Time travel and the greenhouse effect

Last weekend I found myself sitting in a greenhouse with a pint of beer from the local ZeroDegrees microbrewery. It was probably one of those ‘don’t try this at home’ healthand safety nightmares. The greenhouse was very hot. The beer was very cold. But I got a fascinating insight into the public’s view of climate change.It wasn’t what I was expecting from Bristol’s Harbour Festival, the grandaddy of the city’s summer-long series of festival weekends. But full marks to the City Council’s Sustainability Team for their innovative experiment in public engagement.Instead of just the usual ‘eco’ tent, there were ‘hot’ and ‘wet’ zones challenging people to think about how we will all have to adapt to the effects of climate change.So there we were, in the ‘hot’ zone, sitting in a greenhouse at 40 degrees Celsius, contemplating how we might cope with the uncomfortable temperatures that could be unleashed day after day during long West of England summers in the future. Just our ZeroDegrees beer for comfort.But the real insight came once we emerged, sweaty.The great British public were asked how long they thought it would take Bristol to regularly hit 40 degree temperatures as the planet heats up. According to Met Office the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK is 38.5C.

The City Council, being reasonable people, had provided a timeline across the wall from now until 2090. They needn’t have bothered. Nobody went beyond the next 20 years.

For me it was an eye opening insight into the public understanding of the pace of climate change and acceptance of the urgent need for action to mitigate its effects.So this weekend, sod the health and safety. Do try this at home. Grab yourself a beer, go sit in a greenhouse and feel the future. Our procrastinating politicians should take note.

Image: Italianestro