Wednesday, December 02, 2020

Trump Tweets While the World Burns

Yes, it's an awful, contemporary take on the old "Nero fiddled while Rome burned" but at least it is more accurate (fiddles weren't invented at the time of Nero's rule).

I know -- to many, the idea of climate change and global warming as a result of human action is still a hoax. But for those of us that do believe in science and the data that we have, the analogy is real. The past four years in the US have done great damage to the efforts to reduce our impact on climate change and to begin to repair the damage we have done to our home.
Well, at least the current Administration has. I do believe that many of us are still interested in reducing our own carbon footprints and are actively working at activities that can help.

Here's an article about the escalating crisis and the rising temperatures of our world's oceans.

Our 2020 pandemic controlled lives have greatly reduced our travels -- both in the way of leisure activity and local driving. We stay at home more, eat out less, and try to consolidate local errands to avoid covid exposure. I wonder how much we've saved this year on gas alone. I suppose some of that savings is offset by the five acres of land that I now have to mow, but I have plans to plant a few trees this year to contribute to our footprint reduction.
I know that "Giving Tuesday" has past, but I think that we will be making a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation and picking out some trees to plant on our property.

Did you know that conifers and deciduous trees of comparable sizes produce similar amounts of oxygen on an annual basis? However, it is believed that deciduous trees sequester more carbon in their much denser trunks and branches.  

I am glad that the coming Biden/Harris Administration will make addressing climate change a priority in the coming years. As a country, I believe it is important for us to do this and move away from fossil fuels.
As individuals, it is also important that we work to be more ecologically minded in our daily activities. We will continue to recycle and reduce our use of single use plastics. We will continue to consolidate errands (which is also necessary due to the distance we have to travel to get anywhere) and make fewer local trips. We will plant some trees and a small garden this year (not sure if that helps with climate change, but it sounds like it should). And I'm still hoping to do that beehive thing this year.
We're also looking into a solar grid, but I don't know if that's going to happen in '21.

What about you?
Will you fiddle while the world burns?
Or will you act to put out the fire and rebuild a better world community?
What are your green plans for 2021?

John

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