ResearchWhat Are You Reading...On Weather

What Are You Reading…On Weather

Here in Fond Du Lac, WI, December 4 has officially become the day of the first snow. I woke to it at 9am this morning, when the first flurries were coming down, and it has since turned into a full blown snowstorm. Already I have seen various responses to it. A friend mentioned it disparagingly in an email while my neighbor’s kids are hard at work building a snowman. And my cat is officially frustrated at being unable to go outside.

Clearly the weather plays an important role in who we are, how we feel, and what we do. This point was emphasized to me this morning by trained Shaman Myron Eshowsky, who has mediated conflicts throughout the world. He said that the Syrian conflict and refugee crisis is partially a result of climate change, and of Assad’s ineffectual response to the worst drought the Middle East has seen in generations. It is important to properly theorize our relationship to the environment to avoid both the potential harm we could do to it as well as the harm it could do to us. Here are some thoughts on how climatology and philosophy can help us rethink both who we are and where we live for the better.

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