A New Year and a New Commitment to the Planet
By Marcia Woolman
At the dawn of a new year, keep in mind the recent record-breaking heat over Christ-mas. And don’t forget that nearly every day on the evening news there seems to be a weather disaster somewhere in the world.
This is no coincidence. It’s finally reached a crisis boiling-over point, with Mother Nature crying out loud to limit or even eliminate the use of fossil fuels, and change a general consumptive societal malaise.
The good news is that behind every cloud there often is a silver lining. Finally, the recent Climate Change meeting in Paris has shown the world—and remaining doubters—that the majority of people now know what has already been proven, and learned.
Just think about the 15 wasted years since Al Gore’s ground-breaking documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” illustrated, with scientific evidence, what was happening to the climate. Clearly, the catastrophic weather has everyone’s attention these days, and leaders of a vast majority of nations around the globe are finally
ready to do something about it. Now it’s every citizen’s duty to make sure they follow through.
The reality of a changing climate—ice caps and glaciers melting, oceans rising, fluctuating ocean currents and tornadoes at odd times of the year, among other ramifications—is finally getting attention and solutions are being advanced. In fact, they have been for some time.
It’s now incumbent on everyone to do their part. Recycling is step one. Using less of everything, especially plastics, is step two. Reconsider your source of heat, because heat pumps have become extremely efficient for much of the year. (Some supplemental heat should be considered in the coldest days of winter.)
The next step, the one that will make a real difference, is political. It’s critical to make sure that elected representatives hear from everyone. And often. And that’s just the start. Let legislators at the local, state and national level know you’re keeping track of their votes on issues relating to the environment. Look at their voting records, and avoid casting a ballot for climate-change deniers.
Too much time has been wasted
patiently waiting for their conversion. The planet is at a tipping point on bringing balance back to the earth. The time to act is now and the natural process of healing is already starting to show evidence that individuals can make a difference.
Acid rain or acid deposition has been on the front line of changing habits, and in less than 20 years the benefits are being seen in areas where soils were too acidic and pH levels in streams would not support fish.
Soil samples and fish inventories are showing a difference can be made by limiting carbon dioxide in the air. Now is the time to save future generations, to lead by example. Children should see their parents and grandparents recycling, putting on a sweater when the heat is set lower to save fuel, noticing that the family car is a hybrid, not a gas guzzler.
Mother Nature needs a chance
to repair herself, and it can happen by moving the focus from from self to earth. These are resolutions that can’t be allowed to be discarded after a few weeks. Americans have always led the world, and the nation’s leadership on saving the planet is needed more
than ever.
Marcia Woolman is a regular columnist for Middleburg Life, and served as chair of the National Brook Trout Committee for Trout Unlimited, working with acid deposition research for many years.