How the climate crisis showed up in Americans’ lives this year: ‘The shift has been swift and stark’
Guardian US readers share how global heating and biodiversity loss affected their lives in ways that don’t always make the headlines
TL;DR
- A father in the Pacific Northwest notes his children have no memory of the snowy winters he experienced growing up due to rising temperatures.
- An Appalachian Trail hiker encountered severe water scarcity, with dried-up stream beds and long gaps between viable water sources.
- A gardener in Sacramento is struggling with a shrinking growing season, facing plant loss due to heat and unseasonable freezes.
- A wildlife enthusiast observes a significant decline in butterfly and bird populations and a diminished variety of species over his lifetime.
- These personal accounts underscore the tangible and deeply felt impacts of the climate crisis on individual lives and familiar landscapes.