YORKTON - In case anyone has been away from home for a while – it is germane to this week’s editorial to point out it’s rather hot out there.
That is a reality that has a lot of positives associated with it, and its share of negatives too.
On the positive side it has been a summer so far where the weather has generally cooperated nicely in terms of area events.
The warm weather has meant events such as the Yorkton Hyundai’s Thunder in the Parkland Truck and Tractor Pulls and the recent summer fair have seen big crowds.
That’s good news when you consider the amount of volunteer hours which go into hosting events. It’s never good to see a storm come along and wash away a chunk of those efforts.
And given we are really just fully clear of the worst of COVID-19 it’s great we’ve been able to get out to do things too.
Then there is the positive effect of good weather on construction.
Work – like the extensive project on York Road in the city – has been able to progress without undue weather delays.
But, all that sun and for many parts of Saskatchewan very limited rains, is not good news for farming.
Livestock pastures have suffered and unless the tap opens almost immediately crop yields are going to be hurt too.
The longer the dry summer continues the more severe the yield drop will be and as yields decline so do farm incomes and that is not good news for rural economies.
There used to be a theory for every dollar a farmer spent, it would roll through the economy seven times -- paying wages, with the wage earner buying things, and the seller paying taxes, the municipality investing in buying playground equipment and so on.
Every dollar lost to drought will have a rather immediate effect, and not a positive one.
And, there is the nagging concern about whether the hot, dry weather signifies the concerns many scientists have raised regarding climate change.
Certainly, the current weather might just be part of long-term cycles.
It might also be because of human activities.
Ultimately, the reason is less important than how we might best mitigate the situation.
Whether it is a short-term trend of long-term weather patterns, of human missteps, extreme weather is disruptive and dangerous.
We need to be aware that while this summer has been great for fairs and trips to the lake, we need to consider just what all these extremes may mean for this fall and beyond.
