A commenter on Kevin's post about recycling asks if we've seen the PBS show on global dimming. I haven't, but I'm aware of the gist of it--that all of our other pollution has so far masked much global warming, by bouncing some solar energy out into space. That, along with other occasional news stories about everything happening faster than expected, leads our commenter to plaintively ask:
I'm not sure how to sleep at night and I never felt so powerless or depressed. Is there ANY hope at all to stop or reverse global warming?
It's not an uncommon sentiment, but it's one that I don't share, much. Global warming isn't one thing or the other. For example, we have already warmed some and (for example) species are already going extinct--and we have more warming already locked in. So, in one sense, global warming is here. The key thing, though, is that there is still much preventable warming, which we can choose to not let happen.
And that choosing is crucial. There is plenty that we can do to stop global warming, but we have to make it happen. We have to choose it, over and over again.
Our commenter asks if there's any hope at all to stop global warming. I say yes. I see it everywhere. I see action on just about every possible front. Is it enough? I don't know. Could it be more? Sure. And that's where the choices we make today are crucial.
It may not show yet, but Springfield is alive with sustainability and anti-global warming action. There are at least four groups with major commitments to slowing warming: this group, Clean Energy Springfield; the local Sierra Club (the big dog, really); Sustainable Springfield, Inc., and the other CES, Community Energy Systems, which works outside of Springfield, but in our area. That's not even counting the many various allied groups, that focus more closely on other aspects of the problem, such as the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, the UIS student group SAGE, faith-based groups like Pax Christi, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the Springfield Bicycle Club, as well as some of the public health groups that promoted the smoking ban.
All of that is to say: We are alive with opportunity. Worried about global warming: get involved. Contact your aldermen and representative. Get an energy audit. Attend one of CWLP's community energy meetings.
Despair makes us look around and see problems. Hope lets us look around and see opportunities. And they are plentiful--maybe too plentiful, sure. Getting started is tough, but once you're started, it gets easier and easier. None of the groups above care if all you do is attend a meeting--come find out what we're about. Find out what we're doing. Attend enough, and pretty soon something will jump out at you that you can do. It may take an hour. It may be a Saturday clean-up or a writing a letter. But you can build on it. And we can be great together.
Comments (4)
greg is very right...but there is another way to look at it..i posted a piece at Community Energy Systems blog from the Smithsonian blog (www.censys.org) that argues that the last global warming forced humans to evolve...i AM NOT saying that it is a good thing necessarily. but heh we ARE going to go through it and it should be something of an adventure...in the mean time we have to evolve as fast as we can..Burning Behavior is after all an extremely primitive behavior.
Posted by doug nicodemus | September 9, 2007 1:26 PM
Posted on September 9, 2007 13:26
I have been thinking about this for the past couple of days after reading your response to my comments. I have personally took action but I don't feel that they are enough.
This is an issue that requires every one of us to get involved and do something about. I still keep seeing people driving their big SUVs, lots of light pollution (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/20/070820fa_fact_owen), and leaving the computers on. From my perception, it's as if, outside of the groups that you mentioned, nobody cared.
I am not sure about the human evolution thing-- it may be a one-time phenomenon.
This is an issue that requires radical and possibly controversial solutions such as molecular nanotechnology(www.foresight.org), taking Amazon away from Brazil, huge Solar Shield project(by launching 98% of the reflective materials from the moon, NOT from the Earth), start bamboo farms, etc. Maybe even require bringing back other pollution to buy us time to get carbon dioxide under control.
Scientists consistently underestimated the impact of climate change and failed to communicate to the public effectively on this issue. Also, the potential for a runaway greenhouse effect is there. And that gives me pause.
You really should see that NOVA show....
In the meantime, I keep doing what I can and see if there is more that I can do. Thanks for pointing out about the CES group; I will check that site out.
Posted by Anonymous Coward | September 11, 2007 4:07 AM
Posted on September 11, 2007 04:07
Yes, I wrote the comment at night. Yes, I actually did lost sleep. :-(
Posted by Anonymous Coward | September 11, 2007 4:09 AM
Posted on September 11, 2007 04:09
You might drop by the Sept 17 Sustainable Springfield talk, featuring one guy talking about his efforts building a green home in Springfield. As I understand what he's done, it's nice because it ties into a few things bigger than this one guy--CWLP's new net metering program, for one; "green home" loan programs from (I think) Illini Bank for another.
You're right that things are happening faster than expected, but I think that works both ways. The innovation needed to reduce our emissions is also happening pretty fast, and easier than most people think--see the cost of wind power to CWLP, for example.
One of the problems with global warming is that most people agree something needs to be done, but it's a low level of commitment. It's not a major voting issue, for instance. But people--even here in Springfield--do like seeing stuff get done. That's why it looks like the groups I mentioned are the only ones who care but, trust me, they're not. It does, though, make it vital for those of us who are extremely committed to band together. We have the support, but we have to get out there and do something with it.
If you do want to find out more about what you can do, email me at cleanenergyspringfield at gmail dot(nospam) com.
Posted by Greg C | September 11, 2007 7:11 AM
Posted on September 11, 2007 07:11