grand Ave., aka Louie’s Barber Shop, on Nov. 14, 1995, and I had a front-row seat.

Back then,I did my writing in an office next to Louie’s. Not just next to it, but attached. My space and the barber shop were like conjoined twins.I’m sure Louie paid no attention to what happened at my half of the conjoinment, but I never stopped watching what was going on over there. And during that government shutdown,that shock and awe was compounded by calamity, chaos and some downright shaggy-looking men.

My window faced the sidewalk to the shop and I’d stare out, mulling, because that’s what writers do when we don’t feel like writing. However, staring and mulling did help me conjure up a murder mystery and about four newspaper columns — five if we count this one.

The shutdown started on a Tuesday, always a busy day at a barber shop that’s closed on Sunday and Monday. I sat at my desk, mulling, and watched an older gentleman walk toward the barber’s door. Nothing unusual — it happened at least a dozen times a day.

But this guy stopped at my window. I assumed he was waiting for someone to exit the shop. But no one did. He just stood there as if frozen, arms dangling by his side, eyes wide, mouth hanging open, like, “Huh?”

It was as if he was pretending to be a statue. But why? Only little kids do that, not old men. Then it dawned on me: He wasn’t pretending to be a statue. This guy was having a stroke.

Fortunately, I’d read an article about what to do if someone had a stroke. It was the Reader’s Digest condensed version, further condensed because Inever finished the article. But a little help is better than none, right?

Before I could get to the door another man showed up and as it turned out, medical intervention was not necessary. The first man spontaneously recovered and started talking and pointing at the front of the barber shop. Then they stood still and stared, both of them, frozen, but I wasn’t falling for that again. After several minutes, they left.

Of course I went outside to see what had caused that near stroke and collective consternation. There it was, handwritten, all caps: BARBER SHOP CLOSED!!! ON VACATION!!! SEE YOU IN THREE WEEKS!!! While the rest of the country dealt with the government shutdown, Shelter Island was rocked by its own crisis. Each day, progressively shaggierlooking men walked up that narrow sidewalk. They would stop and stare in disbelief. They just couldn’t get over it.

Sometimes they’d open the screen and try the door knob. Still locked. One or two of them even rapped on the glass pane. Hard! The knock of desperate men whose wives told them at the end of Octobwwwwer to “please!” get their hair cut.

Some were accompanied by their wives. That first guy, the one who didn’t have a stroke? He showed up the next day with his wife and pointed to the sign. She had her hands on her hips and her mouth was drawn into such a tight, angry line, her lips disappeared. (Mulling writers notice those things.)

When her lips reappeared, I could read them. She said, “Ya big dope! I told ya last week to get your hair cut. But did you listen? Nooo.”

That government shutdown lasted four days, but here the pandemonium continued. For three weeks I watched as dozens of men stopped short at the door of the barber shop. Some came a couple times a day. A few cursed. Groups of them would gather in a row, like sullen crows on a fence. Unshorn and forlorn, they’d stare at that sign. They’d wander off only to reconvene the next day and the day after that.

Following that short shutdown, the government went into another, even longer shutdown. But by then, it didn’t matter here because the lights were on at 2 Grand Ave. Louie was back and, once again, all was right with the world… At least our world.

Joanne Sherman is a Shelter Island resident and longtime contributor to Times Review.

The post Guest Column: Shutdown appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

What? You had Danish and bacon for breakfast, chicken nuggets and fries for lunch and plan on beers and pizza-with-extra-cheese with the gang for dinner? And who is that evil person who left black-and-white cookies on the kitchen counter? Don’t they know you’ve become a healthy, weight-conscious person?

What happened? Well, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone in making the effort. According to research conducted by Boston Medical Center, 45 million Americans go on a diet every year and spend up to $33 million on magic food and other products that will supposedly make them slim.

The problem with weight is an American plague. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than two-thirds of U.S. adults are considered overweight or obese. It’s no wonder so many of us are trying to drop a few pounds, but the success rate is abysmal. 

