CREDIT: ILLUSTRATION BY JARED LE
Caring for the Earth is one thing, but taking as many steps, both big and small to actually make a difference is key to trying to save the environment.

We’re doomed. Consider that in a matter of decades the temperature of the air will have increased by possibly two, but more likely four and just as likely five or six degrees Celsius. Much of earth’s air will become unbreathable. Our oceans will be peppered with “dead zones”. These are areas where the oxygen level will be so low that fish cannot survive. Already today, in parts of the Gulf of Mexico and along a 1,600 kilometres stretch of the coast of Namibia, the fish are gone.

Borders will be swamped with climate refugees. We already have climate refugees migrating from sectors of the world where rising temperatures and increased drought are making habitation impossible. Before 2100, though, the numbers will rise dramatically as coastlines flood. The country of Bangladesh will be completely submerged, as will coastal cities more familiar to us, such as Miami. Tens of millions of people will be on the move away from rising waters. Where will they go?

All of this from The Uninhabitable Earth, Annotated Edition by David Wallace-Wells, in New York magazine. The first edition of this article, published a little over a year ago, generated a lot of pushback from those saying the situation is not as dire as Wallace-Wells describes. But if you are looking for an important 30 or 40 page read, this fills the bill. Even if Wallace-Wells is wrong about how dangerous our planet will be come, he will get you thinking.

He might, though, also paralyze you. In the face of a zombie-apocalypse style future, what else is there to do, but hunker down, get a diploma in whatever and carry on with life as if the end is not going to come crashing down on you or your kids?

But still. Sometimes you have to act in the best way you know how even if the situation is grim. Think of yourself as a soldier in battle when it looks like the tide has turned against you and your brothers and sisters in uniform. You fight on, hoping that relief troops will arrive against all odds and against all the data pouring in through your audio feed.

Ok then. So what can you or I do if we aren’t going to give up? Here are a few actions you can take.

First, scale back your use of use fossil fueled transportation. Walking is best. Bicycling is good too. Consider using buses instead of buying a car. As far as recreational use of fossil fuels goes, here I include ATVs, snowmobiling and motor boating, well you can see where this approach will take you. Maybe this cramps your or my style. There are worse things.

And then there are sun vacations. In the winter, what could be better? But consider waiting a few months. The sun will come to you. I like to travel, but I am trying to staycation as much as possible and to appreciate what is available seasonally or a short drive away rather than get drawn into long distance vacations.

Eco-tourism. Here’s what I think: If we care about the nature destination we want to travel to, the best thing to do is to not go there. The very act of visiting Banff National Park contributes to its destruction. We should leave it alone for the locals. It won’t kill us.

Second, think about your living arrangements. Many Canadians aspire to a country property just outside the city limits, along with a waterfront spot in the Muskoka’s and if possible, a Florida condo that you can rent out whenever you aren’t there. Well, why not, many say, but isn’t the answer to that question obvious?

I don’t like living in neighbourhoods with a high population density, but that fact is that if I choose an estate-sized home on several acres, I am unnecessarily adding to the warming of the planet. Choose a smaller home rather than the maximum you can afford and live as close to other people as you can be comfortable with. As it turns, out, high rise or condo living means a smaller environmental foot print.

Third, consider investing in green technology. Recently, where I now live, the province has created strong financial incentives for people to generate companies that hire locally and guess what? Some acquaintances and I got together to invest in a solar energy company. The government also provides significant rebates for those switching to residential solar. Regardless of this last item, I think the company is going to work out.

There are many other things we can do. Turning off lights and recycling, of course. Supporting environmental action is key. Develop relationships with your provincial MLA and federal MP so they will hear you when you discuss environmental issues.

And prayer. What? Yes, prayer. You might have picked that up from earlier columns of mine, but yes, I think that prayer can help us in a big way. However, that bring us to questions of faith, which faith? and God, which God? And those questions, as they relate to caring for the earth and living hopefully in spite of everything, are for another column.

Wallace-Wells may not be entirely right, but the future may show that he is.

In the meantime, we should do all we can to turn back from our looming environmental catastrophe. If you do something, it may seem small, but it may be an inspiration to someone else.

Down the road you might find that you are linked with many others working towards the same thing.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.