The other day I received a copy of Caring for Creation, produced by Presbyterian Church. I found an interesting article all about the global impacts of climate change.
The article discussed the way that climate change leads to more intense hurricanes, typhoons, and flooding, and less reliable rainfall. Hmm, well what does this all mean? Well there’s heaps of flow on effects I’d never really thought too much about. For instance, global climate change will reduce access to drinking water, limit food production, and affect health, especially in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Areas where there’s already poverty!
The article also said that the International Red Cross estimates that climate change already displaces more people than war and persecution. If it keeps going at its current rate, there could be as many as 50 million people who have to leave their home because of environmental disasters by 2010.
Of course all of this was really making me feel down. What difference could I possibly make? Then I thought back to ways the world has dealt with issues which seemed almost impossible to resolve in the past. For instance, does anyone remember the ozone layer problem back in the 80s? (Okay, I’m showing my age here…) Well I found out that the 1987 Montreal Protocol to phase out substances which damage the ozone layer is working well and the ozone layer is expected to repair itself very slowly over the next 70 years. Sure this isn’t as big an issue as climate change, but it’s still good news!
The UN has also pointed out that the refugee forecasts are not inevitable. If the international community joins forces and takes action to reduce global warming and better manage Earth’s natural resources, there still may be time to reverse population displacements.
But what can I do in my own backyard? This seems to be a bit trickier. First off I could stop taking things such as fresh drinking water, food, and sanitation for granted. I could then cheer myself up by signing up for Earth Hour and looking outside at 8:30pm on the 28th of March to see who else is taking steps to make a difference - now that sounds cool!
I could also exercise the great power I have as a consumer – did you know that households account for nearly two thirds of all spending on the goods and services produced in New Zealand each year? If I make good environmental choices when I go shopping and encourage my friends, family and workmates to do the same then this surely must add up? Those 80s consumers trying to prevent the hole in the ozone layer getting bigger must have had an impact by avoiding products with CFCs.
I also know a lot of councils and organisations run great initiates to resolve and deal with environmental issues so I could always get involved.
So this is a start - does anyone have any other ideas?
Comments
Yes Francoise, it can be a bit overwhelming when you look at the scale of the problem, can't it? Personally I try to do everything I can to behave in a sustainable manner in my own life, as well as making sure I take every opportunity to have a say in the wider context - for example when central or local government is running a public consultation process.
I think the main thing is to do things one step at a time, without getting overwhelmed by it. Time and again I hear people saying "what's the point in me doing this? It's not going to make a difference!" But of course it's a cumulative difference. If only a few people make a change in their lives, and talk to other people about it, and a few of those people change, soon we have a big cultural shift that has the potential to make a huge difference.
For example, if only 10% of people in Auckland (where I live) made positive changes to their transportation choices, the gridlock would be gone! It doesn't need everyone to get out of their cars - only the 10% of people who would find it relatively easy to do so. Things like that help to put it all in perspective for me.
Submitted by Lindis on 1 April 2009 11:45:50
Here are some of the things I do in my own day-to-day life to make a contribution to the world (reducing wasted resources, minimising climate change, reducing the poisons released into the air):
1) Transportation: For short journeys I walk. For journeys on a public transport route I use it. For my daily commute I ride a 250cc motorbike.
2) Food: I choose not to eat meat. Whenever possible (and affordable) I buy organic food. Good shopping and stock rotation techniques mean there is little food wasted.
3) Waste: All food scraps get put in my worm farm and re-used in the garden. I choose to buy food with minimal packaging, re-use the packaging whenever possible, and at the end of its use I put it out for kerbside recycling.
4) Water: I think about all the water that is used at home, and minimise waste. I wash dishes by hand, use only the necessary water for washing clothes, and (try to) take short showers.
5) Consumer goods: I hate throwing things away! So I buy the best quality I can afford, make sure I look after it and expect it to last a long, long time. I avoid buying things just because of a current fashion, and try to buy things that will last. (This applies to things like clothes, electronic gadgetry, furniture, etc).
6) Spreading the word: I'm always willing to have conversations with people about the impact of our behaviour on the world and its resources. I support my family and friends when they make sustainable choices and try to be an example of how easy and fun it is to live sustainably. And it really is! I get a great sense of satisfaction out of living life as a conscious consumer - and I save money too!
Submitted by Lindis on 1 April 2009 12:00:33
Wow it sounds like you're doing heaps Lindis! Speaking of being a conscious consumer, I was reading a book the other day called Rain Forest in Your Kitchen. One of the chapters describes the act of putting groceries into our shopping trolleys as being a "continuing referendum on what should be sold." That really made me think about the impact I can make as a consumer. I'm a vegetarian too and I must say that over the years I've noticed there's been a growth in the amount of vegetarian food available. I guess that’s from all the previous "customer referendums" which supermarkets have responded to :-)
Submitted by Francoise on 3 April 2009 16:55:38
LOL @ doing heaps - actually it doesn't feel like heaps! I suppose I just started one step at a time, and it kind of built up over the years without me really noticing!
That's an interesting concept about shopping being a referendum. I had never thought of it that way, but of course it is absolutely true. That description actually helps me to explain my response to one of the dilemmas I often face. Should I buy locally grown food that's grown using 'conventional' (chemical) farming methods, or imported organically-grown food?
As an example, I can only find imported organic canned beans. I can't find any locally-produced equivalents.
My decision is to buy the imported product. The reasoning is that I want to demonstrate to the local producers, processors and distributors that there is a demand for such a product, in the hope that they will eventually produce something to fulfil the demand.
Thinking of the shopping process as a referendum helps me to encapsulate that process quite nicely. Thanks for the tip! :)
Submitted by Lindis on 7 April 2009 17:00:17