The weather
 

Is the weather going nuts globally or this has always been but the media now started to portray it more and better? In Europe I started to hear about tornadoes something so so out of this world, tornadoes from nowhere, that come, create havoc and leave.

Is there some spiritual meaning here? Or the destruction man caused on mother nature?

I completely agree. Something’s definitely up.

Climate change is real. Storms are going to get bigger and more destructive and temps are going to get more extreme. Our addiction to carbon based energy sources (oil, gas, gasoline, etc.) is what is causing this. We have a 'dome of heat' over North America right now. It's going to get worse if we can't get our leaders to act.

114F degrees in western Canada? Wow.
45.5 Celsius!

The weather is getting worse all over the world, i can more tornados and earth quakes happening



Namaste

We recently had a note from a friend in Oregon and another in BC, Canada telling of the record highs, unprecedentedly hot weather in regions normally much less hot.

We shouldn't be surprised because climate experts have been warning for many years about the likelihood - inevitability - of extremes, storms etc. with more of them and more frequently.

Some folk look forward to global warming meaning less cold winters but that's just a snippet of the many changes that will come about. Even if humankind could immediately stop the activities that are affecting our climate the effects of previous years are baked into the system. The next few years, perhaps decades or longer, will see changes unprecedented in modern-history; they're inevitable and the details can't be totally or accurately forecast.

Humankind faces many difficult times and the start of them is already evident...

So I see that I am not the only one noticing this... it's really crazy, it's like suddenly we are living in a foreign world, I don't remember weather being crazy like this. After months of rain, almost daily, something so so strange for my country now we have to face this high temperature, it's so hot, every single day. I saw days that started sunny, changed to bad weather, again sunny and again bad weather, even raining while the Sun was up on the sky. This use to happen once or twice in the summer period but now it happened so many times... last year same thing but not as bad as this year.

I too noticed that. Tornados, earth quakes and many volcanos being active and exploading the lava out!!

Yes, @bobjob.. money have been and are more important than everything else. I once had a dream of the Earth, the cities were all green and there were no concrete buildings, people were living in dome-like houses that were very in touch with nature...

When we started traveling around the USA we heard the weather forecasters talking about the jetstream and showing pictures of where it was and how it was moving about and affecting the weather.

In my homeland of the UK it's only recently we've heard a little about this amazingly important phenomenon. It affects the US weather and it affects ours too - a lot! Nowadays it appears our weather gets stuck for a couple of weeks or longer in a jetstream-influenced pattern that isn't the norm for our latitudes. Then we get bizarre and extreme weather patterns.

Forecasters know about, and factor in, these variables but don't always explain why to us poor ordinary folk. It doesn't change anything by knowing why but understanding is important to me and is hugely important to myriad others who are more severely impacted.

I don't know if humankind will ever live in green homes in tune with nature but I did hear a report that one way to reduce the temperature in buildings is to shade their walls and growing clinging plants on them has a significant lowering of internal temperatures.

Of course walls - and especially roofs - also need to be insulated as much as possible using conventional techniques because the cost of cooling homes as well as public buildings looks set to soar. The electricity generation and distribution grids - US and UK alike - are barely adequate even for today's needs so any increased demand - and electronics is also making huge, new demands - could cause supply failures.

The future is far from rosy.....

Where I live...........

I replaced the heat pump (like an air conditioner and 'furnance') with a smaller unit. Then I set the thermostat to a lower temperature. This causes the heat pump to run continuously. When the heat pump first turns on, she draws a tremendous amount of wattage. By running the heat pump the way I do, it uses less electricity.

I also got rid of the hot water heater and replaced it with an on demand hot water heater.

I also insulated the roof to the max.

Now, my electric bill is drastically less then it was.

Global warming refers to the average temperature in the whole world, and climate change refers to how the global warming trend affects localised areas, such as a trend toward more radical weather events in the climate. It's just because more heat in the world introduces more energy into climate systems.

