Poor Will's Almanack: November 12 - 18, 2019

Global projections are dire for the decades ahead, and for the region where I live in the Lower Midwest, it is likely that by 2030 summers will be a somewhat warmer and drier, springs a little earlier and wetter, autumns and winters milder. Tornadoes may be more frequent, as Tornado Alley moves east from Oklahoma. Other changes might be expected, however, and they will be due not only to weather events but also to cumulative habitat destruction and pollution. Studies suggest that is likely that the insect population will continue to fall rapidly. The number of bird species will probably decline, perhaps as much as 50 percent by 2030. There may be a sudden increase in nights without fireflies or crickets, a silent spring and summer in which robins and song sparrows and cardinals may no longer greet the dawn. And these would also be warnings of even more drastic transformations to come. On the other hand, while it may not be possible to reverse the global climatic momentum, individual