Holy moly, it certainly is holy smoky outside. Smokey Bear is probably crying much of the time these days. All the terrible wildfires in Canada and northern U.S. Very sad indeed. And whether we’d like to admit it or not, it’s basically all our fault.
Huh??
No, I’m not trying to say all these fires were started by humans. Some of them were, but many were caused by lightning. Hot, dry summers are creating tinderboxes in many of our woodlands with very unfortunate results.
No, what I’m getting at is this pretty well known scientific fact that human activities are causing our lovely planet to heat up. We burn too many fossil fuels, we remove too many forests, and we raise too many livestock; and all these endeavors are causing greenhouse gases to get trapped in the atmosphere. The result, the Earth is warming up.
Here’s a site that sums it all up quite nicely:
https://maweb.org/what-are-some-human-activities-that-contribute-to-global-warming
So what can we do?? Well there are lots of things, but we’ll all have to work together to make any dents in the warming trend that has already become quite evident. Here is my own personal list that may or may not give you some ideas of steps we can take to mitigate global warming.
- Eat less macaroni and cheese (the kind in the box). Bet you didn’t expect that to show up on the list!! Well think about it: making the macaroni involves using energy, packaging it uses energy, and producing all the “cheese” (God only knows what all those chemicals are) also consumes energy. Then the product has to be shipped… more energy use. In other words, eat fewer processed foods.
- Buy fewer toys. Am I a buzzkiller or what?? I can’t help myself, especially when it comes to techie toys. For why do I say this? Well I retired from IT, and my long career in technology has pointed out something very striking to me: we humans could survive very nicely with stuff that just works. I mean, do we really need an iPhone 29 ½?? Yes, I know that model hasn’t come out yet. But my “brand new” iPhone 8 has worked just fine for 9 years… I did get a new battery installed last year but otherwise it works very well. A friend of mine was complaining she couldn’t add a certain app on her aging phone because the IOS was not the latest and greatest version. My phone won’t do the newest version either… and my philosophy is simple: if I can make calls, sent texts, and go on the interwebs, there are lots of apps I can do without.
- Drive less. Use public transit, a bicycle, or even walk. Automobile exhaust is a big contributor to global warming. Some of us can’t or maybe just won’t drive less. Well in that case, at the very least get a more fuel efficient vehicle. Less gas burned equals fewer emissions.
- Mow less. Am I an agitator or what?? I can hear the moaning: “Oh sure, now he’s trying to steal our lawns!!” Maybe just mow less often? Maybe make the area you mow a bit smaller? Maybe quit using fertilizers and weed killers… all those chemicals are pretty harmful ya know. Maybe plant some trees?? Am I a pain in the hiney yet??
- Oh here’s a weird one: VOTE. Go to the polls and vote for folks who understand how vital Mother Nature is to our survival. She can’t speak for herself you know… it’s up to us. Well OK, she actually does speak for herself, but it sure doesn’t feel like enough people are listening.
Well there are a lot more suggestions I’d love to impart, but I’ll hop down off the soap box now. Sure, there are no easy answers; but all the stuff I just ranted about is by no means new information. But when I think about the origins of Earth Day and the all too prevalent lack of regard for our environment; I get a little sad inside.
Let’s try to work together on this. Smokey Bear would appreciate it.