Global warming, melting ice caps, pollution, pesticides, burning of fossil fuels, poisoned food, toxic waste, deforestation, superstars, drought, overpopulation...the list goes on and on. The Earth and everything on it is in crisis but what's the hold up? We learn exciting and horrifying things everyday but we are running out of time.So why are we still in crisis?
Rachel Carson, author of silent spring- a book credited with helping launch the environmental movement in 1962 said herself that,"Time is the essential ingredient, but in the modern world there is no time.”
Rachel Carson, author of silent spring- a book credited with helping launch the environmental movement in 1962 said herself that,"Time is the essential ingredient, but in the modern world there is no time.”
She was right, because we are destroying ourselves at an alarming rate. We waste our time in denial, doubting scientific evidence and debating technicalities. When our home burns up and falls apart.
Instead of why let's first look at what is causing the crisis?
Instead of why let's first look at what is causing the crisis?
Bill Mckibben, environmentalist, author and founder of 350.org, the first global grassroots climate change movement. Has done the math for us and here are the 3 most important numbers for our years to come.
First:
2 degrees Celsius or 3.6 degrees F: is the agreed upon “safe” amount of global warming. currently we are around 0.8 degrees. 2 degrees may be agreed upon but its far from safe.
Just one degree of warming will eliminate ⅓ of the world's surface fresh water. Mostly found in glaciers and ice caps.
With those gone the 80% of the suns rays the ice and snow reflect will turn into ocean which absorbs up to 95% of that solar radiation.
In 2 degrees- this so called “safe” amount- half of the worlds population will have had to move to higher ground.
Mountains will have lost their glaciers so people won’t have a fresh water supply. and more than a third of all living species will face extinction.
There is a 93% chance of avoiding 2 degrees but only if we reduce our emissions by 60% over the next 10 years.
There is a 93% chance of avoiding 2 degrees but only if we reduce our emissions by 60% over the next 10 years.
Next big number to keep in mind is 565 gigatons of carbon dioxide. Is the quote “reasonable” level calculated that we can put in the atmosphere and maybe stay under 2 degrees. 'Reasonable' and 'maybe' meaning a 4 in 5 shot at staying below 2 degrees. We’re at 0.8 degrees now, that's what, a little under half way there?
It's calculated that even if we stopped our carbon emissions now, we would still rise another 0.8 degrees.
In fact it is estimated that our global emissions will rise at about 3 % a year. that gives us about 16 years before we have surpassed our 565 allowance. Just 16 years!
Finally 2597 gigatons of carbon are in our current fossil fuel reserves. Reserves that we plan on burning. That’s 5 times the allotted 565.
If our 2 degrees limit was the legal drinking limit and our current 0.8 degrees was our blood- alcohol driving level. 565 gigatons would be the drinks allowed to stay under the limit. (or about 6 beers.) The 2795 gigatons we plan on using is the equivalent of 3 dozen beers.
3 dozen!
These reserves have already been calculated into our economy. Money is being borrowed, budgets and prices are being set, all on the plan that we are going to burn all our reserves.
In order to stay safe, 80% of that can NEVER be touched.
These are all terrifying calculations.
So I ask again why are we still in crisis? Why haven’t we stopped? do we plan to?
So I ask again why are we still in crisis? Why haven’t we stopped? do we plan to?
Rachel Carson said, quote, “It is an era dominated by industry in which the right to make a dollar at whatever cost is seldom challenged.”
"At whatever cost, what does that mean exactly what cost are we talking about here? Dollars, jobs, comforts, the economy, or is it our food, water, air, plants/animals, our homes, our lives!
Greed isn't new to us, we all know the big companies, are greedy. But they live here too. they breath our air and drink our water. They need food and have families. They are on our side, aren't they? After all if we are in such a crisis wouldn't they be fighting the good fight too? or is that their cost for a dollar?
But why is it seldom challenged? We talked about the damage the planet is taking and it’s cost. Do we give them some benefit of the doubt that they haven’t earn? Here’s a story.
But why is it seldom challenged? We talked about the damage the planet is taking and it’s cost. Do we give them some benefit of the doubt that they haven’t earn? Here’s a story.
In 1978, Lois Gibbs and her family had just moved to an area in Niagara falls, NY called Love Canal. From local articles written about the area
She thought it was awful but didn't think much on speaking out about it. Later she discovered her children's playground were built on top of the canal- that same canal the toxic waste was dumped. In fact she found that the land was sold to the school for just a dollar.
