Let me tell you what I am not……I’m not a scientist, physicist, a climatologist, or an expert on environmental issues. I like to weigh the pros and the cons of any situation and do enjoy a good debate. In terms of the planet and our environment – there is no need for debate. Scientists have been warning us that if humanity continues to rely on fossil fuels and dirty oil instead of thinking about sustainable energy, we would cause a shift in climate change that would have a devastating effect on our planet and humanity forever.
I am 44 years old and I have always had a love for nature and our environment. As a teenager, the extent of my environmental activism was wearing t-shirts about saving the planet and protecting our forests. At that time (nearly 30 years ago) I didn’t understand the severity humanity’s actions would have on the planet – whose fault is that? I don’t know. Should I have taken more of an interest, should our government and politicians taken this issue more seriously, should we have relied on the educational system to put emphasis on environmental issues? Scientists warned us over 25 years ago that our dependency on fossil fuels would have a devastating effect on our climate but the urgency of their message was ignored and now we are in a ‘do or die’ situation and we must get involved.
So many of us fear the knowledge of climate change and don’t want to disrupt their lives with this knowledge. Many people think “what’s the point, there’s nothing I can do about it now”. Thoughts like this are so dangerous because when we close ourselves off from the reality of what is happening – we close ourselves off to potentially finding the solutions to those same issues. If and when we understand the severity of the problem and what the problem may cause in the very near future – shouldn’t that knowledge engage people to seek the solutions to those problems? I understand life is very difficult enough and that we have our own personal problems….we think – “let’s rely on the experts to fix this”. Well, experts need the support of the masses to challenge those who don’t believe there is an issue and only care about profit margins.
Here are some interesting statistics:
- NASA completed a study to find out how much carbon in the atmosphere is too much – they indicated 350 ppm (parts per million). In 2012, readings of carbon in the atmosphere were 395 ppm
- Arctic ice shield has been reduced by more than 50%
- Oceans are 30% more acidic than they were over 30 years ago
- Fossil fuel industry is allowed to pollute our environment without financial repercussions
- Top 5 oil companies (Exxon, Chevron, BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips) had record profits in 2011 – over $130 billion dollars or $375 million dollars/day
- Top 5 oil companies received $6.6 million/day in federal tax breaks
- Top 5 oil companies spend $444,000 thousand dollars/day lobbying congress
- Rex Tillerson CEO, Exxon made $100,000/day
Here are some key issues from the WMO’s (World Meteorological Organization) 2012 Climate Statement summary:
- 2012 in the top 10 warmest years ever on record
- Above average temperatures were observed in most of the globe’s surface area
- Greenland ice sheet had the largest melt since satellite records began 34 years ago
What can we do? Call your legislator’s and ask them to support sustainable energy. Demand high performance/affordable electric cars. Join a global movement and help them take the fight to parliament. It is our obligation to do whatever we can to save our planet but we must act now.
Here are some great links to connect you to a global community of environmental activism:
DO THE MATH – YouTube video
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/
A detailed version of The Statement on the Status of the Global Climate 2012 report summary and additional information about The World Meteorological Organization can be found at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_972_en.html
If we all work collectively – we can ensure that this planet will never take its last breath. We may not be able to stop climate change but we can make changes today that will be positive for our environment, animals and for humanity tomorrow.
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 
Those are all excellent steps that need to be accomplished regardless and there’s no doubt that the environment always takes a back seat to “progress”. Unfortunately, climate change is almost entirely driven by cycles of the sun and will run have to run its natural course.
Thanks for your comments…..we must remember that our environment should never take a ‘back seat’ – we need to hold our legislators accountable for their actions (or lack thereof) and it is our responsibility to ensure we take care of our planet.
Amen to that.