Global warming looms large in headlines that promise cataclysm: islands vanishing, tornados tearing out Texas, massive starvation. Cause and effect lurk out of reach in distant glaciers, in sweeping ocean currents, and in the ozone, beyond our breathable air.

The individual feels powerless to help. Searching for evidence of global climate change seems to require scientists using technological marvels to probe ancient ice and rock, to photograph earth from distant satellites or to measure temperatures on the bottom of the ocean. What can we - the non-scientists - do to help?

One answer involves personal observation from your own backyard. You, the individual, can play an important role by adding your observations to scientific knowledge of our Earth by being a phenologist.

Phenology involves observing annual plant and animal phenomenon in relation to climate, seasonal, or other environmental changes, and can take place right in our own communities. Like animals that respond quickly to subtle climate changes, we are natural observers of change in the world around us.

For instance, ice skaters notice that skating is no longer a Thanksgiving possibility. Skiers claim the snows come later, if at all. A farmer wonders why tomato skins are thicker. A child wonders why the frogs have stopped singing. A Grandmother remembers that the lilacs always bloomed for her March birthday. Many such records of observation exist - not from labs or lengthy scientific expeditions - but from people's everyday observations, from their recollections over time, or from family or farming records.

These are valid observations, and reports ranging from local migratory bird activity and seasonal planting events to insect hatches all become pieces of a larger puzzle that scientists are putting together. Without all these pieces, the picture is incomplete.

In our Power of Observation stories, you'll learn how you can be involved from people who are observing, from people who are noticing, and from people who are talking about the changes they see around them.









Mark Cherrington, a writer for Earthwatch Journal, travels to the edge of the Artic to witness global warming in full swing. Follow Dr. Peter Scott and the Earthwatch team as they discover global warming answers beneath their feet.

At One World Journeys, we're creating the opportunity for our members to share their own stories about nature and the environment. By joining the Journeys Corps of Storytellers, you can make a personal contribution to the Climate Change story by sharing your own "phenology" observations from your own backyard or community.

Not only can your stories add to the scientific and policy discussions about Climate Change, they can connect you to other concerned citizens by sharing ideas, strategies and actions for preserving our natural world.

To learn more about this exciting opportunity to participate - as an individual, group or classroom - email a request for our Journeys Corps of Storytellers Submission Guidelines to share@oneworldjourneys.com