Report Says Some Climate Change is Irreversible

Now comes news that strikes at the heart of every greenie - with all that we are doing to improve the environment and stop global warming, it may not make a bit of difference.  This is hard news to take.  What is a self-professed “tree hugger” to do?

The Bad News

Yes, you heard it right.  Some climate change is irreversible, according to a report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory on January 26, 2009.  “People have imagined that if we stopped emitting carbon dioxide the climate would go back to normal in 100 years, 200 years; that’s not true,” climate researcher Susan Solomon said in a teleconference.  The truth is some of the damage is already done, and there isn’t much we can do to change it in our lifetimes.

One of the biggest culprits in the planet’s warm-up is carbon dioxide.  Not only because of the “greenhouse effect,” but because it takes hundreds of years to break down.  Other gases take much less time.  We are currently dealing with not only our own emissions, but possibly the emissions from centuries ago as well.  And our actions today will influence the environment of generations to come.

So what can we do?

• » See also: The Green Elements of CAR Expo 2009
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Call to Action

I have to admit when I first read the source article for this posting, I was stunned and taken aback.  Does this mean that it really doesn’t matter what kind of car I drive, how much garbage I throw away, what types of food I eat?  The news caused me to question what I have deemed my “purpose in life:” save the planet, or at least my corner of it.  It begs the question, why are we (greenies) all here and what are we fighting for?

After pondering for a while, I realized what I must do - I must become a “super greenie!”  [No, that does not mean I put on a green leotard and cape, flying around, saving the planet from the forces of Carbon Dioxide (my Arch Enemy, of course).  :)  ]  What it does mean is that I have to step up my actions, and do even more of the thinking that I advocated on my rant.

The way I see it, what we do does have an effect: it has an effect on our immediate environment and our communities.  If I use a no-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint in my bedroom, I am going to have a better environment in that room than if I had used regular latex.  If I increase the ventilation in my home, I am going to have better air quality than if I did not (yes, I realize that the air will be polluted anyway, but it will be less polluted).  If I build a green house or building, and make a big to-do about it, invite people in to see how it saves energy and keeps its occupants more comfortable than a traditional building, I am going to improve my community.  I am going to educate them, and then, hopefully, they will decide to use no-VOC paint at their place, and improve their own environment.

Small actions can have large effects.  Remember that, even in the face of all the nay-sayers.  They call it the “butterfly effect.”

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