Barbara Hanson Clark's Blog

 

In the six years that I worked on my novel, current events often affected the process. Sometimes, my future world needed to be edited, such as when I had to move my global pandemic from 2030 to 2020. Other times, the news was so relevant to my story, I was motivated to work  even harder to finish and get it published. Friday’s news gave me that same prescient feeling, but at least now my story is out in the world and hopefully provides some food for thought.

Highlights of the news on Friday, October 10:

🧲 China’s Rare Earths on the Line
📉 Sharp Drop in the Dow
🐧 A 7.6 Quake Near Antarctica

Highlights of Polar Deception, set in 2050
🌊 Rare earths gone
🌍 Global economic breakdown
📵 Modern tech obsolete
⚠️ An earthquake threatens lives

Is this the beginning of the future I imagined in Polar Deception? Read and find out!

Buy the book here (Amazon preferred)

Review the book on Amazon and/or Goodreads

Check out my new 4.5 star editorial review from Self Publishing Review

The post POLAR DECEPTION IN THE NEWS? (Sorta) appeared first on Barbara Hanson Clark.

Wildfires have raged across California and other states this summer. But increasingly the effects of wildfires are being felt in other areas of the country.

Across the Midwest, the summer of 2025 brought some of the worst air quality in recent memory. Throughout the summer, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued statewide alerts, warning that even healthy individuals could experience symptoms like burning eyes, headaches, and shortness of breath. On August 1, air quality in Minneapolis ranked 2nd worst in the world. The problems weren’t limited to Minnesota. At one point, Detroit’s air quality was among the worst in the world. On several days, advisories were in effect for all of Michigan.

This wasn’t just a bad season. It was a climate signal.

As of August 13, Canada was battling 713 active wildfires, with 155 classified as out of control. Thankfully, by the end of September, that number was down to 343, with 37 classified as out of control. Still, these numbers are staggering.

Wildfire smoke contains fine particulates and toxic compounds that penetrate deep into the respiratory system. A Stanford-led study published in Nature warns that long-term exposure could lead to up to 30,000 additional deaths annually in the U.S.

We often think of air as something passive, something given. But in this new climate reality, clean air is something we have to notice, protect, and fight for.

🧭 What You Can Do

Monitor air quality daily. Tools like AirNow.gov help us make informed choices.Use HEPA filters. In homes and vehicles, they help reduce indoor exposure. Portable air purifiers are especially useful in bedrooms and workspaces.Support climate resilience policies. Advocate for forest management, firebreaks, and emissions reductions.Share knowledge. Many still don’t realize wildfire smoke can affect them—even if they live far from the flames.

This isn’t about panic. It’s about preparedness.

We’re not powerless. But we are at a turning point.
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The post September 2025 – The Air We Breathe: Why Wildfire Smoke Is Everyone’s Problem Now appeared first on Barbara Hanson Clark.

Photo by FalcoZen on Pixabay

Earlier this summer, a friend of mine was driving east on I-80 in Iowa when she saw a massive storm cloud building ahead. Concerned, she called to ask what the radar was showing. I checked my phone and turned on the TV. Nothing. I called back to tell her not to worry. Not one storm cloud was showing in our area. I figured maybe what she saw wasn’t a rain-bearing cloud.

But a few minutes later, I heard thunder in the distance. It soon grew louder. Then the wind picked up, and the rain began. Before long, a torrential downpour began, accompanied by lightning and thunder. I checked my phone again. Now the radar showed a fairly significant storm moving through our area. The local TV station now had warnings running across the bottom. 

I called back but couldn’t reach her. She might have taken a different route had that information been available sooner. But this storm had developed rapidly, as they often do in Iowa. Thankfully, she arrived safe and sound.

I began to wonder if recent federal cuts to weather services had caused a delay in acquiring a radar signal. This is unlikely, but such a thought would never have occurred to me before 2025. 

Over the past six months, a troubling pattern has emerged—one that suggests our ability to forecast, prepare for, and respond to extreme weather is being systematically weakened:

The Trump administration’s most recent budget proposal included hundreds of millions in cuts to NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), gutting satellite programs and sharply scaling back funding for climate research.A key weather satellite program was postponed again, jeopardizing our ability to track hurricanes, droughts, and Arctic ice loss in real time.Staffing reductions and hiring freezes have left critical NOAA and National Weather Service (NWS) offices short-handed, putting immense pressure on remaining personnel to maintain forecasts and emergency alerts.New executive policies have deprioritized climate science, restricting NOAA’s ability to collect environmental data and continue long-term climate monitoring efforts.

Why does all this matter? Because the choices being made at the federal level impact how quickly storms can be detected, how quickly reliable warnings can be issued, and, most importantly—how much lead time communities have to act.

Meteorologists and emergency planners have publicly voiced their concerns about slower detection and delayed communication. In one notable instance, a veteran storm chaser described an EF-3 tornado near Comanche Lake, Oklahoma that reportedly went unwarned for a significant time—he attributed the delay to diminished NWS resources, though no official inquiry has confirmed the cause.

Warnings like these, from professionals on the front lines, suggest that our forecasting safety net is wearing thin. The American Meteorological Society has warned that underfunding is already impeding forecasting progress and could impact public safety. In hurricane-prone regions, emergency managers are voicing concern that reduced staffing and data gaps will cause warnings to come too late during what’s expected to be an above-average season.

Weakening these systems doesn’t just introduce uncertainty—it slows evacuation decisions and undermines public trust at the exact moment we need clear, credible communication. 

So what can we do? We can speak up. Contact lawmakers. Demand full funding for NOAA and the NWS. These aren’t abstract agencies—they’re our early warning system.

We can raise awareness. Share stories. Support leaders who act on science, not ideology.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about preparedness—about whether we’ll see the next threat coming or only recognize it once it’s already overhead.

We’re not powerless, but we are at a turning point. Protecting NOAA’s satellites, research, and forecasting capabilities isn’t just about weather predictions—it’s about safeguarding lives, homes, and our ability to respond to the increasing impacts of the climate crisis. 

The post August 2025 – Weathering the Storm: Agency Cuts Threaten Safety appeared first on Barbara Hanson Clark.