LIFE AS IT IS

  Climate change is changing weather pattern, requiring us to constantly adapt and adjust to the new normal (I hope not). One way to battle high temperatures is to give some thought to the clothes you pick, especially during the daytime.  Growing up in Dhaka, summer was hot but not as hot as it gets today. I spent my childhood at home and school without an air conditioner. I did absolutely fine, so were people of all ages. However, summers are now hotter than ever, not just in Bangladesh, but across the world. In summer 2022, here in Delaware, USA, where I live, I had switched on my air conditioner more frequently than I ever had to; there were days when the heat index rose as high as 105F or 40C.  As someone who adapts well to changing temperatures and does not need the aid of air conditioner, unless temperatures get dangerously high, I have found my own ways to survive in sweltering heat. One of them is choosing my clothes keeping in mind the day’s average temperature....

It’s been a rough year for gardeners - climate change is threatening a favourite pastime, a hobby, and a passion of millions.  Early spring, sudden drop in nighttime temperature, and lack of rain have made it challenging for me to grow much this spring and summer. My cucumber vine succumbed to a slow and early death and the spinach simply refused to live. Lettuces were not growing as they should, the eggplant is still a dwarf, and the Malabar spinach did not grow past several inches. Perennials like hydrangea and white ‘Stargazer’ lilies did not bear flowers, not even one. Not to mention the squirrels, who forage in the backyard and add to the agony of my plants! In the face of climate change adversity, the only plants that are doing fairly well are the heirloom and cherry tomatoes.  People who grow crops and those who garden are often the first ones to sense any changes in climate. These people also watch these changes firsthand because they spend a considerable amount of the...