by Alan Sournet for SOCAN

From rising temperatures and heatwaves to water shortages and drought, to reducing snow pack and increased wildfire risk, the evidence that a climate crisis is here in Southern Oregon is probably clear to every reader of this sentence. The questions then become: ‘what is driving this crisis? ‘how is the crisis affecting us? and “what, if anything, can we do to avert a worsening crisis?

From the field of climate science and the work of others such as the Weather Attribution Initiative we have an abundance of explanation as to what is driving this crisis. Meanwhile, from a diversity of sources we have a vast array of steps we can take to divert ourselves from the path towards climate disaster that we are following.

For several years, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now has offered a ten-week course providing a summary of the critical elements of the issue. By completing the 2023 offering of SOCAN’s ‘Master Climate Protector – A Primer for Action,’ residents of Southern Oregon can join the over 100 graduates of this course in gaining a better understanding of the issues.

Over the ten weeks of the course, we will cover: the basic science, alternative explanations for the warming trend, energy, construction, transportation, agriculture, terrestrial natural communities, human health, population, consumption, climate justice and what we can do individually and collectively. We will also discuss ways to talk with friends and family who are skeptical about climate science.

The 2023 offering begins on February 6 and runs weekly from (6-9pm) for ten weeks at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center (HEC) on S. Bartlett in Medford. In order to keep the sessions interactive, we limit enrollment to 20 participants. The cost is $100 but thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we have scholarships available, especially for students and teachers. For more information, visit: https://socanmcp.eco/ or contact: ellie@socan.eco.