The Lungs of the Earth

I have been baffled for over a decade now about why we have failed to talk about the simplest solutions for global warming. I am referring to planting trees and completely protecting all existing tropical and temperate forests and avoiding black surfaces for buildings and highways. These are three simple things that could already have been implemented to good effect while awaiting the more difficult technological solutions, such as optimized electric cars and solar and wind energy production and alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen.

I am even more baffled about all the talk of sending men to Mars or the moon and starting colonies there to “save” humanity. That isn’t going to happen. Humanity can’t even take care of itself on the planet upon which it came into existence, a planet that was perfect for us until the past hundred years! We’ve ruined it. How do you think an enclosed Martian or lunar colony is going to “save humanity” in a place with no breathable atmosphere, temperatures below -200 degrees, low gravity, and dangerous radiation levels from the sun? Humans cannot survive for long in such conditions, even if a habitat was built. What makes us think we can transform another planet to perfection for humanity? It’s a joke!!! The only way humanity can save itself is to attend to the earth as if it is the only thing that matters. The only way that can happen is if everyone on the planet gets on the same page and sees the earth for what it is – the only safe place for us.

So what are the simple things that can be done?

1. Create world laws and treaties that halt the destruction of all forests and activate plans to re-establish lost forests. Forests are the lungs of the earth. They absorb massive amounts of CO2 and they do it with zero effort. They are responsible for oxygen production, which we cannot live without. Without forests, every living thing on the planet will perish. Likewise, stop destruction of ocean ecosystems. This means stopping pollution and overfishing. Ocean plants and algae are also major sources of oxygen and have to be protected. Remember – the earth is an island, floating in the vast sea of space. There is no place to go to get more oxygen, or to get rid of CO2 – the earth was doing it just fine until humans foolishly decimated the world’s forest ecosystems and totally raped the environment. Like you, the planet cannot live without its lungs. It can’t breathe.
2. Governments should set aside funds for tree planting throughout cities and towns and re-planting them in forest areas that have been decimated by agriculture and logging industries.
3. The human population is twice as high as it should be. Everyone should agree to reduce reproduction rates for the sake of the whole – it’s a moral responsibility. This is no time for selfishly having large families for personal gratification.
4. Re-paint black, dark gray, and dark brown surfaces lighter colors, such as white, tan, or light grey. Stop the production of dark colored roofing materials. Houses, highways, and cities are heat sinks, adding to global warming.
5. Seriously take steps to eliminate all sources of pollution so the earth can heal itself.
6. Change our agricultural practices to sustain the environment and protect fresh water.
7. Stop spending money on weapons and war and turn it instead to science-based education and saving the planet.

If every person on the planet took the preservation of earth seriously, we could prevent the looming humanitarian catastrophe that is about to occur. As it is, there WILL be a sudden, massive die-off of the human population soon, along with nearly all other species of plants and animals. The process of mass extinction is already advancing quickly. This is what always happens on an island where resources have been decimated and the demands of the population continue to outstrip the ability of the island to provide.

What I am witnessing in society now is a sort of manic self-destructive response to the threat we are facing. Instead of slowing down and making educated changes in how we live and take care of our planet, we have – as a group – accelerated the destruction of it, living as if there will be no tomorrow, and thus guaranteeing our own demise. More cars on the road, people driving as fast as they can like maniacs, people frantically travelling the world to meet their bucket lists, governments encouraging more fossil fuel harvesting, politicians destroying environmental protections and eliminating or rolling back air and water protections, billionaires sucking up space and resources to show how big their egos are by shooting off giant rockets and sucking up millions of gallons of fuel and spewing the resultant pollution into the atmosphere, more drag-net fishing, more people advocating for big families and fewer birth control options, and on and on. It’s as if everyone has lost their ever-loving minds. We are all individually responsible for the welfare of our planet. It is not just the government’s job. We each have a moral responsibility to the earth and all of its inhabitants, human and non. We are not living up to it.

So, what can we do as individuals? Anyone with even a small amount of land can plant trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Native trees can often be obtained from agricultural universities at minimal to no cost for planting. Even an apartment dweller can help by keeping potted plants/trees on their deck or balcony. Lawns can be converted into botanical ecosystems. We can choose to put light-colored shingles on our homes when we re-roof. We can stamp black pavement in our driveways with light colored paint. We can tap into government funds to put solar on our home or business if it’s amenable for the location. When we get a new car, we can switch to a hybrid or electric. We can use native plants for our specific areas to reduce water demands. We can stop using plastic and promote recycling. We can get more involved in local government where grassroot movements can flourish.

The big projects can only be done and funded by governments, but if two or three trees were planted around the world for all individuals who exist – 24 billion trees – 720,000,000,000 pounds of carbon dioxide would be taken from the atmosphere annually once the trees are medium sized. Likewise, 24 billion new trees would produce 2,080,000,000,000 pounds of oxygen. Two medium sized mature trees can provide enough oxygen for a family of four around the clock. But other plants remove CO2 and produce O2 as well, from single celled plants and algae to herbaceous plants and shrubs. So, planting gardens and re-establishing botanical ecosystems on land and in water everywhere should be done. And individuals can do this in their own space! Instead of going out to dinner some evening, buy a tree. Plant it! Take care of it! Then plant another one!

I am writing this because it seems on the surface that individually we are helpless to do anything about the collapse of the planet. Some countries are doing a great job from a government standpoint – they are doing all the right things to help. But those which are having the biggest detrimental effect are not pulling their weight; I’m talking about Brazil, the United States, and the tropical countries of central Africa and Asia. The U.S. has taken an antagonistic approach to saving the planet. Conservative American politicians seem to want to hasten its destruction, and at least some of our American citizenry are being deliberately obtuse about their individual responsibility to take personal action. Change starts with the individual. There are a lot of individuals in the world, enough to hold the power to change the seemingly inevitable result of our stupidity of the past one hundred years. It’s time to wield it.

I wish I could start a world-wide “Green Movement” of billions of people who are willing to look at the big picture, step up to the plate, and just do what they can do individually. With enough individuals choosing to do the right thing, no destructive government policy or law could overwhelm the good that the people of the world can do if they decide to.