Oceans of rain
It’s been quite a while since I’ve been at Wild Acres – I’ve been taking a break to get some other project commitments completed over the summer. But today was a good opportunity to hear a reading by Doina Cornell of her latest book Our Ocean’s Broken Heart – an account of a recent boat adventure in the arctic and pacific ocean to draw attention to the impact of climate change on the ocean.
I arrived after lunch, just in time to help wash up. And shortly afterwards, perhaps in sympathy with the afternoon’s topic, the heavens absolutely opened and rain battered down for a good 15 minutes.
I don’t think I’ve experienced so heavy a downpour there, and we’ve had a few. But the roof held up well and everyone was quite dry when we gathered in a circle to listen to Doina.
She gave a bit of background about sailing the world with her parents as a child, and how this inspired the latest trip with her own children.
Not knowing anything about the ocean, the interesting part for me was the impact of increased CO2 being absorbed into the water, along with an increased warming of the water body. Alongside the plastic pollution which is well known, they combine to make the ocean rather sick, which will impact it’s ability to support all life, including on land.
The first part of the reading was traversing the North West passage through the high arctic circle which is ice locked most of the year. But they were able to compare their journey with accounts from 200 years ago to get a sense of how much easier it is to pass through now compared to then (although it’s still a very hazardous expedition).
After a break, we visited the Pacific, and visits to Tuvalu, which is one of the prime islands to be rendered uninhabitable due to the climate crisis.
After the talk, I paid a visit to the goats and was amazed to see how much of their pen they had grazed since I was last down. Next month the pen will be extended to other parts of the meadow.
Was good to see everyone again after a few weeks away, and I look forward to getting my regular Tuesday slot back in the diary in September.
