As a child in California, rainbows were a common occurrence during the winter. We had plenty of rain.  California was the bread basket of our country; our primary source for tomatoes, almonds, grapes, cotton, and dozens of other products. The “California Dream”, a concept perpetuated by the gold rush of 1849, and promulgated by refugees of the dust bowl and immigrants transplanted from other states during WWII was alive and thriving. California's population grew by 88 percent between 1950 and 1970, and housing developments sprang up all over the state, like weeds in springtime. Very few people were concerned about, or could even conceive of, human-created climate change, which has caused extreme weather patterns, rising seas, and drought.

I don't see many rainbows these days, but I am as fascinated and enchanted by them as I was as a child. According to National Geographic, a rainbow is “a multicolored arc made by light striking water droplets”. It makes sense, then, that we see so few rainbows now. California's Water Year 2021 was the second driest year in history. Water storage in reservoirs such as Lake Mead and Lake Powell have reached record lows, causing the Governor to declare a state of water emergency in 50 of California's 58 counties.

Whether we will be able to halt and reverse human-caused climate change remains to be seen. Many countries have committed to taking action, through the Paris Agreement, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, and other local initiatives. The issue is wrought with political and social controversy, however.

Rainbows have represented hope throughout the ages; from a biblical pact in the Book of Genesis, through multiple ancient gods and current symbols, to the leprechaun's pot of gold, found at the end of the rainbow. I have never quite shaken my dream of finding treasure if I could only discover the end of the rainbow. My more tangible hope is that we can collectively come up with a solution to save our precious planet from climate change, so that my grandchildren can wonder at the beauty of rainbows.