I am quite sure all of you believe that we are basking in the sun of the southern temperate summer.
That is what we escaped the PNW winter for, no? Well, unfortunately, El Niño has not only brought devastating storms to the northern hemisphere winter, (and too much rain for the Olympic games in Vancouver?) but has dramatically affected el verano here in Argentina and Chile, tambien. It has rained much, and there really hasn't been much of a true summer, particularly in terms of heat.
Devastating for us, tourists, Norte Americanos? A bit of a bother, yes, but we can deal with some cold nights camping and cloudy, moody days as we view new places. Of course, we wish it was like the summer last year, hot, dry...
The problem is what it is doing to the country people, and also, the price of food. At the farm where we worked, typically they have a dozen types of fruits to harvest in the summer. This year, it was only the raspberries. When we were out in Segundo Corral, passing the rainy day, we heard the same, only in voices expressing more concern: this year, there are very few apples, no cherries, no quince, peach, apricot, plums. There was a late freeze after an early spring, which included extreme winds, which eliminated the majority of pollinated flowers. Fruit trees which bore heavily last year are extremely sparse right now. In a place populated solely by people living off the land, there is great worry for the long term.
As a consequence, the city people have commented that fruit is very expensive this year.
Along with the devastating floods in Cuzco, floods in the Mendoza region, and droughts plaguing other regions, the compounded affect of changes in climate globally is something that we will be continually encountering with greater frequency, and greater urgency. I'm not sure that I have a conclusive point or thesis right now, just that as you experience your winter climate extremes right now, be aware that the rest of the world is being equally affected.
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