Ever heard of a thing called an "ice shelf"? Well, I have! Despite Global Warming, I have been plagued by a persistent ice shelf, which I decided to call the "GE Ice Shelf" because of its location in the freezer compartment of my General Electric refrigerator. Unlike some of the world's ice shelves, it has been advancing, not retreating. I know we usually hear that ice is melting everywhere, but that has not been the case with my ice shelf. If I left it alone it would only get bigger and bigger, and eventually there'd be no room in the fridge.

Things reached the point where yesterday, I decided to take action -- of the anthropogenic variety. After a little human-induced melting, a fissure near the shelf's edge was exploited, and finally, with a large creak followed by a crash, the now precarious GE Ice Shelf broke free!

My initial unthinking reaction was to gather the pieces, and pile them in the sink.

This did not please Coco, whose reproachful gaze reminded me of the importance of my role as environmental steward.

In a world that is heating, what right have I to waste ice?

And although she has on occasion been guilty of denialist thinking, Coco nonetheless dearly loves ice and snow. So I thought it over, and I realized that this presented an opportunity for Coco to play an important role in planetary cooling. That's because, even though Coco cannot stop the inevitable melting, the net effect of her frenzied ice appreciation activities will play a small role in cooling that portion of the planet which is located in my yard! While it might be argued that this is insignificant, in a world which stresses the importance of thinking globally and acting locally, every little bit helps.

So, whether she realizes it or not, by trying to save the endangered "freezer layer ice shelf" which upset her, Coco made a valiant, very empowering effort to cool down the yard, thus doing her part to fight Global Warming!

I kid you not!

MORE: I posted the YouTube video last night, but already I see that it is generating debate, in the form of this exciting video response.

Wow. I've praised Coco's political skills before, but who'd have ever thought she'd be engaged in a debate over nuclear fusion?