Columns and Letters

Letter: Hope, action, reality, and a simulator

July 27, 2022

Dear Editor,
    What enlightened researchers, environmentalists, scientists, and activists have known for decades is that it is action that we desperately need. Mankind no longer has time (geologically speaking) to postpone essential, critical actions. The environment has already passed many tipping points and created environmental feedback loops that will continue to increase and deepen the catastrophic impacts our species has created. Everyone, no matter how young or old, can be part of the solution.
    There are so many solutions that can be applied to deal with the climate crisis all of humanity is in … some are more practical than others, but what are they? Some believe there will be technological advances to reduce greenhouse gases and recycle almost everything including most plastics. Potential solutions take creativity, money, and time so what else can we “hope” for? There is an accurate simulator.
    There are and will continue to be technological advances but they need to be based on the most recent and reliable scientific facts including a very accurate prognosis for the future. Facts, knowledge, discussion, and action are essential for the global human population to survive.
    Environmentalists are generally a group who still find a reason to hope, although we know if we want hope to come to fruition, it needs to be twinned with action. It is happening world wide but humanity needs to collaborate to step on the accelerator.
    The wealthiest people and corporations could change our collective future within a couple of decades, but they continue to place profits ahead of the well-being of humanity and the environment. In this statement I am not putting all the onus on them but I am using the fact that wealth and political influence do have the potential to do what the not-so-wealthy are incapable of doing.
    So, where do we all fit in this puzzle? We should be prepared to modify the lifestyle habits we take for granted today. We must preserve Mother Earth’s gifts of clean water, air, and healthy soil instead of depleting them as we have been doing.
    There is a very advanced simulator program designed to reflect the impact of many variables that will determine the effect of our actions and is updated quarterly by thousands of scientists from MIT/Sloan – it is called EnRoads and it is presented by Climate Interactive and there are six major categories in this simulator – Energy supply, Transportation, Building/Industry, Growth, Land/Industry Emissions and Carbon Removal. Please give it a try. If you adjust the sliders you will simultaneously see the end result of your choice(s) between now and the year 2100 on the graphs within the program.
    An introductory presentation of this simulator will take place at the Antigonish Public Library Community Room on Friday, July 29th, 2022 starting at 6:30 p.m.
    Everyone is invited to attend and we hope to see you there.
    So many options! Many potential solutions…so much is riding on this so let us demand more from our politicians at every level, the extremely wealthy and the media.
    Paul Strome
    Antigonish



 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 


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