Photo by Chris Stenger on Unsplash

I have been around long enough to remember when the dates seemed impossibly far into the future: 2030… 2100. I have also been around long enough to believe wholeheartedly that we stood a chance at keeping temperatures increases below 1.5°C. In the gap between yesterday’s today and that distant tomorrow, there was room for hope – and I desperately clung to it.

Now tomorrow is hurtling in our direction, with 2030 a mere seven years away. The gap where hope once thrived is getting smaller and smaller. 1.5°C? Not likely. Saving Arctic summer ice? Nope. Too late.

Inspiration: Too late now to save Arctic summer ice, climate scientists find

A YEARs-LONG CREATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE CLIMATE THROUGH 100-WORD STORIES • WEEK 25

Photo by Chaz McGregor on Unsplash

Now that his sister La Niña is gone, it’s his turn to play. He just arrived, excited, several weeks ahead of schedule, making his presence known by warming the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean. Mischievous, he promises to wreak havoc with the weather, juggling droughts, floods, and wildfires like so many color balls, upsetting our carefully built order. His raw energy is enough to make global temperatures spike! But don’t be mistaken: he’s not mean or uncaring. He simply lives his happy El Niño life the way he always has. It’s us who have changed the game.

A YEARs-LONG CREATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE CLIMATE THROUGH 100-WORD STORIES • WEEK 24

Photo by Chantal Bilodeau

The orange skies are unnerving, masks a traumatic déjà vu. Not too long ago we feared enclosed spaces, now we avoid the outdoors. As the air quality plummets, my heart aches for the vast boreal forests in my home country, which are being decimated by wildfires. After the blue skies return, I take a walk along the river, offering gratitude to the ducks and the herons, the chipmunks and the marmots, the bunnies and the deer. How many animals in Canada didn’t make it? The sweet scent of wildflowers reminds me to breathe. The “before” times are over.

A YEARs-LONG CREATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE CLIMATE THROUGH 100-WORD STORIES • WEEK 23