She needed to learn if it was true and went to the article's publisher's office. There were many many more articles on the love canal, one listed the chemicals buried there and their health effects. She was horrified to realized her sons health had similarities to the list- since he started school there he had been having seizures and low white blood count- to name a few. Lois then tried to transfer her son to another school but they denied her request saying there was no danger and therefore could not transfer her son.
“ I thought that I, as a person, had rights, that I ought to have a choice, and that one of those choices was not to send my child to school in a contaminated place.”
She decided to go door to door to start a petition. Like many she was scared, scared that people would think she was crazy and would just slam doors in her face. She had never done something like this before.
The first house Lois tried was empty but feeling overwhelmed, she went home. Knowing the importance of the situation and the children in danger she tried again the next day but closer to home. she started with people she knew, 1st at her sons friends house then other neighbors she knew.
The first house Lois tried was empty but feeling overwhelmed, she went home. Knowing the importance of the situation and the children in danger she tried again the next day but closer to home. she started with people she knew, 1st at her sons friends house then other neighbors she knew.
Not many knew where the canal was and didn't pay much attention to the issues- like she hadn't. She got good at explaining it and soon developed a speech. She learned the whole community was sick.
The state health department finally got involved and had a meeting June 1978 at the school's auditorium. They wanted to take samples to determine the safety of the area. They created a tile system that would collect any chemical spill that overflowed, “like putting a fat lady in a bathtub” they said.
Concerned about the underground streams she asked how the system would cut the springs off. The tiles drains were only 12 ft deep.
Concerned about the underground streams she asked how the system would cut the springs off. The tiles drains were only 12 ft deep.
The people joined in asking what if the chemicals were 40 ft down? after all the canal was probably 40 ft deep. and how are the engineers going to get the chemicals out? No answers were given.
They all sat in the auditorium, that smelled of chemicals, everyone wanting answers. Finally Lois spoke up saying, quote,
“ You are telling me there are chemicals there. you are going to build this big elaborate system to take the fat lady out of the bathtub and collect all this overflow. you tell us the air tests clean. but you also tell us we can’t eat the vegetables. how can these kids be safe walking on the playground?”
“ You are telling me there are chemicals there. you are going to build this big elaborate system to take the fat lady out of the bathtub and collect all this overflow. you tell us the air tests clean. but you also tell us we can’t eat the vegetables. how can these kids be safe walking on the playground?”
They told her to make sure they don’t cut across the canal or walk on the canal itself.”
when she asked "how when the playground is on the canal?”
They replied quote “you are the mother, you can limit the time they play on the canal.”
Eventually, the government relocated more than 800 families and reimbursed them for their homes. legislative changes were made and super funds were put in place to clean up other waste sites and to keep companies accountable.
What can you do when profit is more important to people than others lives, children's lives?
It seems to me that not only are we fighting big corporations but we are fighting to be a collective, a community and the secrets and doubt campaigns feed on that community being split up and broken. The corporations have the money and the power but they have that power because we allow it. Because we don’t challenge it!
So I ask you to join me.
Get involved.
Be heard!
Join a group, make a group, get your school involved.
Investigate and share that knowledge in writing, art, voice, video. Express it any any way you can, because awareness, knowledge and community are the tools of activism that make a difference.
We are at the beginning of what may be the last environmental movement. lets make this one count.
Rachel Carson wrote books, gave speeches and got the whole community involved and in today’s age it’s up to us to do the same.
So what are you going to do? Because its not going to be enough to just change your light bulbs and to recycle.
To make this time different we need to get everyone involved.
Everyone armed with the knowledge and passion to make a difference.
If it’s not too late we need to try for a future but if we are going down then we should go down fighting.
To make this time different we need to get everyone involved.
Everyone armed with the knowledge and passion to make a difference.
If it’s not too late we need to try for a future but if we are going down then we should go down fighting.
Sources
Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.
Gibbs, Lois M. "Love Canal: My Story." American Earth: Environmental Writing since Thoreau. New York, NY: Literary Classics of the United States, 2008. 609-21. Print.
"Global Warming, Our Future." A Degree by Degree Explanation of What Will Happen When the Earth Warms. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Mckibben, Bill. "350.org." 350.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Mckibben, Bill. "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math." Rolling Stones 2 Aug. 2012: n. pag. Print.
