Essay by Luke Foster
“It’s surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth.”
Sir David Attenborough
I was beach walking this morning which is sort of my meditation as the ocean is my temple and I literally saw lots of whales migrating along with everyone I met watching them too and it gave me great hope for the environment that this endangered species is still in large numbers.
A major crisis we are facing as a human race is climate change and the greenhouse effect.
What Is Climate Change?
“Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.
The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example. Clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. Agriculture, oil and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases.”
The United Nations website
If you want to explore the causes and effects of Climate Change more then goggle the United Nations website on Climate Action.
David Suzuki is a important environmentalist intellectual and I chose this following quote by him.
“If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.”
David Suzuki
A major talent in several fields including music, amazing art music clips and environmental activism is the singer Bjork from Iceland.
“I feel the 21st century is another new age. Not only can we collaborate again with nature, but we have to. It’s an emergency.”
Bjork
I couldn’t find a Michelle Obama quote on the environment but this following quote is relative to saving the environment.
“Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.”
Michelle Obama
“We share the earth not only with our fellow human beings, but with all the other creatures.” “Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.”
The 14th Dalai Lama
I love what the Dalai Lama has to say about saving the environment and the many complex problems facing humanity and all of nature as we as custodians of the earth have a moral obligation to save the environment not only to save ourselves but also to save all living beings and plants and fish.
“The environment, after all, is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.”
—Lady Bird Johnson, First Lady of the United States (1963–69)
I like this quote by Bird Johnson as I needed to include an equal number of role models for saving the environment from men and women.
In conclusion I feel this topic is much, much bigger than what I have ideas for but rather I hope all of us band together to solve this complex problem which won’t go away by ignoring it.
Other issues include: stopping deforestation of old growth forests, plastic pollution in our ocean, the green house effect, to much livestock and environmental, friendly power sources.
