My Take: Climate change: If not us, who? If not now, when?
Apparently the book buyer at Herrick Library and I have a few things in common. We both seem to love reading and public libraries. We also appear to have a common interest in Christianity and its place in environmentalism and sustainability. The magazine room subscribes to a truly magnificent magazine titled The Christian Century. Its tagline is: Thoughtful, Independent & Progressive. Wow. This viewpoint suits me to the proverbial "T." In a world where Christianity seems to be represented by people who want to cling to an unsustainable past I felt truly isolated.
The most recent cover has Earth’s agency. As I understand "agency," it means a duty or dedication to serving and/or protecting. An insurance agency is an example. A story inside explores the planet’s efforts to restore stability. Another story deals with the land’s grief, in Hosea’s time and ours! What is not to like? Last month’s issue also dealt a lot with the earth and its protection as a Christian goal and duty!
A new book Herrick bought is titled Chasing Lakes: Love, Science and the Secrets of the Arctic. The author is a female, Christian scientist. Small "s" with scientist. She artfully weaves her life’s story through the prism of being a female scientist, a Christian scientist and a mother and wife! Her trials and tribulations with all three roles are fascinating. Her vocation entails studying climate change and its negative effects in the Arctic. Unfortunately what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic, unlike Las Vegas!
As the permafrost melts it releases copious amounts of methane gas. Carbon dioxide is bad enough, but methane is far, far worse. The damage it does or can do to the environment makes co2 seem almost inconsequential. Almost. As the earth warms the ice melts. Melting ice makes more H2O, or water in common parlance, more prevalent. Ice and snow are white or should be. Water is not. It is darker and absorbs more sunlight and melts even more permafrost, thereby releasing more methane.
The locations of her studies are the state of Alaska and Siberia. The increase in methane emissions is linked to the melting of the Arctic ice. The more carbon dioxide we produce the more the ice melts and seawater levels rise. The rate at which this is transpiring is increasing at a truly alarming rate. As long as we, earth’s current citizenry, do little or nothing to stem the production of carbon dioxide this release of methane will continue.
A recent article in Time magazine has a story titled: "Mirage." The mirage in question? The Saudis realize that what they sell and provides the bulk of their foreign exchange is anathema to the well-being of the earth. Their solution to this, then? They are using their petroleum generated dollars, yen, euros, etc., to pursue a green agenda. They are no fools. As the U.S. and other nations dither and pursue life as usual, they are using our own money to make changes that benefit themselves. We, the U.S., appear to be an addict dependent on a dealer who knows that his/her product causes harm and refuses to use it.
Another recent Herrick book I have read dealt with PG & E, the giant northern California power provider. Climate change has caused significant droughts in the western states. These droughts and high winds have caused significantly more and more damaging wildfires to PG & E’s aging infrastructure, resulting in many power outages for their customers. Unless climate change is drastically curtailed these outages and fires will continue to proliferate. Those in charge are well aware of this awful symbiotic relationship. An unfortunate quote in the book between the head of the CPUC, California Public Utility Commission head, and head of PG & E, went like this: “We (the two gents) will be OK. Our kids? Not too bad, but our grandkids”? They’re (f bomb past tense)."
Wake up, people. If not us, who? If not now, when? We have reached the tipping point.
— Jeff Raywood is a resident of Holland.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: Climate change: If not us, who? If not now, when?
