Sharing

Here is an article that was written by the girlfriend of a very good colleague of mine. She works for Rolling Stone magazine and is helping to spread the word about what our impacts on the environment are, as well as what we can do to fix them. I have covered the topics she discusses in this article before, but it is good to see that the message is getting into popular forms of news and cultural reading. Every little bit helps.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/plastic-stones-melting-snails-3-new-ways-to-maim-a-planet-20140624

Rollbacks . . . Renewable Energy Edition

As I was traveling to work today on the subway, I audibly groaned as the NPR podcast I was listening to informed me of Ohio's decision to put on hold its regulations requiring that utility providers get at least 12.5% of their energy from renewable sources. The guise for this temporary hold? To give customers relief on their utility bills because renewable energy costs more. The republican lawmaker that sponsored this bill in the Ohio State Senate said the regulations were unnecessarily driving up costs for utility providers which then got passed onto the consumer. Other republican lawmakers claim that now that there is a shale gas energy boom spreading across the nation there is a no longer a need for investment in renewable energy. The juicy, but unnerving truth is that the bill's sponsor, Senator Bill Seitz, and other lawmakers are closely tied to the utility and fossil fuel industries. In fact, Senator Seitz's cover was blown when Ohio's major utility providers came out both in favor of his more draconian bill which would have completely eliminated the standards as well as the weaker bill which passed, putting the standards on hold for two years. Beyond the roll back in the renewable energy standards, Ohio also promptly abandoned $2.5 billion worth of wind turbine investments.

The NPR podcast enlightened me on the darker side of this deal. As usual, if you follow the money trail long enough, you get to the stinky source. It turns out that the American Legislative Executive Council (ALEC) - the same organization that pushed states to pass Stand your Ground laws, like the one that George Zimmerman used to defend himself in Trayvon Martin's slaying - has decided it now wants to push for all states to abandon their renewable energy standards. ALEC has even teamed up with the Heartland Institute to convince states across the country to get rid of their energy mandates. They claim that they are only thinking of the consumer, dismissing the fact that both of these groups receive sizable donations from the fossil fuel industry. If they are only thinking of consumers, why do they not also push to get rid of the government subsidies that are given to the fossil fuel companies? Or why do they not advocate for lawmakers to pass regulations that ensure utility companies accept the costs incurred by renewable energy investment - like they are supposed to - instead of passing off those costs to their consumers? I thought these conservative "institutes" were all for investment and free-markets. The standards that Ohio had and most other states still have, encourage investment as well as free-market growth. It is apparent that these groups are only in favor of their principles when it directly relates to their rate of return on shares their members have invested in.

As usual, it is up to us to fight back. We cannot allow groups that receive large donations from the fossil fuel industry and climate denialists to dictate policy on renewable energy. Groups like ALEC and the Heartland Institute are most effective when they are able to lay below our radar, using donations from interested persons and corporations to get their work done. We cannot allow that to continue. Just as the spotlight was put on corporations that contributed to ALEC when Trayvon Martin was killed, we must put the spotlight on these groups that only have the best interest of their wallets and the fossil fuel industry at heart. We must be the eye that always watches and the voice that always speaks up.

Plastic Bags Are So 2000 and Late!

As part of my internship for Freshkills Park, I get to research and write on blog topics that have some relevance to the park. This week, I discovered that a supermarket is opening up in Berlin that is fully free of disposable packaging. It is a great concept, and one that has already been introduced in America at a store in Austin, TX. I am hopeful we will see more stores move in this direction, because the fact of the matter is 32% of our household waste comes from food packaging.

However, I don't want to write about the ideas those two supermarkets are focusing on. Researching that topic reminded me of the continuing battle we have with plastic bags. They are everywhere! and sadly they are going nowhere once we have disposed of them. How many of us have found plastic bags strewn in street gutters, floating in a pond, caught in the limbs of a tree, or swirling around in a parking lot? Yes, they are easy to use for stores and consumers, but they are terrible for the environment. They don't biodegrade, meaning the plastic will always pose an environmental problem in some form. Most can be recycled, either through the store or your local recycling facility, but most folks don't know about this. In fact, this short YouTube video shows us how immortal these bags are.


