18 June 2021

#AntarcticLog: Stopping to Smell the Roses

Posted by Shane Hanlon

#AntarcticLog is a series of comics by Karen Romano Young. You can find the originals here

Hey! What are you seeing? I’d like to know.
I adopted a dog a year ago (just celebrated her “Gotcha Day”) and so I’ve been outside walking her every day since then, rain or shine, snow or heat wave. I’ve watched her change every day — and I’ve watched the woods where we live change every day, and I’m here to tell you, every day offers different gifts.
My grandson Elliott is growing up in the woods. He’s learning to look, to see what’s there, and to notice changes. Like many of us, he wants nature to just keep on keeping on. The degree to which that’s possible depends on the next generations — yes, Elliott’s, but also activist Greta Thunberg’s, and mine — and all the ones in between.
So every once in a while I turn my pen away from the poles, where global warming is happening quickest, and zoom in on other parts of the world and what’s being observed there.  So tell me: what do you see changing  in your surroundings because of climate change?
Dogs are very “present.” They sure do notice things in the immediate moment. But people make the measurements, and take the long view.  Maybe, on this warm day, you’d like to consider snow pack?
It may be happening faster at the poles, but it’s also more noticeable in places where sea level rise is most evident. Venetians are used to floods, but now things have reached the point where change to their impact will only come because humans decide to act.
Same with the rest of the world, really.
I’d like to do another #AntarcticLog comic about things people see in their own towns, backyards, or weather. Please share your story!

Karen Romano Young is a writer, artist, deep-sea diver, and polar explorer. Follow her on Twitter & Instagram