As Jackie Gleason (aka, “The Great One” — and not just for his fame) said: “The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day, you’re off it.” 

And for those who stick it out for two weeks or more, and then fall hard for bagels and bacon cheeseburgers, failure can be even more discouraging.

No fun? No gain

New Year’s resolutions on dieting, getting on an exercise program or changing your daily routine in any way can be setting sail in calm waters that quickly turn into stormy seas. 

As Dr. Anthonette Desire wrote a few years back in her “The Doctor Is In” column for the Shelter Island Reporter, “I once resolved to attend spin classes. It looked like fun. There I was, in class, in January, in the front row, when the instructor made the side comment that there will be room in the class by February. As factual as that was (that was my last class), how we think about our resolutions can make all the difference.”

Dr. Desire suggests setting “S.M.A.R.T.” goals, as in “choosing to accomplish something that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.” 

And with these markers in mind, it’s essential that you take the prison-sentence aspect out of your resolutions. “We develop bad habits because they are enjoyable,” Dr. Desire wrote. “Use enjoyment for something good.” She cited a study that concluded “that contrary to popular belief, only enjoyment predicted long-term persistence. It didn’t matter how important your goal was. Instead, what really mattered was how much pleasure you received from your initial efforts.”

Opening the door for yourself

Columnist Nancy Green, a social worker and a member of the Shelter Island health and wellness committee, looks at January promises to yourself with as cold an eye as Dr. Desire. 

“Most New Year’s resolutions dissolve somewhere around Jan. 10,” Ms. Green said. “The gym is very busy that first week of the year, as is Weight Watchers.” 

She questions the whole idea of resolutions, because the result of not keeping a promise to yourself can often lead to frustration and humiliation.

But do not abandon all hope, Ms. Green said. “There’s something about New Year’s resolutions that is inherently hopeful,” she added. “The implication is that we will do better, and we will be better. A resolution can denote a real self-improvement vow, such as visit Mom more often, or try to listen better.”

Anything that opens a door to self-reflection is a true gift to yourself, Ms. Green said, “and may be the first step toward positive change. It just needs to survive past January and into the spring to become real.”

Getting serious about dieting

Registered dietitian-nutritionist Rachel Ezelius believes most diets are too complicated and just too difficult. “Like anything, when the change is too extreme, it’s almost impossible to be successful,” she said, offering the example of someone who’s never seriously run suddenly entering a marathon. “It’s unlikely you can go out the next day and run 26.2 miles successfully.”

A crash diet really can lead to a crash, Ms. Ezelius added, so start by giving yourself a good talking-to, and accept that there will be difficult days ahead. Also, seek professional help.

“Let’s say you had a Porsche, but it badly needed work on the engine,” Ms. Ezelius said. “I don’t think you’d YouTube it to try and fix it yourself. Same with your body, which is your most valuable possession.”

Your own best friend

Dori Fortunato is also a skeptic when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. “For most of us, they bring much unnecessary expectation, which inevitably comes with resistance and then ultimate failure to meet our own self-proclaimed goals,” said Ms. Fortunato, who’s written a health and wellness column, “Be well with Dori” for our papers, and is a doctor of acupuncture and herbal studies. “Yet, we all desire to look forward with positivity and create new possibilities.”

She believes in starting small and winnowing down your goals. To improve yourself, find one subtraction in your daily life, one addition and one accomplishment. “You’ll probably find that adding something you desire, automatically down the line subtracts something you no longer want, which will inevitably lead you to new accomplishments.”

Most importantly, Ms. Fortunato advises that you cut yourself some slack. “Don’t analyze or criticize yourself,” she said. “Forgive yourself when you do. Learn to be kind to yourself and your process. If you don’t, who will?”

Okay? Ready? Good luck. And good health in 2025.

Ambrose Clancy is the editor of the Shelter Island Reporter. He can be reached at a.clancy@sireporter.com.

The post Guest Column: How to make resolutions stick appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Q – On Jan. 13, the North Fork saw tides that, to some, equaled or were higher than during Superstorm Sandy. Is this a one-off situation that we may not see again? Or, more critically, is this the future?

