Three years ago, I wrote The Last Winter blog post contemplating the effects of climate change on southwest Montana winters.
During the interim years, Bozeman and the surrounding area has had a couple of freakishly cold January months…reaching a memorable -40 degrees Fahrenheit on a couple of occasions in two different years.
As an engineer, I understand that when a system is out of balance and no longer in harmony, there will be extremes. Those bitterly cold days in January last year and the year before were merely a representation of the extremes in the climate system.
It looks like the mid-Atlantic and eastern United States will be seeing the ‘arctic’ conditions this January, while southwest Montana will narrowly miss it.
Believe me…I won’t miss the arctic cold temperatures and neither will my home’s new heat pump, HVAC system…It likes to shut down below -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
My home’s new HVAC heat pump was one of many changes I made to my carbon footprint over the last few years, also including new attic insulation, whole home air sealing, landscaping with native plants, and even composting.
Of course, I am under no illusion that my paltry carbon footprint changes will have an effect on the world’s climate system. However, I do believe that combining carbon footprint changes amongst a community, such as Bozeman, Montana, can effect the local weather conditions and climate.
Many people have moved to southwest Montana over the last few years. If you have lived in Montana for more than a decade, however, then you know that our climate has been changing for the worse for several years now.
As a community, we need everyone, including the newcomers, improving upon their carbon footprint so, that we can at least improve our local climate and sustain our outdoors and the local economy.
In the year 2025, I hope that you will join me in reducing the carbon footprint of The Last Best Place.
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