Re: Climate Change – March 11, 2021

T.S. (Tim) White | Mar 31, 2021

Never have I been moved to write a response to a letter to the editor until reading one about climate change.

Let's start with birds, birds, birds – hypothetical questions have best use in planning for and adopting solutions. According to the Audubon society 1 billion birds die each year in the US flying into buildings, decals on windows is one solution. As well, 3.7 billion birds are killed each year in the US by cats – spaying and neutering are recommended. My first roadkill was a partridge on Henderson Road, one eye for potholes, the other for traffic, can I grow another set of eyes?

In response to the calculations of land area required for solar & wind, let's look at current land use in the form of landfills. There are 10,000 active landfills in Canada averaging 600 acres each, that's 6,000,000 acres. The largest landfill in the US is 500 feet deep and covers 136 hectares, there are 2,100 operational landfills in the US with 10,000 inactive. That's a heck of a lot of landed filled to increase gases producing climate change.

When it comes to landmass there is no greater garbage dump than the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that covers 1.6 million square kilometres. We haven't even hit on the countries that were taking garbage from the West like, China, Indonesia & India. Two yrs ago waste direction reversed, garbage was returned to countries of origin like Canada & US where over 90% of plastics are NOT recycled.

Plastics are derived from petro-chemicals, there are over 12,000 household products that contain petroleum, including toothpaste, soap, moisturizers & shampoo. Those plastics end up in landfills, then break down infiltrating our drinking water, plant and animal life – a recent report on PBS NewsHour stated that we ingest plastic equivalent of one credit card daily. Do we need anything more taxing on our bodies?

I understand there needs to be greater effort to integrate sustainable solutions. There requires a multi-pronged approach and a Green Deal would provide better solutions. Iain Rankin, the premier of Nova Scotia announced in March that the province aims for carbon neutrality by 2030, remember the tragic loss of lives in their coal mines?

Sustainable energy is not just the development of solar and wind, there is hydro whether on land or at sea. Four Canadian provinces supply over 90% of their electricity needs with hydro. China currently has 39% of the world's off-shore wind farms, Xi announced China would be carbon neutral by 2060. India announced efforts to make the Union Territory of Ladahk carbon neutral by 2050.

There is only one world upon which we all live. Activists like Greta remind us that we are capable of great feats beyond the status quo.

We have the technology. We have the expertise

We have the opportunity & the capacity

It may not be a bionic man, we as humans do have the strength & determination to sustain a habitable planet. It is after all, our planet, we can't afford NOT to be planet smart.

T.S. (Tim) White