A – Unfortunately, the future will see an increasing number of flooding events due to sea level rise. The current measured sea level rise we are experiencing is caused by global warming, which is unequivocally caused by human activities. Sea levels will rise indefinitely until global warming stops.

Q – What made this tide so high? There was a new moon on Jan. 11, and the next full moon is the 24th? Why was this so high?

A – I was surprised by the degree of flooding we saw here in Southold Town. I believe we are seeing the ocean’s response to absorbing a record amount of heat in 2023, which saw a huge jump over previous years. Last year, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the oceans soaked up 9 to 15 “zettajoules” of heat more than 2022. One “zettajoule” of energy is roughly equivalent to 10 times the electricity generated worldwide in a year. Absorbing that amount of heat causes thermal expansion of the oceans. As ocean waters warm, they expand slightly, lifting global sea levels.

Q – What does the science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tell us about sea level rise here in the Atlantic that will impact the Peconic Bay system? How much has it risen? Over what period of time? What science is used to show sea level rise?

A – According to the Environmental Protection Agency, global sea levels, on average, have increased by 10 inches since 1880. Regarding projected future sea level rise, NOAA’s 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report, states: “Sea level along the U.S. coastline is projected to rise, on average, 10 to 12 inches in the next 30 years (2020 to 2050), which will be as much as the rise measured over the last 100 years.” On the U.S. East Coast, the sea is rising about 1 inch every 3 years. Two methods are used to measure sea level rise: tide gauges and satellite altimeters.

Q – What are the best science-based predictions on sea level rise in the coming years? What is causing this rise?

A – Future sea level rise depends entirely on human emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. Again, to quote NOAA, “Current and future emissions matter. About 2 feet of sea level rise along the U.S. coastline is increasingly likely between 2020 and 2100 because of emissions to date. Failing to curb future emissions could cause an additional 1.5 to 5 feet of rise for a total of 3.5 to 7 feet by the end of the century.”

Four factors are driving sea level rise, and three are increasing as a direct result of global warming. First, the oceans are absorbing heat at a record rate, which causes thermal expansion — the waters of the oceans are expanding pushing up sea levels. Second, melting polar ice caps are adding water to the oceans; more water, higher tides. Third, the East and Gulf Coasts are sinking, a process called rebound subsidence caused by the melting of mile-thick continental ice sheets that covered North America during the last glaciation. Finally, the “Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation,” an ocean current that includes the Gulf Stream, is slowing, which allows water to pile up along the coastline. 

Q – Due to our geography, the North Fork seems particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and tides like we saw on that recent Saturday. Are there areas of the North Fork, from Riverhead to Orient, that are particularly vulnerable?

A – All low lying areas are vulnerable — the rising seas play no favorites. NOAA has produced a very interesting interactive sea level rise map that allows the reader to enter a location, such as Southold Town, and then adjust the amount of sea level rise to see the areas inundated. 

See: coast.noaa.gov/slr.

Q – With climate change, what are your worries about the future?

A – I am deeply concerned about the future of sea level rise until the global community takes serious action to curb emissions of carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases). Current emissions of carbon dioxide increase the atmospheric concentration of CO2, which causes global warming. And, again, global warming drives sea level rise. As long as human emissions increase the atmospheric concentration of CO2, the Earth will continue to warm. 

This is not an opinion, it is a fact of nature that applies to any Earth-like planet anywhere in the universe. The only way to stop sea level rise is to stop emissions of CO2. According to climate scientists, to hold global warming to the Paris Accord goal of “well below 2C (3.6F) degrees” we must cut CO2 emissions in half by 2050, and cut emissions to net zero by 2100. “Net zero” means any CO2 added to the atmosphere by, for example, necessary industrial processes, must be offset by removing an equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere.

The post Guest column: Why we can expect higher tides to come appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Juneteenth wasn’t anything new for her and African Americans in Texas and across the nation. It had been a long-held celebration since Gen. Gordon Granger and the Union army arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln signed on Jan. 1, 1863, declaring all slaves in the rebel-held states to be “forever free.” 