The changes we are going through, and some people are trying to make money off, are not man made, but rather part of changes this solar system is experiencing. Not that the human race is doing a great job, looking after themselves, health wise. (in regards to pollutants)

Uh-oh, I see trouble ahead with that statement...:tongue:

It's pointless arguing about whether or not the extremes we're seeing globally are solely down to human activity. I suggest it's certain we are contributing to temperatures rising to some degree, maybe a very great deal.

Whatever the cause(s) it looks certain we will face more weather extremes and will need to adapt as best we can. Many of us think parochially whereas climate change is a global issue, perhaps an issue too big for many to appreciate or even care about.

Those wealthy enough to improve their homes are fortunate. They will 'weather the storms' better than others. Untold millions, however, will not be so fortunate and large geographical areas will be badly affected, potentially making it extremely hard or even impossible to continue living in them. population moves would be the outcome with other regions becoming ever more over-populated and under-resourced.

The weather - climate change - will affect us all to a lesser or greater degree.

I'm a novice at this,(and not really bothered tbh),however, I respect everything Rah nam says.

Some, perhaps many, won't be much interested or simply don't take any notice of what's going on, their world often revolving around their personal lives. It's undoubtedly easier than being concerned or caring!

Like most changes in life, only a small few are involved in bringing about change so it probably doesn't much matter whether we are interested. But those who are may see holes and weaknesses in arguments and make their views known. Disagreement should be expected and is healthy. My preference is to listen to facts and judge if arguments put forward hold water.

Opinions are fine when backed by sound arguments and facts but carry no weight when they're not.

From my viewpoint, arguing is futile whereas making personal changes is constructive.

Personal changes can help but globally there needs to be many, many personal changes to make a significant difference. Those individual changes are best achieved under an umbrella of common purpose to create focus.

One person or a few individuals changing from a less-efficient to a more efficient form of heating or cooling will have an imperceptible effect but 500,000 changing similarly over a short time would result in a major and measurable difference.

Such, and many more, are the changes humankind will need to make to achieve a significant, observable improvement to this planet's climate. The effect of a few individuals here and there gets lost in background 'noise'. Governments need to co-ordinate such changes, ideally with countries and nations adopting similar co-operative approaches.

Given humankind's long history of non co-operation, things don't look altogether promising. :icon_frown:

If those preaching for changes should set the example for the rest of the people by their personal changes, it would probably make a difference.

For example, in my area, one person decided to get solar collectors and slowly, others pursued the same course. Now, a fair percentage of the homes in my area have solar collectors.

Individuals can, of course, make small-scale personal changes but they are too small for global purposes.

Solar panels make a valuable contribution to renewable energy but are the province of the wealthy. Those struggling just to survive week to week would find the capital outlay of a solar array impossible to finance. Changes need to reflect their situation and central government - or state - subsidies may be needed to help them.

Here in the UK many homes are poorly insulated - cold in winter, hot when the sun occasionally shines. Heat pumps installations are amazingly spendy and most homes need considerable alterations and potentially large amounts of additional insulation. And that's for homes with enough outside space. Ground source heating is all-but ruled out for many, air-source the only option. Cooling systems are rare but could become necessary as global temperatures climb and exceptionally high temperatures can be expected. (Just look at BC and OR and their temperatures right now - that could be the UK, we're on the same latitude)

Solar arrays are very expensive now government subsidies have been withdrawn and the demands on the electrical grid from new-generation electric vehicles in all countries will find them failing.

It's a global situation and the issues can not be resolved in your neighborhood, your town or city, your county, your state, your country or your nation by themselves...... We all have to be involved, wherever we live.

Solar systems are expensive..... but then they are not.

I am in the process of installing 5 panels on my van. If you have the work done, the cost can be prohibited but if you do it yourself, it can be affordable.

That is on a minor scale.

As for a home: I recently took a major set back on getting solar for my home. The local government insists the work must be done by a liscensed Contractor. Individuals can not do the work. I did not like reading that.

Then I gave it some thought. I could go to the local college, take the necessary courses, take the exam and become a liscensed contractor. The next hurdle would be getting the permit and doing the actual work ..... up to code.

As for cooking....... I have a large fresnel lens I plan using to make a solar cooker. Most people in the world could afford the basic materials to make one but very little is being done to 'fix' a simple remedey as making cooking affordable.

