With the leak in the Gulf of Mexico becoming increasingly a problem, it draws attention to the environment in a number of ways. Man’s footprint becomes more destructive as world population continues to grow. Global warming continues because of the fact there are too many people and countries who cannot work together to help the entire planet. Politically and realistically, this is not possible.
Plants and animals are threatened by pollution, by being unable to survive in their current environment because the mean temperature is a few degrees warmer – C or F – than it has been traditionally. People are also threatened by the work of other people and corporations in areas before them.
Man-made Disasters
Nearby, we have the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Nuclear waste and toxic chemicals have leached into the soil and water table. This affects people living nearby – what is the house built on? What is in my drinking water? People who worked there are facing the long-term affects of having worked there – some have died, some are ill, some have not a problem. Now they might get some help.
In the city of Carson, CA, in the Carousel housing track, developed in the late 1960s, another Love Canal is brewing.
You can still find tar on the local beaches from the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill.
Worldwide we can remember the Bhopal gas leak, the London smog disaster of 1952, and too many others to count. Googling “man made natural disasters” gives a lot of stuff.
Endangered Animals
Lizards are disappearing in areas they normally survive. So are frogs, bats, and honey bees. Africa is home to many species which are endangered by the spread of population, commercialized and illegal big game hunting, and the search for ivory or strange aphrodisiacs. Penguins and polar bears are also suffering. And so are indigenous peoples in face of political and commercial expansion.
Foreign Plants
Kudzu has been found to be taking over parts of the the U.S. This is a plant imported from Asia to help cut down on erosion in the American South. This plant is highly invasive. Now, a study shows that it helps increase pollution for all sorts of reasons. More details can be found here.
Invasive Species
Besides invasive plants, invasive animal species threaten much of our environment. The Everglades faces a growing predatory snake population. Boo, hiss.
You’ve Seen a Redwood . . .
Unfortunately, politicians and others in power often have little knowledge or appreciation of the natural world. Ronald Reagan, former California governor and U.S. president was a classical example. Today, we have the infamous Ms. Palin, who is all too willing to shoot animals from a helicopter and continue oil drilling.
Think Locally, Act Globally
Peter Vanderwyden. People in China. Rainforest Alliance. Europe. However, in third world countries, modernization often leads to pollution and destruction of pristine landscapes. “Thinking Green” may involve far more money to introduce than is in a nation’s budget. Nonetheless, creative and inexpensive means for providing improvements can and do exist.
Change is neither easy nor comfortable. Sometimes it is forced on us. Sometimes we choose it.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 