Chapter 2 -- Mosquitoes Are Scary

Mosquitoes are scary. What freaks me out the most about climate change isn't the violent storms and drought (well, that's sort of scary too), it's the spread of disease. We as humans have made incredible advancements towards eradicating horrible diseases like ebola and malaria and the prospect of these types of diseases making a comeback in a big way is frightening. We can pretty well predict when and where a massive storm is going to hit, but we don't have this type of capability for each individual mosquito that might be flying around our kitchens. This is what McKibben has to say about the spread of disease and its link to climate change:

"The link to climate change couldn't be clearer: not only do warmer temperatures extend the geographic range of the mosquito (up to half the world's population is now at risk), but Science Daily reports that global warming 'also reduces the size of Ae. aegypti's larva, and ultimately adult size. Since smaller adults must feed more frequently to develop their eggs, warmer temperatures would boost the incidence of double feeding and increase the chance of transmission.'"

 I don't know about you, but more mosquitos doesn't sound appealing. Toss in the chance of contracting a potentially lethal illness and this seems like it could become a massive problem. The first world isn't exempt from the spread of disease either as mosquitoes bite indiscriminately. This, mixed in with the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics, certainly explains the white houses's public health approach to spreading climate change awareness. Below is a map prediciting the spread of west nile virus in The United States due to climate change (This is just one of many examples):

It seems clear that the health issues that almost exclusively plagued (no pun intended) the third world are becoming rather inclusive. We will see our national healthcare system put to the test as this issue is realized in the safe oasis that is the first world. Scientists believe that lethal viruses may be trapped in the permafrost of the north, and, as the permafrost melts, these illnesses will be reintroduced into society. This may be one of the most dangerous of all of the "positive feedback loops" that climate change will pose in the coming years.

 Maybe this is just karma as the first world is largely to blame for climate change, yet sadly the third world is who will be the recipients of the worst of its effects as this map from the Huffington post shows: 

Alas, climate change is not fair. 

Chapter One - Doom, Gloom, and More Doom

In the approximately 50 pages that constitute chapter 1 of Bill McKibben's eaarth we are presented with a situation that can only be described as bleak. Wait, no; bleak would be putting it lightly. There could not be more impending doom, apocalypse-on-the-horizon-we-are-all-screwed rhetoric packed into this first chapter. Having some contextual background knowledge of the climate change situation, I can't help but attempt to fill in this black hole with some hopeful thought (alas, unfortunately not even light can escape a black hole).

I mean, after all, as an engineering student, I feel that technology is coming along and new ideas on how to manage carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are all reason for some hope, right? And with this climate summit in Paris taking place we are seeing a real concerted effort by the international community to step up to the plate, finally.

This first chapter serves as a reminder that this threat is very real and is now to be expected to become a daily (seasonally maybe?) aspect of our lives. It's as if McKibben took every negative news headline, academic journal entry, legislative shortcoming, and condemned them into one chapter. I guess this is what we get for kicking the can down the road. McKibben's argument is clear, this is not an issue that will affect his grandchildren (our children), it is something facing us today.

Hello! I am Blair LaCross, a third year mechanical engineering major at Western Michigan University. Coming out of high school, I chose to study engineering because I loved the way in which technology rapidly shapes our world. I am from Alpena, Michigan, a small touristy town in the North-Eastern corner of the state. Thunder Bay, the shoreline that Alpena sits on, is home to the highest concentration of freshwater shipwrecks in the world!

I grew up in a family that loves all things outdoors. Hiking, camping, skiing, bird watching (this one is not my favorite), are all pastimes I grew up with. Along with these, I have spent a great deal of time playing sports like basketball and soccer.

Since I have started college, I have discovered that I am really passionate about astronomy, particularly astro physics and the extremes that our universe is home to (Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson are personal heroes of mine).

Along with this I am also interested in the environment and climate change which is mostly why I chose to take this course. I hope to spend a great semester with you guys as we learn more about the effects that climate change will present for us and generations to follow!