In my brainstorm for this post, I initially wanted it to be short and sweet. I originally was going to post a poem by Shel Silverstein. Know what? Here it is:
Bear In There
from the book “A Light in the Attic” (1981)
There’s a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire–
He likes it ’cause it’s cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fishAnd his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He’s nibbling the noodles,
He’s munching the rice,
He’s slurping the soda,
He’s licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he’s in there–
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.
The dramatic and rapid loss of sea ice in recent years has consequences beyond the Arctic. Scientists have found the melting shifts the position of the Jet Stream, bringing cold Arctic air further south and increasing the odds of intense snow storms and extreme spring weather.
Source: Huffington Post
The most telling of all of this is the report that has come of the UN Climate Summit. You can read it in its entirety here. But here’s something to think about — very real, very scary, and very much already happening:
Surface temperature is projected to rise over the 21st century under all assessed emission scenarios. It is very likely that heat waves will occur more often and last longer, and that extreme precipitation events will become more intense and frequent in many regions. The ocean will continue to warm and acidify, and global mean sea level to rise.
“What can I do?” you ask? Well, not a heck of a whole lot. We’re beyond changing our lightbulbs to fluorescent or LED. As laypeople we need to do two things. Number one, money talks. Shop for environmentally friendly products or services only. Avoid items that aren’t manufactured responsibly. Some things may be more expensive, yes. But talk is cheap and without action, our climate will continue to suffer and our kids and their kids will have to live in the hell we are just beginning to experience. Number two, urge your representative to make the change. Politicians are persuaded by lobbyists and money, yes. But what happens when money can’t buy their votes anymore because their constituents demand change? That’s when the real change can begin.
Not until our manufacturing, mining, and drilling practices have changed, and our reliance on fossil fuels and oil diminish, will this little thing known as climate change begin to be under control.
We messed it up. We need to fix it.
“We’re the first generation to feel the impacts of climate disruption, and the last generation that can do something about it.”
Source: Disruption
What are some things you do to reduce your carbon footprint?