As I wrote earlier: "Solar panels make a valuable contribution to renewable energy but are the province of the wealthy. Those struggling just to survive week to week would find the capital outlay of a solar array impossible to finance. Changes need to reflect their situation and central government - or state - subsidies may be needed to help them."

Work on installing solar panels on one's van or home is hardly the province of those working pay check to pay check, often bringing up children and scratching to make ends meet. Not for them the luxury of having time or money to go to college to learn how to become a licensed contractor so they can save a few bucks they don't have in the first place......

Your Fresnel lens will work until the weather turns or it's night. Solar panels generate electricity that needs to be stored in electrical accumulators for when no power is being generated. A third-world village may be able to afford just such an installation if help is provided but even then it's a local issue and wouldn't do much to ameliorate the worst effects of climate change.

The issue of climate change is a global one. Local fixes and workarounds will help locally and can be invaluable. I don't disparage them but they don't have a global impact. Like it or not - probably not - governments and organisations will have to be involved the world over if climate change extremes are to be addressed. Even then this world will likely face decades of baked-in effects that will need the greatest ingenuity to deal with and concerted co-operation between nations.

The cost to a poor person to go to a Community College so as to be able to pass the Contractor's exam is, for the most part, nothing....... just time.

If one can master installing solar on a RV (like a class B) then they can surely can master that of a home.

As for poor people being able to acquire solar, they could work on the side installing solar so as to be able to buy their own solar.

I know of 2 chaps that were able to get 250 watt solar panels for $50.00 or less per panel. a 5KW system would be, based on those figures, $1000.00. Add in your controller, inverter, batteries, etc. and you have a working system.

As far as I am concerned about Solar, a lot of work has to be done before it should be installed. If that 'worked' had been done on existing homes, our electrical load requirements probably would be about 1/4 to 1/5 of what it is now.

perpetually parochial.....

The problems humankind faces from global change are global and local changes to one's own tiny part of this world may help the individual but have a negligible effect globally.

Comparing the simple installation of low-voltage RV solar panels to those in a house installation is bizarre. And how pointless it is to suggest that if we'd anticipated the need for solar panels and prepared homes during construction years earlier. To use the hackneyed phrase "It is what it is." and folk have to work with what they've got.

Remember also that when individuals have solar schemes in their homes they may not leave the grid because their peak demand may not be totally met by their installation - sustained very cold or very hot conditions for example. That can happen even in Arizona!

They still need a supplier of electricity such as SRP or APS to generate it and maintain the infrastructure, costs that don't go down for the supplier when a customer stops using some or most of the electricity it used to use. But that customer still expects to dip in to the grid when necessary - that's the nature of all electricity generation.

When solar installations started appearing in large numbers in The Valley APS warned that the remaining, regular customers faced quickly increasing charges. That's because the total cost of supply isn't just down solely to generation costs. The latter may drop because fewer customers consume it but the supply grid maintenance costs don't.

How "couldn't-care-less" it is to increase the cost for the majority when you reduce your own costs. I guess, though, that's the selfish nature of humankind and why co-operation between countries and nations looks a long shot.....

Not really.....
The same, low voltage RV solar panels can, and in many cases, are used on houses. The system I am installing will have mostly 110V and some 12 Volt outlets.
The 5KW solar panel system I mentioned previously was what the 'experts' claimed what I needed for my house.

As for the van, it appears 850 watts will be enough, according to the 'experts'.
Believe it or not, an RV has a lot of the same electrical usages as a house.

not really, you say.... You're teaching your gran to suck eggs concerning RVs and home electrical systems. I'm experienced on both....

Clambering about on a step to reach the roof of an RV, even that on my highline fifth wheel, is much less demanding than clambering around on the high roof of a two-storey bricks-and-sticks home.

