I had wanted to share my inspirational experience at our annual boot camp yesterday in today’s entry but as I began to write, I realized my thoughts and passion were dominated by something that has been bothering me all week.James Hansen, the director of the Goddard Institute, predicts that at our present rate of emissions, our atmospheric carbon dioxide levels will reach 450 ppm within thirty three years. At this point there will not be any ice left on the planet - that is if we maintain our present rate of emissions. With second world countries just starting to industrialize and first world countries turning to environmentally volatile biofuels as opposed to reducing consumption, our species’ negative impact on the environment is only going to increase long before it gets better. According to Hansen we have already hit one tipping point. No matter what we do at this point, we will be without Arctic ice within five to ten years.
Most of the damage we have caused is reversible but not in any timeframe that is relevant to humans. That’s the kicker - relevant to humans. We tend to place so much faith in mother nature’s ability to adapt and restore that we fail to consider our own arrogance. The planet may go on but the likelihood of our species being one of the few that actually survive extinction is extremely remote.
Lately I find myself asking some pertinent questions. Why are countries so eager to become less dependent upon foreign oil rather than just less dependent upon oil period? Now that Alberta is finally labeled as being the source of some the world’s least environmentally friendly oil, why are we using the term “dirty oil” to describe it? Is that not clouding the issue and implying there is a such thing as clean oil?
It can be easy to become overwhelmed with the magnitude of the problem, making it almost impossible to stay in the moment. If I don’t stay focused and appreciate the here and now, my life will pass me by before I realize it is over - or worse yet, without me having the opportunity to leave a legacy of which my children would be proud. The answer to our problem is within each of us.
Our global solution is only a matter of conscious and conscientious existence. Mindful actions produce mindful results. Breathe in, breathe out.
“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)
1 comment:
I constantly struggle with the balance between trying to enjoy my life and everything it has to offer since I am so privilaged to have the opportunities that living in this country offer -- while at the same time trying to live as simply and with as little impact as I can. Sometimes it is a problem of economics vs ecology sometimes it is a problem of time.
A couple of years ago I read "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" by Thom Hartmann - This book changed my life, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding more about where all this black sticky stuff (oil) comes from how we got here and where we're going.
Speaking of the planet going on without us "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman is a very interesting read about what would happen if we all disappeared and what we would leave behind as our legacy - The part about plastic is a little scary actually.
I beleive currently that it is not just a matter of what we do but also and as importantly a matter of how we think that will ultimatley be the make or break for everyone on this tiny blue marble. Kung-Fu is where that started for me.
Sihing Prince
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