From my dry spot in California (too dry) the devestation of Hurricane Sandy spilled from the television screen. I felt the heartbreak for all that the ‘super storm’ swept away.

The sea receded but left in its sediment evidence of climate change. Climate change is fundamentally about water. Too much water, too little water, rising water. It is anticipated that warmer temperatures will lead to about eight to ten percent more water cycling around our planet, enough to fill twenty Nile Rivers. Fred Pierce in his book, When the Rivers Run Dry, sums up the effect of climate change simply: “Wet places will get wetter and dry places will get drier.”

Our global climate is moving us into unchartered territory. According to the United Nations World Water Report, our planet will warm anywhere between 2 and 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit within this century. Warmer temperatures leads to higher evaporation rates. Evaporated water is collected in clouds waiting to release. This increase in floating water means we can expect more intense rainfall events that cause rivers to swell, widen, and spill ungracefully into streets, homes and crop land.

The question I always ask is “what can I do about it?” Anne Lappe’s, Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It answers the question. According to Anne Lappe, food production is responsible for one-third of all green house emissions. She connects the dots between our modern food systems reliance on fossil fuels and climate change. And offers a solution based plan in her seven principles for a climate friendly diet.

We need to be engaged participants in what we eat. Just as food has the power to rewrite the story of water scarcity on the planet, food must be an integral part of the conversation in climate change.

Pasture-raised, rain-fed-grass beef on a bed of local, seasonal organic greens (drip-irrigated) with dry farmed organic bread never sounded so good.

Five action steps you can start NOW:

1. VOTE the environment. Come Tuesday, November 6 vote for candidates and propositions that will offer solutions to climate change.

2. Tell mainstream media outlets that you want thoughtful, informative reporting on climate change. Credo is generating a petition now that you can sign with this link.

2. Support food producers who care about the health of our soil, air and water.Read more.

3. Eat local, organic, and in season.

4. Don’t waste food. We in the U.S. throw away half the food produced. Plan and organize your food. And serve smaller portions.Read more.

5. Choose meat and dairy products from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals. Ask if the grass is rain-fed. Read more.