Most of us aren't aware that plastics are actually made from oil. So in addition to remaining a problem long after they are made, the production of plastic bags is actually contributing to global warming. These handy human-creations are just plain bad. Most of us know plastic bags are not the best, yet we continue to use them, myself included. So far, the best way to get us to stop using them in mass quantities is by stores and governments providing carrot & stick incentives. For example, some cities - most notably San Francisco - tax plastic bags in the form of a 10-cent surcharge per bag used. Another example is the grocer/retailer chain in Great Britain, Marks & Spencer, that charges a fee for each plastic bag used. Other retailers offer discounts to those who bring in their reusable tote bags.

Personally, I would like to see more stores and governments adopt the measures of the above examples. The effect is a decrease in the use of plastic bags. Of course, other ideas should be formed and implemented that will help us get off the plastic bag high we all suffer from. Sometimes we can change our own habits, other times we need a little prodding to get us to alter our bad habits. I am hopeful we will see the decline of plastic bag usage within the next few years, but we have to start now. I am committing right now to put and keep a tote bag in my backpack so that I will always have it with me whenever I make those unexpected trips to a store. Please join me in making the stand against the plastic bag.

Are We The Next Meteor?

Two weeks ago I highlighted a few species of plants and animals that are considered to be recovering from near extinction. In that post, I briefly alluded to the fact that many scientists in the biological realm believe the Earth has entered its sixth mass extinction event.  Today I want to explore this matter with you in more detail.

Earth has gone through five previous mass extinction events before. The last, and possibly most well-known, was the extinction event that took out the dinosaurs. While extinctions have occurred regularly throughout history - made evident by the fossil records - what distinguishes a mass extinction event is the fact that large groups of species are lost in a relatively short time frame and that loss outpaces the formation of new species. Plants and animals face a great deal of stress coming at them from multiple sources on a daily basis. When those stresses drastically inhibit the species' ability to reproduce over a long enough period of time, eventually that species will become extinct. Mother Nature can be quite tough, and success really is measured in the ability to survive long enough to reproduce. In the case of many animals that do not reproduce the next generation on a massive scale (think frogs or insects laying their eggs), the parents also must be able to ensure that enough of their offspring survive to maturity so that reproduction by the new generation is more likely.

Today, biologists are seeing the rate of species able to successfully reproduce over successive generations in steep decline. This is due to a variety of reasons, but unfortunately they are either directly or indirectly linked to our activities. In the past, mass extinction events occurred after extreme and sustained shifts in biological parameters were achieved through natural means. The first and greatest extinction, the Permian, where 96% of all species went extinct came about because of a prolonged and intense series of volcanic eruptions that altered the atmosphere. The dinosaurs and other plants and animals from that same era are believed to have gone extinct after a meteor hit the planet, altering both ground and atmospheric conditions.

So how is it that humans are causing the sixth mass extinction? Our activities, whether directly or indirectly, are putting such stresses on biological life that they are unable to survive. Some examples of direct causation is the hunting of animals for food or other purposes. Steller's Sea Cow and the Passenger Pigeon are two instances of this cause. Other direct causations can be the competition for resources. We have all heard on some nature program at some point that a plant or animal is threatened because of habitat encroachment. This is because humans are much more successful at competing for resources. So much so that we don't leave a lot for other species to survive off of.

Humans are also indirectly causing the next mass extinction. Climate change and invasive species, among other factors, are drastically changing habitat structure, resource availability, and ecosystem dominance. We are not purposefully trying to cause a species harm, but our activities have introduced stress factors that burden these species even more. Coral reefs are an example of this, as rising sea-levels, warmer sea temperatures, and higher carbonic acid concentrations (all related to carbon emissions from human activities and subsequent climate change) are making it more difficult for the actual corals to survive. Not only would we lose the hard corals if they succumbed, we would lose an entire ecosystem and much of the marine life that depends on the reefs for their own survival.

This is another one those environmental topics that can be quite depressing. However, we needn't take a defeatist or there's-nothing-I-can-do position. As I previously posted, we have come to our senses before and saved a species from collapsing into extinction. We have prevented several species from dying out. There are those who work hard every day to raise awareness and funds to protect as many plants and animals as possible. By supporting measures such as the Endangered Species Act and consuming items that are clearly marked with an "eco-friendly" stamp (such as the Rainforest Alliance stamp), as well as continuing to push our leaders to enact meaningful emissions legislation, we can reduce the stresses that are being heaped up on the rest of our biological "family". These issues are raised - with clear warnings sent out - not to depress us, but to spurn us into action. We are the only species that has such a wide impact on the natural world and we are the only species with the ability to recognize it and alter our behavior. It requires all of us, but we can stop this mass extinction before it gets worse.

