tural census found that the number of farms in the United States is increasing for the first time in a century-and-a-half. That’s good news and potentially great news, but small farming, co-ops and organic production will remain a small, marginal trend until the price of energy changes. The day that happens is the day that everyone finds their way to a local farmers’ market. Helpful changes roll out, from bus
and train commutes replacing cars to the rising popularity of densely inhab- ited urban blocks, as cul-de-sac subur- bia loses its appeal. Local storefronts naturally get the nod over big box chain stores, too, and so on.
The Key to Change How do we make it happen? How do we change the price of energy, which is what almost every observer thinks is the only way we can make a real change in the physics and chemistry of the cur- rent global warming phenomenon, and make an effective difference in the short time allowed before the harmful conse- quences explode exponentially? If only everyday people could do
it solely by making personal energy im- provements around the house, at work and in their communities—through such steps as switching to more energy- efficient light bulbs and riding our bikes to work. Such changes are good to do, of course, and it all helps, but we don’t have a century to turn around our global situation. Which means we also need to engage in… politics. We need to put the pressure on
our leaders now to change the price of energy now. Remember—they’re getting plenty of pressure from lobby- ists pocketing profits on the other side. Because of government subsidies and cartels, fossil fuel is the most profitable industry humans have ever engaged in; last year, Exxon Mobil Corporation made more money than any company in recorded history. That buys them a lot of power. We won’t be able to outspend them, so we will have to do what people have always done when they have found themselves needing to take
28 Hartford County Edition
Scientific data shows the ocean becoming more acidic at an unprecedented rate as surface waters continue to absorb approximately a third of manmade atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions.
~ National Research Council, Ocean Acidification, 2010
Global phytoplankton populations have dropped about 40 percent since 1950, and scientists believe that rising sea surface temperatures are to blame. The microscopic plants both form the foundation of the ocean’s food web and gobble up carbon dioxide to produce half of the world’s oxygen output.
~ Dalhousie University, Canada, Nature, 2010
point. NASA scientists led by James Hansen have published reams of data showing that, “Any value for carbon in the atmosphere greater than 350 parts per million [ppm] is not compatible with the planet on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted.”
It sounds like an unpromising
banner to rally people around—too serious and too depressing, because we’re already well past the 350 mark. The atmosphere is currently at 392 ppm carbon dioxide, which is why the Arctic is melting. So far, we’ve racked up some successes; in October 2009, we held an International Day of Action that created some 5,200 demonstrations in 181 countries. That’s a lot—in fact, CNN called it, “… the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history.”
Online images posted from those
events banish wrong preconceptions people might have about who is and
charge of their future: We must build a movement. Politicians won’t change because scientists tell them we have a prob- lem—they’ll change because enough people tell them they have to, or they’ll lose their jobs. Building just this kind
of movement is entirely possible.
Citizen
Action Plan Two years ago, a few concerned citizens joined me in launching
350.org, a wholly grassroots campaign that takes its name from a wonky scientific data
www.NaturallyHealthyCT.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56