Page 10 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2020
P. 10

   Coronavirus and the Climate Crisis.
This is a very different column than I thought I’d write this month. April is a big month for Climate Action; the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day is April 22nd. Events were planned globally for the entire week. But as we move
into shelter-in-place worldwide, those events—marches, climate strikes, tree plantings, and etc., have been canceled physically and are going virtual on
the internet. We’re not turning our backs on the Climate Crisis. As a matter of fact, our interconnectedness in the face of this virus have made us even more aware of how we all are one people on one planet. Climate activists, have been saying, “Listen to the science” for a long time. Now it is imperative to listen to the science about COVID-19.
It’s not the environment OR the economy; we can have both.
Climate activists have been saying this all along. But, nearly everything proposed to slow the rate of global heating has been framed in terms of its effect on the economy. Constantly we’ve been told we can’t afford this or that climate strategy, because it would negatively impact the economy.
Well, guess what? Along comes a novel virus, one we’ve never experienced before— one no human is immune to; the only way to slow its exponential growth is to STAY HOME. The economy is taking the worst hit since the Great Depression; then it took three years, not three weeks to devastate the economy.
We’re entering a new world—economically & environmentally.
We won’t be able to go back to BAU—business as usual. We’re in a whole new world—an uncharted one. What’s worked in the past (and what has NOT worked) is out the window. The revived economy is going to be a new one— whether the powers that be want it or not. It can be a much GREENER one!
So many things have changed in such a short period of time. We’ve learned how valuable are the people, who often earn under $15/hour, stocking our shelves, delivering our supplies, waiting on tables, checking at the grocery store. We’ve learned how many jobs that “can’t be done at home” actually can. We’ve learned many of us don’t have to travel to work on crowded freeways, adding to global emissions. We’ve learned we don’t have to fly everywhere to hold meetings—we can do it online.
© 2020 Tish Levee
 It’s true, however, that virtual meetings use lots of energy, raising global emissions. But at the same time, there are freeways with no cars, less air pollution, and you can hear birds singing in Wuhan.
Although skies are clearer, unfortunately global emissions are still increasing. On March 15th atmospheric CO2, as measured at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory, was nearly three ppm higher than a year ago (and 23 ppm higher than 10 years ago when it was 391 ppm—remember science tells us we need to keep CO2 under 350 ppm to preserve a livable planet).
On a personal note: I started writing this column (originally titled “Mitzvah Moments”) twelve years ago for the then West County Gazette. For the last several years, it’s been published every month. However, writing a monthly column means I don’t have the large blocks of time I need to write other articles about this crisis which I feel must be written. So Vesta and I agreed that beginning in April, “For the Planet” will be bi-monthly.
Because it’ll be bi-monthly, AND because there’s so much happening very rapidly in terms of climate change, AND because we’ll be going digital with so many climate-related events, I’ve set up a special Facebook page, “For the Planet,” to keep us all posted on what’s happening and actions we can take, especially during April. I’ll post information as I get it—a bit like a blog—so check it out and feel free to share information that you have.
Going digital—virtual climate strikes and other ideas for climate activists that don’t involve public gatherings can be found on the new Facebook page.
More online.A longer version of this is at sonomacountygazette.com.
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