Of Rain and Parades

This chapter looks at the way in which weather has and does affect us, specifically establishing weather as both a productive and destructive force, but also ultimately as an indifferent force. It covers some of the moral categories that go into our assessment of impacts. It also examines our efforts to quantify the impacts, as well at some of the less obvious qualitative shaping effects of weather. Specifically, it challenges the idea of “climate determinism” or “environmental determinism.” The upshot of this chapter is that weather isn't just an event-causing force but a force that affects us; and that inasmuch as it affects us, weather carries good and bad valences that we evaluate and build our lives around.