Climate Change | I Fear the Weather for the First Time in My Life

Writing from Portugal, the author of this Helsingin Sanomat column shares a deeply personal and increasingly common sentiment: a newfound fear of the weather. This isn't a distant, abstract concern about climate change, but a visceral, immediate anxiety triggered by the increasingly severe and frequent extreme weather events battering the region.

The column vividly describes the author's sleepless nights spent listening to storms rage, a stark contrast to the Finnish stereotype of resilience in cold weather. Her personal experience of fear, a novel sensation for her, underscores the tangible and emotional toll of climate change. It moves beyond scientific reports to capture the human experience of living under the threat of increasingly volatile natural forces.

This piece offers a valuable perspective for Finnish readers, who may associate extreme weather primarily with cold and snow. The author's experience in Southern Europe highlights a different facet of climate change – the intensity of storms, heatwaves, and other phenomena that are becoming a part of daily life. It serves as a potent reminder that the impacts of climate change are not uniform and are increasingly felt on a personal, emotional level, regardless of geographic location.