I live in the South West of England, and have for as long as I can remember.
Something else that's been a staple for as long as I can remember: Mosquito bites and being to hot to sleep are both things that only happen when visiting Europe.
Well, not any more.
The last week or so has not been fantastically sunny, although we have had some warm patches. But then, equally, we've had thunder and heavy rain. Just something to match the screwed-up weather we've been having all year. And yet, even with my window open, I wake up every night sweating myself dry from the heat. In my high-ceilinged room that is notorious for being chilly even in the height of summer.
People don't want to know.
I don't know exactly what it is that makes people deny the hanging climate -- if it's fear, or the inconveniance, or the sense that we're the 'bad guy' in this story. All I know is that, all year, whenever people comment on the weird weather, my response has been, "That's global warming for you." Early in the year I got uneasy smiles and responses on the theme of, "Maybe -- I guess." These last few months that switched to reprimands to stop being tedious.
I don't know what it is that makes people not care about the environment, or see it as something nice but worth less than other concerns. When I dream up superheros, they're scrawny girls who can wave a hand and drag trees that went extinct long ago a hundred feet into the air. I know nobody else thinks like that.
Will we turn this thing around? I don't know. I just know that I'll do my best to stop it.