Global Warming

Photo 1 – Mt. Kilimanjaro

Photo 2 – lake July 2010

Photo 3 – lake July 2011

The concept of “global warming” is one that often times seems aloof or abstract. In fact, we sometimes wonder whether or not it is truly fact or fiction. However, for the team it was an absolute “eye opener” and deeply humbled us to see the visible changes in the Amboseli region from last year to this year. Before arriving, Danielle and Terri told the others about a lake, teaming with dozens of species of birds near the airstrip. This is where during their 2010 safari, they spent at least the first hour taking notes and photographing many types of water fowl - including spoonbills, flamingoes, Egyptian geese, yellow-billed storks, ibis, dikkops, and so on.

We were all laughing and joking remembering Danielle and Terri’s enthusiasm for the small animals when there were so many large stunning creatures to be seen. As we neared the site, Jonah pointed out to us what was left of this former oasis. We were all silenced in a pensive moment of disbelief as we viewed the conditions with a total disappearance of all birds. We could not believe what we were witnessing.

All water in the area flows from underground rivers sourced by the glacier atop Mt. Kilimanjaro. Roughly 75 years ago, the entire Amboseli region was completely covered in water. Interestingly, Mt. Kilimanjaro gets its name from Tanzania’s Chaga people., meaning “white mountain”. “Kili” means “mountain” and “majaro” means “white”. Three hundred or so years ago, Kilimanjaro was completely covered in ice and snow. To look at Kili today, you can see the rapid glacial depletion due to global warming.

In just one short year, we could not believe the dramatic difference in the landscape. It is estimated that Kilimanjaro’s glacier will be the first in the world to melt completely. We were deeply saddened by the fact that the plight of the Amboseli region is most likely irreversible. The realities of the fact of global warming are astounding when you look at the dramatic differences in the photos of the same area from July 2010 to July 2011. Sadly, global warming isn’t fiction.

We all felt a deep sense of responsibility to better teach our students about the ways in which their actions and choices can impact our planet.