“Come gather ’round people wherever you roam and admit that the waters around you have grown.” Those opening lyrics of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” were written about the politically turbulent 1960’s. These days it can also apply to the turbulent changes in weather patterns. 

Thirty years ago, most of the world ignored former Vice President Al Gore when he went on the show “Meet The Press.” It was on that broadcast that he foretold that global warming would have a devastating effect on the entire world in the near future. He opined that the internet could help save our planet.

When the internet was introduced, it was thought that the collective minds of the world’s greatest thinkers would be able to get together online to solve society’s problems. So, although it did not produce ways to cure cancer nor feed the hungry, it did have one surprising result. Soon after we got our hands on those AOL discs and listened to the annoying sound of dial up service, the biggest growth in business was on adult only web sites. 

So, here we are in 2023 and if we curtail searches to see what our friends had for lunch or look at pictures that would have made Hugh Hefner blush, it is time we faced the reality that Al Gore’s admonition about the results of global warming was unfortunately prophetic.

Let us take a brief trip down this year’s weather memory lane. Speaking with many neighbors in Sullivan County the consensus is we never had so many alerts about tornadoes. We often see  videos of tornadoes touching down in states like Kansas and Oklahoma wiping out whole communities. Those locales even have nicknames like “Tornado Alley.” The land is flat and exposed making it easier for tornadoes and their destructive winds, as mentioned in the musical “Oklahoma” to come “sweeping down the plain.” Global warming has been credited with the increase of tornado activity. But Sullivan County is an area that has the nickname “the mountains.” Logically, the numerous mountains would seem to obstruct tornadoes. But unlike anything I can remember, the weather alerts that scrolled across the bottom of my television screen this summer contained at least twice a week tornado watches and often the more frightening warnings. I spent many a night hunkered down in my basement eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as I waited out the tornado warning. Now, I do not claim to be a wizard but maybe in an updated version of “The Wizard of Oz” Dorothy might say “Toto, we’re not in Kiamesha anymore.”

This past June introduced us to a new danger that can be fueled by global warming. Besides pollen and other airborne allergens, we had to deal with dangerous smoke from Canadian wildfires. For weeks, many of us woke up, opened a recently downloaded app called “AirNow.gov” and checked if it was safe to go outside. At times we were bathed in an orange haze that looked a little like the atmosphere on Mars. The wildfires in Canada spread quickly because global warming had turned the dry, thick woods into kindling.

The rest of the country also experienced bizarre weather patterns that shocked our citizens. California was hit with multiple snowstorms that crippled parts of the state. On our side of the country, New York City set a record for having the longest stretch of winter without any measurable snow.

Paraphrasing the lyrics that began this column, the waters around us have grown. Weather around the world has been impacted by global warming. In just the first half of 2023, over one hundred massive floods were recorded. Death and destruction washed over many populated areas of the Earth.

Maybe, it is time to consider building an ark. Luckily for me, YouTube has videos about almost everything such as how to rebuild a car engine or instructions about replacing a water heater. 

But before I begin to gather materials and watch DIY ark videos, I have to search Wikipedia to find out about cubits, which according to ancient texts are necessary for ark construction. 

Hudson Cooper is a resident of Sullivan County, a writer, comedian and actor.