Last night I dreamed that the oceans had turned to Jello. Everything under the water was stuck, like chunks of pineapple in fruit salad that was a sad shade of gray. I woke up with a post apocalyptic feeling that always seems to follow bad news.
The list of disasters around the world is endless. Drought, floods and increasing numbers of hurricanes are all signs that Mother Nature isn’t happy. We’re a little full of ourselves about life up here in the North, snuggled safely between the rocks and trees. But last week’s windstorm was eerie. It gave us all a taste of what much of the world experiences seasonally.
To quote hip hop artist, Nelly, “It’s getting hot in here.” Nine countries hit new temperature highs last summer, causing devastating floods in Pakistan and elsewhere.
There aren’t many credible scientists who dispute global warming. Those who are work hard for their supper serving the interests of industries that are major pollutors. It’s also hard for governments to ignore the pleas (and the cash) of big business, especially when so many families benefit from the work. The Alberta oil sands are a good example. The system for extracting oil is much less efficient than regular oil wells, creating high carbon emissions for less result. But the world is so energy hungry that the jobs created by it pay well.
We all want prosperous communities.
But in the attempt to keep the economy moving (and get re-elected) most governments choose to ignore the disasters awaiting the planet. There’s some lip service, but no one is doing anything significant to halt carbon emissions. We need serious investment into energy alternatives. We need stricter environmental laws that big business has to follow. If the financial incentives are there, the results will be amazing. Its not too late.
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