Climate Connections: Don’t let the extreme heat bring you down
Abby Huseth, Shanti Devins, Susan Teitelman, and Amy Cilimburg
On July 10, the Held v. Montana case, the first constitutional climate case ever to go to trial, went before the Montana Supreme Court. Hundreds of Montanans packed the Helena courtroom and viewed the live stream at watch parties across the state.
The formal language and process of court proceedings could not dim this extraordinary moment in history: the highest court in our state was a platform for how the climate crisis is impacting all of us, through the stories of 16 amazing Montana youth.
Though the case has yet to be decided, it’s already making an impact. The Held youth have brought to a larger stage the reality that climate change is not a future problem -- we’re experiencing its effects now.
Stepping outside on a mid-July day like today here in Missoula, that seems more obvious than ever. A relentless heat wave combined with smoke from a fire burning just miles away makes for a visceral experience of climate change. On days when we feel trapped under this hot, gray dome, it can feel oppressive. How can we stay sane, get perspective and keep acting with hope?
Here are some ways our team is responding this summer, and ideas for what to do if you’re feeling the effects of the heat and smoke, too.
Abby
"I’m a parent of two boys aged six and three. I was pregnant during the awful smoke season of 2017, when we didn’t know as much about how to stay healthy. Every summer since, the first whiff of wildfire smoke brings me back to that place of anxiety I felt for weeks on end in 2017. It’s hard not to think, what kind of a parent am I if I can’t protect my children from the very air they breathe?
"It helps to remember that multiple things can be true at the same time. I can feel the weight of climate impacts AND keep taking action on solutions. I can recognize and process emotions like fear and grief AND be grateful for those doing good work all around us. Kids are a good model for holding these multiple realities: just this morning my oldest asked me if the air quality was “in the orange”, because he knows his outside play time at school will be limited if so.
"Moments later, he informed me that his latest Magna-tile creation was an electric RV that had a fan to blow the smoke away AND solar panels to charge. (My proud heart was bursting.) This summer, I’m working to hold these multiple truths at once: this is hard, AND it won’t last forever. My experience is unique, AND it helps to talk about it with others and realize I’m not alone. I feel sadness about the world my kids are inheriting, AND a deep sense of hope as all generations band together to build a livable present and future."
Shanti
"Last summer, I remember this moment while watching the Held v Montana district court trial. The expert on the stand was testifying to how detrimental our climate could be for today’s youth if we didn’t act now, and the ways youth would be impacted because of the warming that’s already occurred. I burst out crying. I had taken a pregnancy test the morning before and it was positive.
"I was overjoyed to be carrying this little life – we wanted a baby badly - but hearing that testimony was more than I could bear in that moment. My career was centered on the climate crisis, but becoming a parent amplified everything. Suddenly it seemed almost unbearable, but at the same time, I’d never felt so proud and committed to my work.
"Our team of dedicated women is small, but mighty. And our efforts are supported and expanded by so many others in our community leaning in, working toward a better future for us all. BECAUSE IT IS STILL POSSIBLE. We have amazing solutions available right now, like getting off methane gas (aka “natural” gas) in our homes and switching to efficient, electric appliances.
"We can take advantage of tax incentives for rooftop solar, weatherization or adding a mini-split heating / cooling system. We can show up to planning meetings to advocate for climate smart solutions and tell our representatives this issue is a top priority. There is so much we can do to improve our immediate health and comfort and the future for our children. We just have to do it. Please join us and get involved today."
Susan
"Here in Missoula, this is the 12th day above 90 degrees, with no respite in sight. The air is filled with wildfire smoke and the Norway Maple in my front yard is thirsty for a drink. To stay cool, I’m running a window air conditioning unit in my living room. It’s admittedly not the most energy efficient solution, but a necessary measure to protect my physical and mental health during these hot summer days.
"In my work over the past year, I’ve learned about the upward trends of extreme heat in Montana, the negative health impacts of wildfire smoke, and the dire effects of heat and drought on our urban tree canopy. But I’ve also learned that humans and animals, cities and natural ecosystems, are incredibly resilient. We have in our hands, and are helping to shape, solutions to the impacts of climate change.
"In my corner of the local climate world, my colleagues and I have created an Extreme Heat Toolkit to help the Missoula community prepare for increasing heat events; we’ve told hundreds about the resources at MontanaWildfireSmoke.org and have distributed dozens of HEPA air purifiers so folks can clean their indoor air; and we’re working to grow our community’s tree canopy - which will ease the Urban Heat Island effect - through our Trees for Missoula program (hint: water your trees please!).
"So, while some days I still feel overwhelmed by the climate crisis, the larger part of me is filled with perseverance and purpose. Every day I get to go to work with a rad group of climate comrades who are working to build a resilient Missoula."
Amy
"I’ve a confession to make. On a cool fall day, I love hiking in post-fire forests. In a past life, I worked on field studies to understand fire ecology, especially the birds that flock to burned forests. It’s lovely – the new growth, the cool beetles, the morels of spring. At the same time, come July my mood shifts, and I fear the extreme heat, the fires, and the gloom of smoke.
"The more we learn about the dangers of breathing dirty air, the more concerned I am for the health of all of us (please read about the baby monkeys). This is the 9th year I’ve spent my summer watching the forecasts and angling for cleaner, cooler indoor air for everyone (check out Be Ready for Wildfire Smoke). It all feels scary and hard to hold. Yet that is what we are asked to do right now –– nod to the past (fire is a natural part of our landscapes), show up for today (let’s help those most vulnerable have a shot at a healthy life), and know that the future is not yet written.
"Right now, I hold a jumble of conflicting feelings in my head and heart. Furiously clicking on the fire/smoke map for updates, on the weather app for a better (cooler!) long-range forecast. Today I was thinking that living under a heat dome is sort of a metaphor for these times. And the truth is, our collective actions can actually whittle down the edges of the dome, shrinking it, and they can poke holes in the dome, holes that ripple and grow. And we have to take such actions now, this year and next. Because later just might be too late."
Our hot takes during this hot summer: It is about connection and action and taking a deep breath whenever the air allows. Talk about your feelings and give Grounding a listen. As author and activist Bill McKibbin often advises: yes, take action around the contours of your life, and yet the most important thing an individual can do is be less of an individual -- join together with others in movements large enough to make a difference. Stay safe this summer and join us in building an impactful movement.
Abby, Shanti, Susan and Amy make up the staff of Climate Smart Missoula, which brings this Climate Connections column to you two Fridays of every month. Learn more about our work and our wildfire smoke efforts, connect with our Trees for Missoula program, support our efforts, and sign up for our e-newsletter at missoulaclimate.org.