Patch Blog: Two Things You Can do to Fight Climate Change

Recently, I came across a news article that hinted we are getting ever closer to a climate "tipping point," based on measurements that scientists make of the thawing of Arctic permafrost and the first set of tundra fires in 5,000 years. Thawing permafrost and fires lead to more climate warming, which, in turn creates more thawing and fires, thereby constituting not just a tipping point but possibly a point of no return.

I know, I know—most of us are on board with climate change. Are we the cause of it? Is it potentially disastrous? You bet.

Much of the denial about the causes and effects of climate change is secretly funded by the fossil fuels industries. The Koch brothers (oil people) alone dumped $50 million into bogus "think tanks"—I call ’em stink tanks—that pretend to be disinterested seekers of truth— thoughtful and reasonable. They are neither.

Rarely in the history of our species has there been such an urgency to get our act together—selflessly, for the survival of our progeny. Scientists have predicted catastrophic changes that are occurring ahead of schedule.

We must take precautions. Two of the most important moves that we, as individuals, can make are:

1. Go solar. It is also quite "cash positive”—one of the best investments you will ever make in your “future” (in just about every sense of the word). I did it myself—and am so glad I did. Ask me how, maybe after reading my March 2011 letter to Patch, titled “Letter From a Retired School Teacher who has Seen the Writing on the Wall.”

2. Vote smart. So much depends on that. Yet we find the most ingenuous-sounding reasons either not to vote—or to vote for the “wrong” guy. At times, I, too, have assumed that we really had not much of a choice in candidates. Obama didn't kick butt. We didn't get a "cap and trade" deal from Obama's admin, etc. The temptation is to quit on the political process, and then tell yourself that there’s nothing you could do to avert the death of Earth's ecosystem. Meanwhile, there’s always Canada.

How important is the election of 2012? You may be thinking, “Let's see—Obama or the other guy? What difference would it make?" That charming—but deadly—tune played in my head, too.

But hold on. If you think, as I had, that Obama has been lukewarm or indifferent about climate change, take a look at what he has already done for the environment, and what he has set in motion for the near future. Click this link for details.
He doesn't advertise much, but he has accomplished a great deal. At the very least, he takes the issue more seriously than any other candidate.

Comments? Questions? Ideas?

I might post a blog in the future, comparing the scientific arguments underlying climate change, and counterarguments that are couched in scientific terms but which really represent the interests of a powerful, small minority.

Cheers,

Jan