Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Climate Refugees


I met my first such people on Sunday.

Sunday afternoons are the rehearsal times for my new play, "Spancel". This wonderful gentleman showed up as a volunteer to paint scenery. He is an incredible artist. His wife will be acting/singing in the play.

He was roped in to reading a timing runthrough of Act 1. And thoroughly enjoyed himself.

He and his wife wound up here four years ago and started an art gallery and coffee shop across the bay. She is multi-talented as well, I had briefly met her in the past and am looking forward to getting to know her a lot better.

As is the way, we traded life stories. They had investigated impending catstrophic climate change and resolved, before it was too late, to come to a cooler climate. They proceeded to check out all the northern states of the USA and followed this with the provinces of Canada.

Newfoundland blew them away, so they applied for landed emigrant status and achieved this a year later.

It will take a further three years for them to attain Canadian Citizenship. They are like me, totally in love with Newfoundland and its people and they are contributing greatly to the bay communities in which we live and the further enhancement of same.

They are originally from Oklahoma and have encountered other Americans who have moved way out here to the edge of the Atlantic, for a variety of reasons.

16 comments:

  1. when i read articles like this i just want to cry:
    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/11/17/hudson-bay-ice-polar-bear.html

    i'm really worried for our planet and get pretty upset with those climate change deniers, who most times are also the biggest polluters.
    on a positive note, the people you met sound very nice.

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  2. And my gut feeling, Twain, is that we don't know 1% of the whole story with the multiple crises in the Third World and extinction of so many species.
    This world is a very very sick place.
    XO
    WWW

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  3. I admire their decisiveness and boldness, but isn't it rather difficult to predict exactly how the climate will change? Last winter was our coldest for over sixty years so not much sign of global warming hereabouts!

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  4. Nick:
    Global warming is a misnomer, it is all about climate change, colder in some places, warmer in others.
    The prediction for Ireland and the UK is increased ocean levels and worse flooding.
    There is a water crisis right now in the USA and that is a concern for a lot of people.
    Also the gulf stream has dropped several degrees in temperature as a result of the melting of the arctic.
    XO
    WWW

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  5. I lived in Canada in the 60's and had landed immigrant status. Went back to the US after 4 years for various reasons. Married a Swede in the US and we often say we wished we had kept going north when we moved to northern NH.
    My husband has been to Newfoundland and loved it. Don't know if Canada would still want us now that we are nearing 60. However, we run our own business and hire others.
    I loved Nova Scotia and Montreal. I spent two years in each place.
    Husband still talks of Canada with admiration.

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  6. Wow i was stunned when i just read this
    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/11/25/nl-williams-future-1125.html#socialcomments

    did you see this coming??
    just two week .

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  7. WWW, because of you I want to visit Newfoundland. If I can't live in paradise, I at least want to see it.

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  8. Interesting that they haled from Oklahoma, WWW. I wonder if it was not only the very real threat climate change but local politics here in OK from which they fled?
    Can't blame 'em on either count.

    I shall have to stay, however - trying to fight the good fight. It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.
    ;-)

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  9. Indeed, global warming is a misnomer, but so is climate change because the climate is always changing. Somebody needs to come up with a more precise term capable of winning over all the residual sceptics.

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  10. Zuleme:
    I do believe business emigrants are still welcome especially to Newfoundland where the population has stabilized but birth rate is low.
    We would love to have you here!
    XO
    WWW

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  11. Twain:
    There was talk but we thought 2011.
    he is living bang on the right time with Churchill Falls under his belt!
    XO
    WWW

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  12. Marcia:
    You are more than welcome my dear! I would love to show you Newfoundland!
    XO
    WWW

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  13. T:
    Pin a medal on yourself! I gather from another that the wife of the party has some sort of disease, perhaps Parkinson's. He did not mention this to me. I would place them in their early fifties.
    XO
    WWW

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  14. Why thank you Schmutzie my dear and welcome to mine. Your blog is crammed with information and links. I will go back and peruse at my pleasure.
    XO
    WWW

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  15. Nick:
    I so agree with you. Some term that owns our responsibility in all of this!
    XO
    WWW

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  16. I still have my landed immigrant slip from 1967 and a (I think it is called) Numero Soical Assurance card.
    So you never know. I am thinking we should take a trip next summer.

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