Current predictions for climate change are saying we’ll see somewhere around a 3 degrees centigrade increase in the global temperatures by the end of the century, and possibly by as soon as 2050 depending on your source.  Unfortunately, most predictions around that have concentrated on the biggest changes that might occur, the ones that make the most impact when you’re looking to impress politicians to pass laws, or individuals to donate money—the big scary predictions like the sea level rising and taking out Manhattan, or dust-bowl level droughts.  Nobody told us about things like wildfires starting up north before the snow finished melting in Calgary, or record temperatures in Mexico killing dozens of people.  Somehow these things seem much more real than the idea of sea level changes, why didn’t they start with that stuff?  It strikes me that a lot more people would have been on board if they concentrated on some of the smaller effects of having more energy in the atmosphere.

Instead of talking about eventual possible crop devastation, why didn’t they talk about it simply getting more expensive to grow crops, so more expensive to buy food at the grocery?  Instead of talking about hurricanes so strong they need a new measurement why not just talk about how more energy in the atmosphere means the weather won’t settle down much, so if you’re a person who gets, say, migraines when the weather is going nuts, things are going to be a lot worse for you personally—and not in 50 years, but by 2024.  May 22 – May 25, 2024 to be specific.  Had they done that, I would have probably paid a lot more attention. Okay, that’s probably not true, as I’ve been paying attention already, but it may have been enough to spur other people to do those little things that could help, like telling political surveys that the environment is a top-of-mind concern.  Currently, it seems only 9% of Albertans view the environment as the most important issue, at least according to a recent CBC poll.   And that’s been holding steady for almost six years now.  Is it any wonder that the environment isn’t really a top-of-mind concern for our politicians?

Meanwhile, it’s been an issue very much on my mind, in a physical sense, as you can probably gather from the time this editorial finally saw the light of day.  However, I didn’t want to let this one slide for a week, not so soon after last time, and especially because this week we’ve got not one, but two new writers. Fortunately, this has made my selections for the feature articles this week easy, and we top it off with an interview with a student who is pursuing her Bachelor of Commerce in human resources when she’s not busy doing “mom stuff”

Our first new writer is giving us some of the basics that are important for students, especially if you’re on student loans, about how to start your investments, even if you don’t have a lot to invest with just yet.  The second takes a look at how misogyny has been being spread over the media, and both of them are worth the read.

Also this week, we get an update on the Special inquiry on Foreign Interference, a virtual tour of another city in six, a background of the aurora borealis, a study of how poetry connects to academia, events, scholarships and more!

Also this week, I’m going to share what I’ve been using to keep my mood up through all of this. So if you need a pick-me-up, this one isn’t bad.  Enjoy the read!