“What’s the weather going to be like?” my mom asked on the phone this weekend. In less than a week, my family is coming out to Iowa from Washington state for the holidays. It’s a seemingly reasonable question. Then on Saturday we woke up to snow and the forecast said that on Wednesday, December 15th, would hit 70 degrees. I sent a picture of the snow and a screenshot of the weather report to the family text chain telling them to monitor the 10-day weather forecast before packing.
This past weekend, there was a six state tornado outbreak with more than 30 tornadoes, and the number of people who lost their lives continues to grow. Homes were lost, places of business and houses of worship were destroyed, and thousands are without power and clean water. Tornadoes in the winter are rare. Or have been rare. And now, on a record high day, we are at an increased tornado threat in Iowa.
“What’s the weather going to be like?” is now a loaded question. Since moving to Iowa three years ago, I have experienced “feels like” -50 degrees during a polar vortex to being stuck in a car parked in front of a gas station as a windbreak during the derecho. I have seen where flood damage impacted an outdoor wedding due to record rain at a friend’s family farm in SW Iowa and saw the cracks in the soil in my own backyard during the drought as we were told to conserve water. I’m not a meteorologist like Iowa IPL friend Chris Gloninger, but it’s strikingly apparent that our climate is going from changing to crisis. (If you missed his keynote at our 2021 Called to Climate Action, you can watch it online.)
“What’s the weather going to be like?”
The innocent question of “What’s the weather going to be like?” is now an opportunity to take climate action. My mom and I had a quick conversation on the climate crisis (and it was only quick because we talk about it often given my vocation) before discussing what the attire was for Christmas dinner. Weather is a common thread that we all witness and are impacted by; it can be an invitation to an on-ramp for a conversation on the climate crisis. You don’t need to dive into a debate; planting a seed and creating food for thought can make a bigger impact. You don’t even need to agree on what causes climate change. Our weather patterns are changing and people from cities to farms are feeling its impacts.
Climate conversations are brave and needed. Our Iowa IPL friend, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s book Saving Us is a great place to start if this is a growing edge for you. The most important action we can take is to keep talking about the climate crisis. At Iowa IPL, this is our mission and integral to who we are. At the beginning of the year, we will start traveling for our Faith Farms & Climate program where we talk about vocation and the impact of climate change with cohorts of farmers and clergy. During the summer, we work with our Called to Climate Action college student leaders on how they can integrate their faith and climate action as they enter their chosen professions.
As we step into 2022 and ask questions like “What’s the weather going to be like?”, we hope that you join us at Iowa IPL in taking bold and just action on the climate crisis.