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Things we can change so we don't throw away our future
by
Cyril Mychalejko | 10.09.2009
In July, President Obama declassified spy satellite photos kept secret by the Bush administration which reveal polar ice sheets in the Arctic are shrinking at alarming levels. Even more alarming is that while the Bush administration was denying or covering up that climate change was a problem, or even existed, a Pentagon commissioned report leaked in February 2004 declared that climate change posed a catastrophic national security threat projected to cause widespread famine, mega-droughts, violent storms, unsustainable migrations flows, and failed states that would eventually lead to wars fought over water, oil, food or simply put - survival. In July, President Obama declassified spy satellite photos kept secret by the Bush administration which reveal polar ice sheets in the Arctic are shrinking at alarming levels. "The photographs demonstrate starkly how global warming is changing the Arctic," wrote Suzanne Goldenberg and Damian Carrington in London's newspaper The Observer. "More than a million square kilometers of sea ice - a record loss - were missing in the summer of 2007 compared with the previous year." Even more alarming is that while the Bush administration was denying or covering up that climate change was a problem, or even existed, a Pentagon commissioned report leaked in February 2004 declared that climate change posed a catastrophic national security threat projected to cause widespread famine, mega-droughts, violent storms, unsustainable migrations flows, and failed states that would eventually lead to wars fought over water, oil, food or simply put - survival. Meanwhile, irresponsible business "leaders" are working to undermine efforts in Washington to pass legislation to address the local, national and global nightmare of climate change. For example, Bonner & Associates, a Washington lobbying firm which represents "Big Coal," was exposed this summer for sending fraudulent letters to members of Congress claiming to be from nonprofit organizations. These fake letters were sent to express opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act, legislation awaiting a vote in the Senate which would "create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy." More recently, on Sept. 3, the American Petroleum Institute along with other energy industry partners concocted a fake town hall meeting and rally in nearby Chester. According to PennFuture, a local environmental advocacy organization, the so-called public meeting was "packed with employees, contractors and friends of polluting energy companies, attacking the proposed federal global warming legislation" in a cynical attempt to manipulate the public and media. Sarah van Gelder, editor of Yes! Magazine, put the current climate crisis in perspective when she wrote in the introduction to the magazine's 2009 fall issue the skills we need to face it: "We need people who are awake, engaged, lifelong learners - people who are culturally and ecologically literate, who can build healthy, loving relationships, and who can ask tough questions and critically evaluate the responses... "We need to learn to think for ourselves, to build sustainable communities, and to protect our ecological diversity. We need to learn how to make a living in a world facing climate change ... And we need to learn the art of democracy and movement building so that we can counter the power of the corporate elites and put our government to work setting policies for a better world." Locally, the Farm School at Snipes is promoting these skills and values. The Snipes Farm recently hosted the Bucks County Green Living Festival, where families, students, businesses, nonprofit organizations and educators shared ideas and information about making our lives, our communities and the planet a healthier, sustainable and more joyous place. The event featured sustainable living techniques such as organic gardening, alternative energy demonstrations, green building construction and healthy living workshops. The Green Festival raised funds for the Farm School, a nonprofit educational organization that exists to model and teach sustainable farming. "It's imperative that we reduce our carbon footprint," said Susan Snipes-Wells, director of the Farm School. "There are changes we can make in our everyday lives that are very simple." Snipes-Wells said things like making our homes more energy efficient, curbing our consumption habits, and eating locally grown food can have an impact that could touch peoples lives 100 years from now. She also said that we need to stop living in a "throw away" society. Climate change's potential doomsday consequences require that each of us clean and green our own lives, neighborhoods, country and world. If we don't, we may just "throw away" our future. This article was originally published as an oped in the Courier Times: http://www.phillyburbs.com/
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