As far as climate change goes, “a rise of 10 degrees in
temperature would put the six-million-acre state park…in the same climate zone
as the mountains of North Carolina and Georgia.” (NYT). Quoting Jerry Jenkins,
an ecologist at the wildlife conservation society, “Nothing we see here is
found at temperatures 10 degrees warmer, and very little makes it to five
degrees warmer”. Just to put these arbitrary numbers into perspective.
Essentially the Adirondacks as we know them will no longer exist on the course
we are traveling. So what is the best course of action? I did a lot of research about this since I will be presenting on climate change and a lot of the articles I read were about relatively small scale ideas. Great ideas, but nonetheless, too small. What I am particularly interested in is higher level political action. It seems so funny that there are not higher regulations on carbon emissions. I believe there should be considerations of a carbon cap as well as a tax on carbon emissions. These additional funds should be used to begin an investment in clean energy resources. I think this is more on par with the scale of action needed.
I agree as well. Most of the actions these days on climate change are marginal and not major enough to make a true difference. Although it does make sense to look to the political side to make effective changes, what about the social and cultural? At the end of the day, there needs to be a change in the way we as inhabitants of the planet think about the environment. Yes, there are big walks and fundraisers to promote awareness, but more is needed on the day-to-day scale. People need to be thinking "do I really need to take this boat out for a joy ride on Saranac Lake?" The everyday lifestyle of people in the Park and elsewhere needs to be improved as well political influence.
ReplyDeleteLarge scale political change would be ideal. However, many countries can't afford to think long term. Internationally, carbon emissions are often seen as a necessary evil for countries like China and Brazil, that rely on largely unregulated industry for economic gain. Cutting down on car and boat trips for recreation would be helpful, but I have a harder time thinking of people who have to drive to work quite a ways to provide a better life for their families. I personally don't see much hope for reducing carbon emissions until there is a sustainable and affordable alternative that is accessible to those everyday workers just trying to get by.
ReplyDelete