ELLIE'S BLOG on Living Well with Disability

Living in upstate New York (Saratoga Springs) in the foothills of the Adirondack Park our family is well aware of the problem of pollution .  The pollutants of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide which were being emitted by the coal burning energy plants in the Midwest were being carried east by the wind.  And when rain fell in the Adirondack's it was acid rain because the air was contaminated with these pollutants.  This acid rain was destroying our forests, rivers and ponds in our beautiful mountain area.  Now this acid rain had been occurring for many years.  Forestry scientist's were concerned and as it is a State Park careful monitoring was occurring annually. http://classes.colgate.edu/aleventer/geol101/acidadir/acid14.htm

  But most of us never thought that the destruction would really happen until it was there. So we had an early lesson in what unchecked pollution can do.  I'm certain that when these coal fired plants were first put in nobody thought about the gases that they emitted.  And that those gases were harmful pollutants that overtime or in a sufficient amount would cause sickness  to humans and damage and destruction to our natural world.

  Therefore when the scientist were stating that this pollution in the air was also causing global warming to occur as these gases along with carbon dioxide and methane nitrogen act like a greenhouse by preventing the earth's heat from escaping we were believers. And we have sadly watched the news reporting a loss of a natural environments with the melting of glaciers and the tops of high mountains. The damage  and possible extinction of animals and plants was apparent. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html

So it was also very natural for us start to become good environmentalists.  We run the temperatures of our house in winter at 60 at night and 68 in the day, We use our air conditioning in the summer carefully (but mindful of my MS )and pull shades and drapes to prevent heat from coming in just as we do in winter to prevent heat from escaping.  We've changed all of our light bulbs to the fluorescents and turn our lights off when we leave the room just as I did in a post depression family.  We're careful with our hot water use and of course everything we have is highly energy efficient.  We recycle and bring our own bags to the stores we visit. When we had to remove our old diseased trees we used that opportunity to plant a marvelous vegetable/ flower garden. But again to save water we mulch heavily to decrease our water use and help our plants. And as a result we are still eating our vegetables from our own garden now in October.

All of what we've done is just a lifestyle change not a big deal. So I'm surprised when I find that many people are not doing the same.  We're not putting in solar panels or other things that we can't afford but we are trying to do what we can. For us in upstate New York if the winters are less cold and spring and fall  more moderate we could live with some hot summers.  But were not alone on this planet and our fellow human beings across our country and in the world are all being affected differently and some very severely negatively

There are millions of people right now who are not able to grow their own food and are being displaced by Global Warming. And of course these are the poorest and most vulnerable. They cannot just leave the area or move to a new home or new occupation.

  For example : in Bangladesh India already a million people a year are being displaced by loss of lands due to the increasing rising levels of their rivers from global warming. This seriously cuts into their living with the loss of their crucial rice crop.  They are already living in poverty but with a projected 30% decrease in their rice crop if the river keeps rising poverty will increase dramatically. .http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/

In Mozambique Africa the rising water levels in their Rivers have flooded their farm areas where they plant maize. This flooding destroys their whole crop . 

While in West Africa the Sahara desert is growing by thousands of square kilometers a year. The the search for water for people and animals is becoming ever more desperate.  In fact Africa itself experts believe will most feel the effects of drought under climate change and will continue to experience continued food shortages.  And these are areas that their livelihood is dependent upon their growing their crops.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jun/30/science.famine 

  And of course the oceans are very very vulnerable to climate change.  With a sea level rise due to global warming land is lost in coastal areas due to flooding from storms and erosion of the coastal area. Examples are close to home here in the United States .  We just think have to think of the hurricane season which affects mostly the southeast. The damage to New Orleans is still apparent not just in the land area but in the economic and social fabric of the old city.   http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/index.html

Every year as the geese fly south and the birds come to our feeder as they go to and from the boreal forest in Canada we are reminded of the importance of our planet's ecosystem.  Everything is so interrelated from the rainforest to the oceans. And our beautiful oceans, mountain's and forests (nature) that so refreshes our soul itself must not be lost. It is a part of us and we are a part of it. We must not let it down!

The time to start to stand up to prevent global warming is now !   Do your part: become informed, change your lifestyle and be an environmental aware consumer. Join and participate in groups that promote decreased global warming. One example is:  350 on Oct, 24th.     http://www.350.org/

ellie