Missing

At times I can't help feeling that I am a bit ahead of the game. That will sound terribly immodest, but the most recent warning about climate change - and its impact on Mallorca - and the consequent reporting of this, is somewhat old news. The fact that Mallorca, and the Balearics, stand to suffer more than most places because of climate change is something I spoke about - when it was, God knows. But there has been yet another report, and this time some of the media has picked up on it, and expressed concern. Bloody right they should be concerned.

The Balearics are at 40 degrees latitude, bang on the line for the most dramatic effects of climate change - apparently. Unlike some, for instance the failed presidential candidate Mariano Rajoy and our old mate Leapy Lee, both of whom seem to believe it's all a load of tosh, I do take the issue seriously and can well believe much of the evidence.

That there have been previous periods of warming is not a reason to assume that the current cycle is purely natural. That different camps of scientists attack each other across their learned journals is also not a reason to assume that this current cycle is not man-made. The increases in temperatures locally are already quite significant, and for 40 degrees read 40 years as a kind of ball-park for when the real impact may be felt. Some way away of course, but not so far that it doesn't begin to have an immediate effect, not least on the planning of what goes on around the heavily populated coastlines of Mallorca and on the planning of tourism going deep into this current century; the rising sea levels would make us need to head for high land perhaps. But I have said all this before, and now others are. Good. Let's have a proper discussion then, shall we?


And on a totally different subject, but kind of linking to "high land", one of the pleasing aspects of this blog is when folk mail me, quite out of the blue, let me know what's happening in their lives and wishing the blog well and also wishing people here well. I had one such mail in the inbox this morning. It was from John who used to run The Highlander in Puerto Alcúdia and who's missing Alcúdia. Apart from anything else, he said to wish everyone a good season, and anyone who's run a bar or done anything of a seasonal nature here will know that good wishes are often needed. And he'll be over in April and hope to see people.


QUIZ
Yesterday - "Drive", The Cars, which became associated with Live Aid. Today's title - ok, so John's missing Alcúdia. Who did this? Very well-known (and brilliant) and a previous quiz target.

(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)