Global warming, local impact

Today is the 14th of January, 2007. I am in my home country, Bulgaria which is in the northern hemisphere at latitudes with temperate climate. Normally, at that time of the year it's winter, there's snow and ice and temperatures hardly reach 3-4 C the most.

Now the temperature outside is about 15 C... It has snowed only twice since the beginning of the winter season...

It's kind of something new for these latitudes for the people to speak more about global warming. While at other places such as Africa the changes are much more influential on the every-day life, here it hasn't been the case. Not until major climate changes started to occur, such as the heavy summer rains and the floods in the last two summers.

Probably the first local changes I've noticed but at that time didn't understand were the increase in sea level on the Black Sea coast. I've been going on summer holidays to Varna for many years in a row. There is a small beach in the central part of the city called Ribarski plaj (Fishermen beach). So year after year the piece of sand is getting smaller and smaller and since 1994 it's shrunk by few meters!

And now the heavy rains during summer and the mild winter which resembles more to spring than a real winter.

The negative impact on weather in Bulgaria is probably due to the global rather than local pollution with CO2. Indeed, the local industry has got a long way to go to be nature-friendly and huge areas have been deforested to meet the high demand for wood for construction, heating and export. But what we can do is to "clean our own house" and then demand this from the ones who really can make a huge positive impact. We are a small country and it's ridiculous to think that Bulgaria alone can do it but as a part of the European Union things could be a little bit more optimistic.

I don't agree with the ones who think that countries shouldn't spend money on still intangible future risks rather than help people in need in the present. We should do both. The real obstacle we need to overcome is short-term thinking...

Till then... happy snowless winter holidays!