Let's Talk About the Weather

When we open old English literature novels, such as those by Jane Austen, we find characters enduring fairly bland conversations about the weather. And we're all familiar with the old idea that to talk about the weather is to maintain polite conversation.

So does anyone else find it funny that this has changed? The weather is no longer boring, and it has become a controversial topic, rather than a cornerstone of unoffensive conversation.

With the Climate Change Conference going on in Copenhagen this week and the next, the weather is suddenly all we're talking about. Democracy Now! is providing interesting daily coverage live from the conference. Check out their website to learn more. I particularly recommend their fascinating interviews with environmental refugees-- people who are native to countries where climate change is so real that it is a daily threat to their survival.

I was impressed by Mohamed Axam Maumoon, a 15-year old from the Maldives. Watch the interview to learn about Mohamed's inspiration, as well as the all-too real impact climate change has had on his homeland.

Democracy Now!'s segement, Voices from Africa, features poignant commentary from natives of Malawi, Swaziland, Kenya, and more. 

Sarah James, a leading indigenous activist from the Alaskan Arctic, talks in this interview about the impact environmental change has had not only on her life, but on the sacred culture of the Gwich'in people.