I’m in Sweden, it’s been snowing for two weeks now, reaching -20 and all the stuff, and I am happy. However, I can stop noticing that swedish guys at my department have no beards. All came perfectly shaved everyday, and take note that I am in an ecology department! My only explanation is that this is his quetzal tail. Only by showing that they have enough energy to bike for 30 minutes at -10 without the protection of a beard they have the possibility to find an appropriate mate. Things got that far that I am afraid that is becoming fixated at the population level, and his beards are becoming thinner. I plan to ignore the other alfa males this winter and show proudly my thick beard, even at expenses of my fitness.
Bartomeus lab
Ecology, global change and pollinators
Bartomeus lab 
Ignasi and cohorts,
Bee Wary. Nature’s Wake-Up Set to Snooze, natural awakenings, March 2012, page 15. Briefly, Ignasi Bartomeus, Ph.D. explains that climate change affects when bees emerge in Spring. Bees are coming out 10 days earlier over the last 130 years. Bees get food from flowers that may not bloom 10 days early. Bees starve because nothing to eat.
I question, What can you and I do TODAY to reduce carbon dioxide generation while completing daily tasks?
Climate change is accelerated by packing useless advertising mass (Physics).
In the United States, car license plates are covered by metal car dealer advertising rectangles. LOOK! The State name and art on plate is COVERED by “DICK’S Dodge.” Metal rectangles are 454 grams (a pound). To propel 454 g, or any useless mass, requires oxygen-fuel-tires-brakes-pavement. Consuming these resources (some can be purchased) instantly generates carbon dioxide and all sorts of toxic stuff from the worn tires to carved road.
Near where I live, is a three-lane Freeway. Every day 135,000 cars slip, skid and slide across it. If each had 454 g of advertising, that is the weight equivalent of 45 3,000 POUND CARS. (Sorry for the pound measurement. The U.S. is stuck in measurements of ancient England.)
If each car traveled 20 miles per gallon of fossil fuel oxidized, every 20 miles, 45 GALLONS OF FUEL GO POOF.
Burning a gallon of fuel generates 20 POUNDS of carbon dioxide. So every 20 miles, 900 POUNDS OF CARBON DIOXIDE ARE ADDED TO THE LOCAL ATMOSPHERE from punting advertising.
A Monarch butterfly is 0.41 – 0.5 grams. The pound of CAR DEALER ADVERTISING = 1100 butterflies.
When a car with metal CAR DEALER ADVERTISING RECTANGLES is moving at butterfly speed, it is consuming oxygen-fuel to move the advertising. By simply unscrewing and recycling the pound, the oxygen (and everything else) consumed to punt a pound are conserved.
Oxygen consumed to travel with advertising at Freeway speed would be enough for clouds of butterflies to travel at butterfly speed.
If one-passenger has a gram of labels on underwear, that equals two-butterflies after a full meal.
We may be stuck with cars for transportation. But packing advertising in or on a car is 100% useless. If traveling on bicycle, your heart and muscles consume oxygen to move labels.
DO THIS. Cut labels off clothes and backpack and bicycle (My new mountain bike had 22 labels, 3 grams.) Urge cohorts within the sound of your voice and limits of email to also cut, unscrew or remove useless stuff. Urge everyone to remove useless advertising to slow climate change.
Google salmoneedshade for good humor and some illumination on how to save the local Planet. (Far easier to save EARTH than MARS. Got to pack a lunch just to get to Mars.)
We’re all in this alone, together,
Zephyr Thoreau Moore (the humble)
Not related to my silly post of today, but thanks for stoping by. I agree there is much small things we can do to change the world.
By the way, plants are also shifting earlier its phenology!
Ignasi.
Don’t worry, everything works perfectly. With that beard you won’t have any success reproducing with the locals, which means, you won’t be throwing descendants in this terrible climate! Your are giving a gift to your genes!