This news, however, took two and half years to reach Galveston, where Granger marched through the streets to deliver the news: “The people are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights of property, between masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, become that between employer and hired labor. The freed are advised to remain at their homes, and work for wages.” 

At the time, more than 250,000 Black people were still enslaved in Texas. Copies of the ordinances were posted in public places and at the Negro Church on Broadway in Galveston, renamed the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. And the enslaved acknowledged their freedom with great joy and jubilation. 

The first major celebration was held June 19, 1866, by the freedmen of Galveston. The aptly named “Jubilee Day” was celebrated with drinks and food at picnics, where people played games and music and danced. In addition to celebrating freedom and cultural heritage, this was a day to learn about their rights as American citizens, grass roots politics, voter registration and the importance of education. It wasn’t until the 1890s that Juneteenth became the official name of this holiday, honoring the day when the news of the “forever free” was finally heard by thousands of enslaved people in Galveston. 

Since it took 2.5 years for the news to spread from Washington, D.C., to Galveston, Texas, Opal Lee decided in September 2016 that she would walk 2.5 miles to raise awareness of the holiday that had mainly been celebrated by African Americans. “Juneteenth is a day of remembrance for all people, not just for the descendants of American slaves,” she famously said. “People need to know that it’s not a Black thing, or a Texas thing. Freedom is for everybody; if it’s not, we’re not free.”

In 2019, Ms. Lee, then 90,decided to walk the 1,400 miles from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, all the way to Washington, D.C., hoping “somebody would notice a little old lady in tennis shoes.”  

They did. As she made her way through the formerly Confederate states, walkers joined to support her, and more than 1.5 million people signed her Change.org petition in support of making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Two years later, on June 15, 2021, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill that makes Juneteenth a paid federal holiday. President Joseph Biden signed Juneteenth National Independence Day into law two days later. Ms. Opal Lee was there to witness this historic moment. 

Her optimism is even more admirable considering the racial violence she and her loved ones have experienced in this country: She was a child when a white mob vandalized and burned down her family’s Fort Worth home, which was in a predominantly white neighborhood, on June 19 — Juneteenth — in 1939. Threatened yet undaunted, her parents relocated and rebuilt their lives. She attended segregated schools and knew where to sit on public transportation to avoid trouble. 

Ms. Lee told The Fort Worth Star Telegram in a 2002 article that the public pool was opened to Black people on Juneteenth — and then drained and refilled for white people. She has experienced so much in her long life, including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2022. 

While she did not win the award, she did get her wish: Juneteenth is a federal holiday and “Ms. Opal Walks” continue to happen annually to raise awareness of the importance of this holiday for all Americans. As she has said, “No one is free until we’re all free.” And for that, we must all celebrate.

The Rev. Wimberly is pastor of Clinton Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Greenport.

The post Guest Column: Juneteenth’s path to a national holiday appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Guest columns are solely that writer’s opinion on a subject or subjects. The opinions expressed in a guest column are not the position of the paper, but rather the position of a writer who has taken the time to write out their views or concerns before submitting them to us.

Again, we appreciate those opinion pieces as they often reflect the views of many of our readers. We value your thoughts on a variety of subjects. Opinion pieces can range in length but work best at about 650 words. Longer can be challenging for us and shorter may work better as a letter to the editor, which are typically no more than 350 words in length.

Opinion pieces that we publish are often challenged by another reader, who may send in their own views on that topic in response. That’s fine. But only one response to a guest column is typically allowed. 

The process we follow for letters to the editor and guest columns fall along the same lines: Everything is read by an editor, who then forwards it to the copy desk. We reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity and to make changes to correct grammar, spelling and sentence structure. We don’t edit your opinions. We may ask you to clarify them, or say them in a different way, but otherwise they are the writer’s opinions.

As for your columns and letters, here is what we won’t publish: anything that is anonymous; anything that contains offensive personal attacks; anything that cites conspiracy theories as if they are accepted wisdom or makes specific accusations that are not verifiable. 

