I was unaware of a UV
Index (ultraviolet light radiation) of anything more than 10 until today. When
I checked my phone’s weather application I noticed the UV Index at 11. It’s
been hot; in fact, it’s been so hot that we can’t work outside from about 10:00
AM to 5:00 PM. Temperatures don’t go below 95° Fahrenheit until
around 7:00 in the evening. A few days ago the temperature went up
to 109° F with a Heat Index of 112° F. Add to that a high UV index
throughout the day and there is always a risk of heat prostration and dangerous
sunburn. But a UV Index of 11 suggests the potential for
life-threatening skin damage. Here’s the EPAs official wording on a
UV Index of 11. “A UV Index reading of
11 or higher means extreme risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure. Try to
avoid sun exposure during midday hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Apply sunscreen
with an SPF of at least 15 liberally every 2 hours. Take all precautions.
Unprotected skin can burn in minutes. Beachgoers should know that white sand
and other bright surfaces reflect UV and will increase UV exposure. Try to avoid sun
exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Seek shade, cover up,
wear a hat and sunglasses, and use sunscreen.”
I heard about two
people who suffered from heat stroke within the last month. Neither
has fully recovered and I was told that it may take several months before they
are back to normal. People with blue or green eyes are particularly
sensitive to intense sunlight. It becomes painful walking around
without dark sunglasses in such extreme brightness. I know of three
people who had cataract surgery within the last year as a result of sun damage
to their eyes. An ophthalmologist told me that there are increasing
numbers of cataract cases as a result of current climate changes. Statistics
also show the amounts of skin cancers are on the rise. The alarming
data indicates that skin cancers are up for people under 30 and this is
something new. I am beginning to wonder if this is not the beginning
of some sort of end. Is this a preview of life in a world of
worsening global warming? Perhaps it’s time we face those who for
whatever reasons, be they greed or stupidity, deny the data indicating global
warming is real. In the past few months even more facts and figures
have been gathered proving that global warming is not only a genuine phenomenon
but is being caused by humans. Perhaps the most damning (and
embarrassing) was the research conducted by a group of scientists that were
funded by a couple of billionaires who have spent millions trying to debunk the
reality of global warming. Contrary to the wishes of these
billionaires the researchers concluded that global warming is factual and is
being caused by human activity.
I wonder about the
minds of those who go to such lengths, who stop at nothing, who will distort
and falsify without remorse, guilt or anxiety and will propagate falsehoods and
bribe elected officials. For what else do you call a political
donation from people like those two billionaires…and what would you call any politician who cow
tows to those types?
And yet those naysayers
and propagandists are out there and they have the money to promote their
deceits. But then what should we say of those who buy into those
sorts of deceptions? What sort of mechanism is at work in those who
are so quick to ignore the data, who bray and bark when more evidence emerges
that global warming is being caused by humans?
