My Take: Be part of the climate solution, not the problem

Recently, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, said we, the citizens of the world, are on a highway to heck, or something along those lines. The engine behind this sad climatic journey is our stubborn, irrational love affair with fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide levels are slowly, but surely, raising the earth’s temperature thus causing all sorts of unintended, negative consequences. Rising sea levels, droughts, torrential rains,  melting glaciers and increasingly awful tropical storms have resulted. Flora and fauna have also been very negatively affected.

Another famous world citizen from Vatican City has also tried to call our attention to the damage and danger our profligate lifestyles in the global North are causing to brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. Apparently what happens in the global North doesn’t stay in the global North? At least that is what Pope Francis thinks, and he is 100% spot on with his assessment. He opines that our first world, carbon-intensive lifestyles do great harm to brothers and sisters in other parts of God’s wonderful creation.

Hopefully, all is not lost, however. There are some good things happening, in spite of the naysaying troglodytes who seem to embrace big oil and coal. The chief of Home Depot’s lawn and garden division has pledged his firm to phase out gas-powered lawn equipment. John Deere dealers have also pledged to significantly increase the assortment of electric lawn tools available in their stores. The city of East Grand Rapids is looking into banning gas-powered leaf blowers. Oh, yeah.

In my own neighborhood, the march to electric mowers is proceeding far quicker than I would have ever imagined. My heart almost sings when I see neighbors mowing without hearing or smelling the exhaust of gas mowers. Nary a day passes when I don’t see more and more EVs on the road. Mostly Teslas now, but each and every day brings news of other automakers finally waking up to the realities of the future transport-wise. E-bikes, too. All shapes and sizes. The bikes and the riders, too!

God has given the earth amazing restorative capabilities. One of our favorite Pure Michigan state parks is in Fayette on the Garden Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula. Over a hundred years ago, Fayette was an industrial hell hole due to its 24/7 iron-smelting operations. The pictures of the facility during its heyday are indeed depressing. Today? A true marvel of climatic renewal, as is the Garden Peninsula.

To process the iron ore tremendous quantities of charcoal, from trees, was required. The peninsula was, like much of Michigan, clear-cut. Today? The Garden Peninsula is a veritable agricultural gem. Gorgeous farms that benefit from its position between the two Bays de Noc. And many, many 21st century windmills as well for clean, green power.

Heed the secretary general, the Pope and the myriad other less well-known personages that are warning us that our current lifestyles are unsustainable and exceedingly costly for those in other parts of the world and for the futures of our own kids and grandkids. Be part of the solution and not part of the problem. The future requires our input and actions today.

— Jeff Raywood is a resident of Holland.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: Be part of the climate solution, not the problem