Mountain Meditation: The air we breathe

By Marguerite Jill Dye

From our first breath as a newborn to our last gasp when we pass on the need for safe air to breathe into our lungs is a human right we cannot ignore.

I remember one night when our son was quite young. We were visiting my parents in our Killington ski lodge. A debris and shrub bonfire had burned all day behind a business on the Killington access road so we’d kept the house closed in spite of the heat. When I finally opened a window after 9 p.m., our son began wheezing so severely we rushed to the Rutland hospital. Our 20 minute race was the longest of my life as I cradled his head and he gasped for air. He was treated for asthma due to smoke inhalation. When we returned home, the fire was still smoldering. The heat and smoke continued through the night.

“It’s complicated” is often the answer when researching air quality—assaults on our oxygen that compromise health and life. I am not a scientist, but I’ve also observed smoky hot air consequences in France and Tibet. Both occurrences had dire consequences.

We were in Paris in August 2003 and checked into a hotel without AC. The temperature was nearly 100 degrees. I opened the window and smoke drifted in. I thought we were over a pizza oven but it was pollution held down by the clouds. I lay a damp wash cloth over my face, naked in bed in the sweltering heat.

Early the next morning we drove to McDonalds where tables were filled with dozing elderly seeking air conditioning to survive. We fled to Normandy to stay with a friend, but I’ll never forget the horror of that night. It was first estimated 5,000 Parisians perished in the dangerous heat spell, but 14,000-19,000 French lost their lives. The total in Europe was more than 30,000. Warmer temperatures in Europe and the Atlantic were exacerbated by winds from the south to form a disastrous global warming event.

Another experience occurred in Tibet in the spring of 2005. We arrived in a rare heat wave and headed for Lhasa, elevation 12,000 feet. A retired Canadian teacher on our tour became ill on the airport bus to our hotel.

Later that evening, I was so hot I opened our window to let fresh air in. Instead, smoky air filled our room.

A few doors away, the Canadian man lay awake with difficult breath. He didn’t want to disturb his roommate so asked the hotel clerk for help (in English). The clerk offered the hospital (in Tibetan) but the man preferred to rest in his room. Pollution, heat, and high altitude took his life that very night.

Even in Vermont, our exquisite safe haven, we’re experiencing consequences of climate change and global warming. It’s sobering to see and smell smoky haze from wild fires across Quebec and beyond. Drought, severe storms, floods and lightening strikes are all signs of global warming.

“It’s complicated” is no excuse for the damage done and consequences of inaction. We must awaken to find big solutions.

What do you suggest?