Thanks for the Memento
Those of us enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal—turkey, corn stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberries—will be eating a meal comprised of foods native to the American continents. These foods are not native anywhere else on the planet.
Europeans encountered the American continents while searching for a westward route to the riches of the east. They soon found a way around the Americas by going south, but it was too long a journey. So they also searched for another route by going north. If discovered, this route could be a lot shorter. It took from the 15th century until 1850 to discover this Northwest Passage, and it wasn’t completely explored until 1906. The first commercial ship used this route in 1969.
It may well be that the Northwest Passage didn’t even exist until it was discovered, right around the time the Little Ice Age ended. Today, you can book a 21-day luxury cruise from western Greenland to Nome, Alaska, all while following in the footsteps of the greatest explorers. High tea will be served at 4 p.m. Save up to $11,000 per stateroom.
Things change, and it’s hard to see the changes. In a world we feel has been here forever, the Great Lakes were created a short 15,000 years ago. While our mind can comprehend these changes, our hearts can’t accept them. We’ve evolved to react to the rapid changes and threats, not the slow ones. Climate change is a slow mover, but it may be gaining speed. This new Northwest Passage is one of the latest examples. It won’t be long before it feels like we’ve been using this route forever.
Thanksgiving gives us a chance to document climate change in our family histories. All of those who grew up on the beach feel like it stays the same forever. Today, you can look at a photo of the old pier at Woods Cove and see all the rocks are the same as they were over 120 years ago. This is not going to be the case going forward.
This Thanksgiving, take a family photo down at the beach around 9:30 a.m. It will be one of the highest tides of the year. On Christmas Day, the tide will be even higher at 8 a.m. Your family photos could document sea level rise for generations to come. Just take the same photo at high tide every year. Do this often enough and you’ll make a movie of climate change.
J.J. Gasparotti moved to Laguna Beach with his family when he was 11 years old. He has loved it ever since.
