It’s been a while since I got up on my soapbox, so I think it’s time for me to vent some opinions again on the state of the world. As a wishful writer I express my humble opinions only as a matter of record and to inspire debate from thoughtful people. We are all entitled to our opinions, right?
Not many people will ever have the patience to read this all, but a few might and I always appreciate your thoughts. Not the attacks that all too common on Facebook, and I reserve the right to delete those.
Among all the pressing issues of the day, two are the most pressing in my opinion – the war in Ukraine and Climate Change.
The War In Ukraine
The daily tragedy of Putin’s War is horrific. The destruction of the country and the huge loss of innocent lives is very hard to watch and brings tears to my eyes, especially the deaths of children. Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and many war crimes are reminiscent of Hitler’s invasion of Poland that started WWII. Back then some thirty countries became involved, primarily fighting Germany and Japan, who both lost. The US only got involved after the Japanese bombed Peart Harbor.
There are far too many similarities to the war now. Putin is the same as Hitler. A power hungry despot who doesn’t care about all the innocent people he is murdering. He lies as much as Trump and refuses to let his own people know what is really going on. He is laying beautiful historic cities to ruin, forcing millions of people to flee their own country, and enraging the world.
Maybe it’s too late to do what should have been done before the invasion. Welcome Ukraine into NATO and immediately send troops and weapons to defend the country. Push the Russian troops back across the border and end the war. Putin is an idiot but he is not about to risk a world war against NATO. At the same time tell Putin that all the economic sanctions will be eased and the assets of Russian oligarchs will be released. The only demand on Putin is that he will pay personally for the billions in damages he has wreaked. if he does everything asked of him he will not be charged for his war crimes, only because this would be impossible to prove and he would never have gone to prison. It is not a pardon in any sense.
The world cannot continue to sit by and watch Ukraine be destroyed. This will only embolden Putin to keep going and invade neighboring countries. He must be stopped!
Climate Change
The earth has gone through warming and cooling periods before; however, the issue is that it took 125,000 years! Now the earth is warming at a much faster rate with devastating results. Just some of the statistics:
  • South central Colorado, the climate division just outside Salida, has warmed 2.3 degrees on average since 1988, among the warmest divisions in the contiguous United States.
  • The statistics tracking climate change since 1988 are almost numbing. North America and Europe have warmed 1.89 degrees — more than any other continent.
  • Since 1988, daily heat records have been broken more than 2.3 million times at weather stations across the nation, half a million times more than cold records were broken.
  • when you look at the globe as a whole, especially since 1970, nearly all the warming is man-made, said Zeke Hausfather of the independent science group Berkeley Earth. Without extra carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, he said, the Earth would be slightly cooling from a weakening sun. Numerous scientific studies and government reports calculate that greenhouse gases in the big picture account for more than 90 percent of post-industrial Earth’s warming.
  • In the US the nation’s extreme weather — flood-inducing downpours, extended droughts, heat waves and bitter cold and snow — has doubled in 30 years, according to a federal index.
  • And the summer’s named Atlantic storms? On average, the first one now forms nearly a month earlier than it did in 1988. The 14 costliest hurricanes in American history, adjusted for inflation, have hit since 1988, reflecting both growing coastal development and a span that included the most intense Atlantic storms on record.
  • Climate scientists point to the Arctic as the place where climate change is most noticeable with dramatic sea ice loss, a melting Greenland ice sheet, receding glaciers and thawing permafrost. The Arctic has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the world.Alaska’s annual average temperature has warmed 2.4 degrees since 1988 and 5.4 degrees in the winter. Since 1988, Utqiagvik (oot-GAR’-vik), Alaska, formerly known as Barrow, has warmed more than 6 degrees yearly and more than 9 degrees in winter.
  • The amount of Arctic sea ice in September, when it shrinks the most, fell by nearly one third since 1988. It is disappearing 50 years faster than scientists predicted
  • With more than 70 percent of the Earth covered by oceans, a 3-inch increase means about 6,500 cubic miles (27,150 cubic km) of extra water. That’s enough to cover the entire United States with water about 9 feet deep.

Yes, these are scary statistics. Huge raging forest fires. Drought. Floods. Heat Domes. Hurricanes. Tornados. Monsoons. Torrential rains. Virtually every day on the news there is a disastrous weather event somewhere in the world.

So what do we do about it? A very small part of the warming is natural with the shifting of the earth on its axis and slight changes in the sun, but the majority of the warming is greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by almost 50 per cent since 1990
Emissions grew more quickly between 2000 and 2010 than in each of the three previous decades. The two major scenarios for limiting global warming are 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees. The 2015 Paris Accord set 1.5 as the target but this has now been set to 2 degrees mostly because 1.5 degrees is becoming less attainable. Most of the countries who signed the Paris Accord are far behind in their commitments. One study suggests a warming of 2.6 degrees by the end of this century which would be disastrous for everything from the loss of coral reefs to the extinction of numerous plants and animals. If warming reached this level it will be the hottest time ever when humans were on earth and many will die.

Governments around the world need to set fighting climate change as their number one priority. Stop bowing to and subsidizing the fossil fuel industry. Invest heavily in renewable energy. Fund energy alternatives like waves, geothermal and wind initiatives. With nations like the US redirect a substantial portion of the defense budget to fighting climate change. Preventing the US from disappearing under nine feet of water is a more pressing issue than defense.

What can we do personally?

  • Try to choose fresh, seasonal produce that is grown locally to help reduce the carbon emissions from transportation, preservation and prolonged refrigeration.
  • If you need to fly for work, consider using video-conferencing instead. For trips in the same country or continent, take the train or explore options using an electric car.
  • Instead of getting in the car, walk or cycle – and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits, and the money saved. For longer journeys, use public transport, or try car sharing schemes.
  • Small changes to your behavior at home will help you use less energy, cutting your carbon footprint and your energy bills:Put on an extra layer and turn down the heating a degree or two.

    Turn off lights and appliances when you don’t need them.

    Replace light bulbs with LEDs or other low-energy lights.

    Make simple changes to how you use hot water, like buying a water-efficient shower head.

  • Create your own green space. Add pot plants to your window sill or balcony, and if you have your own outdoor space, don’t replace the grass with paving or artificial turf.
  • Find out where your money goes. Voice your concerns about responsible investment by writing to your bank or pension provider, and ask if you can opt out of funds investing in fossil fuels.
  • As you make these positive changes to reduce your environmental impact, share your experience with your family, friends, customers and clients. Don’t be a bore or confrontational. Instead, talk positively, and be honest about the ups and downs.