Howler monkeys dropping dead due to heat in Mexico (2:15):

As we eat breakfast in the morning like many couples my wife and I have the radio on in the background. Our radio station of choice is an NPR station to listen to Morning Edition. We have done this for at least a decade. While NPR news has some noticeable right leanings it is about the closest to bias free news I can find. 

This week and last week I noticed an interesting pattern to the stories that were being presented. Sometimes different stories may be lumped together because they share some common theme. What I noticed is that stories that have a common theme of consequences of the climate crisis were placed apart from each other. 

Since I only had this brain spasm I didn’t take notes on times or approach to the story. It just struck me that had these stories been played together rather than in an isolated pod, it would have painted a picture of a problem that spreads across the world rather than isolated hot spots.

I didn’t even note what the specific stories were. What I do remember is that there were several stories in the past week that related to consequences of the climate crisis popping up in various places around the globe. Included in these stories were:

 – Howler monkeys in tropical Mexico falling from trees dead having died from higher temperatures than they can handle (see video above)

 – The Thwaites glacier referred to as the doomsday glacier because of its potential to raise sea levels dramatically as it melts. Is melting much faster than thought

  – Turbulence on airplanes is getting much rougher, actually resulting in a death on one flight with dozens hospitalized. Increasingly turbulent weather is pointed to as the cause.

• More and stronger storms are predicted for this years hurricane season

• The midwest has already been battered by extremely strong storms this spring

• Insurance companies are dramatically raising insurance rates due to mounting losses caused by storms

• Through distraction and denial, governments play politics at the cost of the planet.

• Tree rings show summer of 2023 was hottest in 2000years

• And once again forest fires all over Canada

Taken together those are some scary stories about where the world is headed. But split apart, individual stories do not pack near the punch as the bundle that points to a trend.

Something very serious to ponder on this year. We are careening toward a climate disaster. We need elected officials who will stand up and make tough decision. As money seems to control more and more of the political direction in this country, people that they can decide the direction of the country.

Get registered and get a plan to vote, either on or before Election Day. Your ballot is secret, so no one else will know how you voted.

The stances on policy positions have never been more stark. No MAGA politicians at any level care about climate policies. They will continue policies that allow polluters to poison our air, water and land in pursuit of short term profits. 

The planet is in crisis.