We can’t assign a reporter to fact check your column or letter, so making allegations or citing the sorts of inane conspiracy theories making the rounds on social media will not be published. We prefer letters and columns to be either emailed to editor@timesreview.com, or submitted digitally on our websites.

As with all of our content, we endeavor to be fair and transparent in selecting the opinion pieces we publish, and we appreciate your feedback and insights as we strive to be a trusted voice on the news and issues that matter to you most.

The post Editorial: Some ground rules for letters and guest columns appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

It‘s an indisputable, measured fact that the Earth has warmed by almost two degrees Fahrenheit since 1750. It’s also unequivocally true that this warming is caused by human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels. No serious, informed person disputes these facts — and facts are real; they exist whether you believe in them or not.

Scientists worldwide have warned us repeatedly that human emissions of greenhouse gases constitute a climate emergency. The physics is straightforward: Emissions of GHGs cause global warming, which causes climate change. Until emissions stop, Earth will continue to warm. Unfortunately, studies released this summer indicate that scientists may have underestimated the danger. 

Recently, the American Meteorological Society released its 2021 State of the Climate report, and the data is worrisome. According to the report, Earth’s atmospheric concentrations of GHGs (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) rebounded in 2021 to the highest levels on record. Ocean heat content and global sea level rise were the highest on record and Earth’s surface continued to warm, placing 2021 among the six warmest years on record.

Then, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report. NOAA projects that sea levels on the East Coast of the U.S. will rise 10 to14 inches in the next 30 years, which equals sea level rise over the last 100 years (1920-2020). Perhaps of greater concern is this quote: “Current and future emissions matter. About 2 feet of sea level rise along the U.S. coastline is increasingly likely between 2020 and 2100 because of emissions to date. Failing to curb future emissions could cause an additional 1.5-5 feet of rise for a total of 3.5-7 feet by the end of this century.” A potential total sea level rise of 3.5 to 7 feet by 2100 if emissions continue unabated? Wow!

Then, a study reported in Nature Climate Change notes that the Greenland ice sheet, currently one of the leading causes sea level rise, is in a state of partial collapse that will result in the melting of over 3%of the ice sheet. This massive ice loss is inevitable — even if we stopped all greenhouse gas emissions today. That much ice melt alone is capable of triggering nearly a foot of global sea level rise. Although the time frame of this melt is currently indefinite, the authors suggested that much of it could play out by 2100.

If that news isn’t bad enough, a report in Nature Briefing discusses a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. For years, scientists believed that the Arctic was warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. But the new study reports that “during the last 43 years the Arctic has been warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the globe. ” This is particularly disturbing because Arctic warming directly influences our weather, as well as two important amplifying feedback loops that intensify global warming: the ice-albedo feedback and the permafrost-melt feedback. As the Arctic warms, sea ice melts, exposing the darker ocean waters, reducing Earth’s albedo (reflectivity to solar radiation). Sea ice reflects about 90% of the sun’s radiation back to space without warming the Earth.

In contrast, the exposed ocean reflects less than 1% of solar radiation. This low albedo means the oceans absorb about 93% of incoming solar heat, causing additional global warming. The second feedback, melting permafrost (permanently frozen earth), exposes organic matter to decomposition by bacteria, releasing both carbon dioxide and methane, potent GHGs that intensify global warming.

Fearing apathy, I can’t help but think of the three monkeys sitting in a row covering their eyes, ears, and mouths. For too many Americans, those monkeys represent “see no facts; hear no facts; speak no facts.” But facts are real and no blindfold will prevent Earth from warming. The bill is coming due and you students are going to have to pay it. 

The good news: As soon as we reduce emissions of GHGs to net zero, global warming essentially stops. Net zero emissions means that any new emissions are balanced by GHGs removed from the atmosphere. Getting to net zero emissions in time to prevent a catastrophe in your lifetime requires the will and commitment to act. Students, the ball is in your court.

The post Guest Column: A climate change briefing for students appeared first on Riverhead News Review.