I could fit a couple of panels on the rubber-covered roof with minimal effort and with more of a risk of puncturing its wafer-thin EPDM roof membrane than falling off the step. So you imply that fitting panels on a roof to generate - and store - the recommended 5kW for a domestic installation is not really any harder? Big John you're doing what you usually do, aren't you? :wink:

Look, this thread was started to look at the weather and I'm not going to continue this pointless conversation here any further. I'll readily hold it with you and anyone else about the pros and cons of alternative, renewable sources of energy, the impact of customers leaving the grid etc. why a domestic solar installation is way more demanding than a simple RV installation and anything else...... just not here in this thread in this forum.

deal or no deal? :hug3: :D :wink:

When it comes to the weather: I look at ways in which we can make 'simple' contributions to lesson the effect that man contributes to the problem.

For example, a while back, I calculated that if everybody planted 7% more green 'stuff', the CO2 problem would be corrected. That idea did not go over very good with some but it did not stop me from doing it.

I am in no position to accept or reject your hypothesis concerning planting - I don't have the data you've used so I can't check if they're right and if your computations are accurate. You might be right and if you're wrong I doubt that a planting increase of 7% per person would do much harm - but I don't have the data to check on that hypothesis either, of course. It's all the realm of supposition and conjecture. :wink:

By contrast with your parochial approach, I look globally at the situation of the climate and weather. And I allowed that individual actions would result in beneficial changes albeit unmeasurable ones unless enough individuals took part. It's like peeing in the ocean.

You take a pee and the temperature increase can't be measured even though it can be proven the increase will occur. But get enough individuals to pee in that ocean and with sensitive instrumentation the temperature increase could - theoretically - be observed and measured.

It's all down to scaling, BigJohn. I look at what's observable and perhaps what's measurable globally and - just maybe - at a national level. But even if us Brits in our tiny, over-populated country could make a significant difference to the energy consumption of our teeny-tiny landmass we call home......it wouldn't necessarily have a major - or even significant - impact on global temperature rise.

It needs yous guys too, it needs China too, it needs India too, it needs Africa too, it needs Russia too, it needs every country and every nation that is consuming fuels - most of 'em - to work separately and collectively towards making the necessary change.

You will still be able to do your bit, BJ, but it will need our nations' customarily uncooperative governments and/or agencies to work together at huge scale to sort this one out.

I never knew I was wealthy, a wealth of knowledge perhaps or access to it.

The weather simply reflects the consciousness.

So if you believe in the fear based believe, the weather will reflect that fear based consciousness. There has to be allot of negatively focused consciousness, to cause the weather to behave in those ways. And it takes only few and often also just one individual to change the outcome either for others they appreciate or for themselves.
But if you try to "Save" people from the weather/nature, then you also subscribe in their fear based consciousness, and you will also receive that reflection from nature back.

Nature often help us recognize our own alignment with our own source, as a reflection. But secondary, to our emotions, which do that first. So there's all the nature inside of you you will need. And then nature can be endlessly and infinitely and eternally appreciated and enjoyed. Not to accomplish something, or a condition, but simply because you are of that nature and you are at one with your own true nature of being and you enjoy naturally being so and of such aligned being of freedom and empowerment and joy and love and appreciation and clarity and knowing. The weather always nourishes and support us tremendously. Divinely.

And those who complain about the weather, have absolutely no idea/clue about who they are. And they wont be able to explain to you who you are either. Let that be ok. And you will give them the greatest opportunity to learn more about themselves. By allowing yourself to recognize who you truely are.

Tropical weather guage
 

Down here on the coast we use a coconut hanging from a rope!

Coconut moving.........windy
Coconut still................calm
Coconut wet................raining
Coconut dry..................sunny
Coconut white..............snowing
Coconut invisable........fog
Coconut gone..............hurricane!

The coconut is surprisingly accurate!

I’m not altogether sure that the weather is going nuts. At the time this post was written, we were just starting to exit the pandemic, and as a collective world, our energies were starting to calm down. The UK weather in summer 2021 oscillated between heatwaves and cooler, more showers conditions. Basically a normal summer here.

The sun has always shone, places have always got hot, places have always got cold, rain has always fallen out of the sky and flooded places, the wind has always blown. Sometimes it gets stronger and sometimes not. The world has also heated up and cooled down since time immemorial. During the Medieval warm period, we had vineyards in southern Britain, but we don’t now. That’s not to minimise the effect of climate change, but to say that it has always happened and that it certainly isn’t unprecedented.