It seems that every summer nowadays feels longer and hotter than the last. The monotonous hum of air conditioners has become as synonymous with summer heat in Toronto as the high-pitched squeal of insects seeking shade in the bushes. Mild winters and scorching summers now seem to be the norm instead of the exception, as global warming has become an irreversible fact of life.

Climate change is a topic that is treated as reality in some circles and as undue speculation in others. Yet despite the varying opinions on the matter, there is little doubt that human behavior has had pronounced impacts on the natural world. And as long as you plan on breathing or stepping outside this summer, climate change is an issue you will encounter first-hand. All advocates like to claim that their particular social issue “affects us all”; well, this one really does.

Here in Canada, the newly elected Conservative government has demonstrated how low environmental issues rank on their list of priorities. The first federal budget presented in early May does not bode well for efforts to protect Canada’s environment. Recently, word came from Ottawa that Canada will not support efforts to set more demanding emission targets for the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol. Instead, Canada wants to annul the climate-change pact in favor of a separate, voluntary agreement. Climate change is a global problem that will need a global response, and the current Canadian government has made it clear they have no interest in leading the effort.

Even though we live in a democracy, in reality we have little power over what our government does. We do however have far more power in deciding how we each live our own lives. Climate change is certainly too big an issue for any one person to tackle on their own, but when feeling helpless it can be encouraging to remember that global phenomena like climate change largely stem from the behaviour of individual people. By changing the way we live on a daily basis we as individuals can have a real impact on the global climate.

Here at U of T there are examples of what not to do in the fight against global warming. Our campus is full of huge buildings that are pumped full of conditioned air all summer, bringing classrooms and laboratories to unnecessarily frigid temperatures. Air conditioners release harmful carbons that erode the ozone layer and increase global warming; as a leading research institution, U of T should avoid contributing to climate change wherever possible.

As summer sets in, most of us will be turning up our home air conditioners. Internal climate control has become a standard component of North American homes as people try to tame the summer heat. Air conditioning in most cases is no longer thought of as a luxury, but as a necessary safeguard against sticky summer temperatures.

But in the long run we are going to need to adapt to the heat, as our current approach to keeping cool does not seem sustainable. The weather is only going to get warmer and the resources we need to cool ourselves will only become more scarce.

Every summer, huge strain is put on Toronto’s power system as thousands of households crank up the cold. For so much of the Canadian year temperatures hover around the freezing, so warm temperatures should be allowed to flourish during the short time we can enjoy them.

While you perhaps can’t control what goes on in the back rooms of Parliament, leave the windows open this summer, feel a cool breeze, and know you’re doing what you can.