Let Me Introduce You To My Newest Friend

Those of you who have been reading my posts over the last couple of months know that I am very concerned about the emerging water crisis that no one seems to be taking seriously. With towns in Texas and California about to run out of water, more of us are becoming aware that this is a problem. I have just discovered a new series of infographics and basic information put together by the reputable BBC. Please visit this site, review the information, and then share it with your friends. It is something that needs highlighting so that we can begin addressing the problem. Wild weather may have been the first noticeable clue that our climate is changing, the water crisis is a much more long-term and tragic result of climate change. The growing water crisis threatens to destabilize entire regions and create a very complex, global humanitarian crisis. It's time to face this head on and do something about it.

Taking Action

This past week, President Obama, through the EPA, released an ambitious plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants by 30% from 2005 levels by the year 2030. Despite the plan focusing mostly on coal-produced pollution, we are finally moving in the direction we should have been decades ago. Of course, those in the coal industry are screaming bloody murder and their fellow climate deniers are saying this is all about killing jobs to enforce a political ideology. While there may be a loss of some jobs and a general decrease in coal-mining, it is likely more jobs will be created as the energy sector continues to undertake innovation in sustainable, cleaner forms of energy production.

A unique aspect of this carbon-cutting plan is that it relies on individual states to make decisions on where to make cuts and undertake energy-investment opportunities. Much like the European Union allows its member nations to implement many of its environmental regulations in their own individualized ways, this allows states to be flexible in how they will actually achieve these cuts. Some states have already met the goals, while others will be given credits that take into account that their energy production largely comes from coal. Far from limiting the country and individual states in economic terms, this promotes innovation as well as flexibility which is a good thing when dealing with such a complex issue. Opponents may claim that China will more than make up for what we don't dump in the air, but there are signs that isn't true. In addition, it finally looks like America is showing that it is willing to take part in the international need to cut carbon emissions. America is a leader on many issues, but has been far behind on the challenge of global warming and climate change. It is entirely possible that with our nation finally taking important action on carbon emissions, other nations that have been holding back will follow suit.

Again this is an ambitious plan, but for those of us who want to see meaningful change there is a need to stay vigilant. The plan is up for public comment over the next year, which means there will be plenty of opportunities for opponents and the coal industry to water this plan down. Beyond that, power plant emissions are just a fraction of overall human-based carbon pollution. We would see the most immediate benefit if greater regulations were placed on transportation emissions. Cars, trucks, planes, anything that runs on oil-based fuel puts a large amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fuel-efficiency and the push to move away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles (including planes) needs to be stressed to our lawmakers. It's up to us to make sure that regulators, lawmakers, and industry pay attention to the science of carbon emissions and global warming.

Biodiversity Preserved

I am a huge advocate for biodiversity. I believe our planet's greatest strength can be found in the range of life that is found on its surface or below the waters. Healthy biodiversity increases the chance that biological life would continue after a significant natural cataclysm. We value diversity in our own DNA supply chain because it reduces the risk of succumbing to a deadly disease, birth defects, etc. The number of different species on this planet (bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, animals, and even viruses) can and should be considered a barometer of the health of the planet's DNA supply chain.

There have been five times in the Earth's history that a huge portion of species went extinct, with the first great extinction event wiping out 96% of life. Scientific evidence is mounting that we are in the throes of a sixth extinction event, this one largely driven by us (more on that in a later post). Despite the stresses we have placed on plant and animal species, we have taken action to preserve many species that are recognized as endangered. Thanks to the Endangered Species Act in the United States and similar programs around the world, plants and animals on the brink of vanishing are given a metaphorical lifeline that helps to reduce the stress on them and allows the species to recover to healthier populations. I would like to provide links that highlight some of the successes here.

White Rhinoceros

Golden Lion Tamarin

Gray Wolf

Eggert's Sunflower

Tennessee Coneflower

There are many more species that are recovering thanks to programs/management plans designed to protect species and help them propagate. The success stories are proof that humans can do good things for the environment. Biodiversity is a thing of beauty that we should work hard to protect.