most of us probably 'believe' climate change is a problem...and yet....and yet....will orienteering competition adapt to changing conditions?
Back in the 1960's-70s we in Canada considered the second weekend in October the last reliable weekend to schedule an orienteering championships. It helped that it was a three-day weekend.
Now I see that Ontario has scheduled their championships for the first weekend in November.
In this part of the world, besides some more violent weather, climate change should give us longer springs and falls and longer crop growing seasons. However just as climate changed parched out most of North Africa 10s of thousands of years ago, a process which seems to be continuing it looks as if that parching is taking hold in parts of North America, too.
Did North Africa have to change its O season back then too?
tricKy I know you are kidding. You must know that orienteering was not invented until early in the last millennium when that Irish guy Mark O'Polo put some spice in his life by not only getting up with the sunrise but also getting going toward the sunrise.
And he brought back pasta to the Italians.
Seriously though, I'm surprised that someone hasn't suggested that we should adapt our orienteering by travelling lesser distances, given that this is an environmental dilemma which most orienteers do struggle with because we love to navigate in new places.
I was just thinking the same thing, jenny. With negligent government leaving it up to businesses, individuals, and other organisations to act, how can OA (and the IOF) do their bit by aiming to at least halve GHG emissions from orienteering over the next decade? Travel is almost certainly the biggest contributor, so how about:
- national carnivals held every 2 years rather than annually
- international event frequency halved
- administrators to meet virtually rather than in person wherever possible, or meet at events
- develop a ride-sharing app that people can use to get to events
And I'm sure others have better suggestions...
Edit: sorry, probably should have posted this somewhere else!