Long-Term Environmental Care Does Not Equate to Automatic Taxation and More Metaphorical Hands In Your Wallet

The province of Ontario recently scrapped a proposed eco-tax on goods and services that negatively have an impact on the environment. This was largely due to public outcry, compounded by the installation of the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) on the same day.

Evidence is growing to support the belief that we are running out of space to live on this planet and that we should help maintain what space and water we have to promote a sustainable future for generations to come. Simply enter the term “global warming” your search engine of choice and you will be bombarded with everything from Global Warming For Dummies to documentaries recording human instigated damage on our environment. Ultimately, caring for this planet we call Earth should not be a chore. Education should be instigated at an early age to bring children closer to the environment so they have that initial connection.

Staying in Ontario, it is customary that high schools require students to complete a minimum forty hours of community service in order to graduate. Taxation by force should be the only way to care for this planet. Encouraging volunteers to plant trees, or creating jobs which promote the local environment are just some of a long list of potential solutions which will have both short-term and long-term benefits, more jobs and a healthier environment for your children for your family. We are all in this metaphorical boat together. We can either continue on course to that iceberg or we can alter destinations to suit our cultures. We are a diverse race, but a united force capable of living in a variety of places. Towns should consider what needs to be improved, whether it is the water supply or smog levels, and work with communities to foster a stronger partnership.

 

Is Humanity Doomed?

No. But, according to an article posted on CTV’s website entitled “Earth nearing point of no return: eco activist” one eco activist named Tim Flannery believes that the period of inaction we have remaining will only get shorter until we inevitably encounter the consequences of environmental degradation. 

In the book, Flannery also discusses what he calls a “drastic change in energy use” that will eliminate pollution from the air by using the tools that are already at our disposal.

Whether these tools will live up to their expectation is another concern but when trying to remove carbon from the atmosphere, or any greenhous gas for that matter, you have to be careful not to emit more than you’re removing throughout the process. With numerous reports, some speculative, suggesting that another Ice Age is coming or suggesting that sea levels will rise, none of which I dispute, it is important to do background research to gather more perspectives and investigate the origins of environmental damage in the past, as to see whether or not planet Earth might need some help in restoring a balance in the atmosphere, that enables us as a species, to thrive better without putting other species at risk. Afterall this planet is home to millions if not billions of different forms of life, and while at times we may feel that we are number one on the list, our entire environment could get distorted in certain species suddenly ceased to exist. There would be a chain of effects that will eventually impact us, either in terms of food supply, or environment, but in short every form of life has a purpose on this planet.

In conclusion humanity is not doomed, but only as long as we pay attention to our surroundings. Education is always best and it may not be a bad idea to educate yourself on how global warming, or global cooling for that matter, works. You may come across different opinions, each with their own supportive “evidence” but ultimately no one can predict the future, the best we can do is analyse the trends of the past to better spot patterns and predict the likelihood of those patterns reoccurring. However, there will be some evidence that sends the warning lights off in your head, and it is crucial to investigate how that evidence was collected, whether it is in the form of a chart or graph, and whether or not there could be any bias behind the sampling strategy. It will be vital for scientists in the future to continue to conduct their future as the best form of avoiding catastrophic environmental degradation could be by early detection.

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• Climate Study: Human Beings Pushing Earth’s ‘Boundaries’ (time.com)
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• CO2 is not the only cause of climate change (guardian.co.uk)

 

New BBC Article on the possible Consequences of Stress on Polar Bears

Image via Wikipedia

According to a recent article on the BBC’s News Website, Science reporter Victoria Gill posted that , “[s]cientists

compared bear [polar bear] skulls from the early 20th Century with those from the latter half of the century. Their study,

in the Journal of Zoology, describes changes in size and shape that could be linked an increase in pollution and the reduction in sea ice.” This itself might be seen as a bit of a leap in terms of drawing a valid conclusion but as the article also states, “[p]hysical “stress” caused by pollutants in the bears’ bodies, and the increased effort needed to find food, could limit the animals’ growth…,” and with greater awareness of this threat to this iconic animal of the north within the scientific community, the chances of successfully combating the issue of  melting sea ice increases as more people dedicate their time to research way to slow down and possibly reverse the effects of climate change. For more information the David Suzuki Foundation has a report available online entitled, “Canada’s Polar Bear: Falling Through the Cracks” and overall, I would highly recommend this article on the BBC as a read for anyone.