Companies produce annual reports. Cities publish their budgets. The United States has a state of the union address. In Canada we have a throne speech.
But who will give a state of the earth address? Maybe there will be some states of parts of the world address. But there is no one available to speak for the whole earth, and no one can address the entire world even if everyone were prepared to listen, which is highly unlikely. No one is in charge. There is no world government. No one taking responsibility. Nor should there be. Our earth is the sum of its parts. Everyone is responsible, or as is more often the case - irresponsible. That's right we are all being irresponsible, criminally irresponsible, insanely irresponsible, blindly irresponsible, ignorantly irresponsible, and foolishly irresponsible. What are the results of this irresponsibility.
The extinction of humans, plus all the other lifeforms that we will drag down with us. It is happening now. And it is picking up speed, we are not on cruise control, we are out of control with the accelerator jammed to the floor. That's right humans are heading to extinction and if we don't make changes immediately, we won't last another generation.
A human being can survive three minutes without air, three days without water and three weeks without food. These three things, air, water, and food are the fundamentals of life. The only things that matter. We can't do without any one of them, we need all three to survive, in huge quantities. As the population increases on earth more is used up. There is not an unlimited supply. Battles are already being waged to gain control over these diminishing supplies. The conflicts in the middle East are not only political. Leaders of middle eastern countries are quite aware that there is not enough water to go around. Drying up your neighbours well is a far greater weapon than anything produced by American Rockwell.
So, if the importance of these three fundamentals of life is self evident, why are we treating them the way we do? Why are we wantonly destroying them, and ourselves in the process?
Today I will focus only on what we as human beings are doing to our air quality. Although three are intrinsically linked. Let’s first look at how we destroy air. You've heard of the greenhouse effect (such an innocuous sounding name, sounds sort of cozy doesn't it), but that will soon change when it becomes known as the broiler effect, quickly followed by the short-lived (for humans) blast furnace effect.
The greenhouse effect is caused primarily by Carbon dioxide. Simply put, CO2 absorbs the sun's radiation creating a blanket of heat surrounding the earth. In the earths primitive state, the atmosphere was 98% carbon dioxide. The earth was a hot place, but in did cool down, enough for humans to evolve. It cooled down when the carbon dioxide was gradually removed from the atmosphere and stored away for future use. All lifeforms are based on different compounds of carbon. As plants died and decayed in sufficient numbers coal was created (stored carbon). As sea creatures died and decayed oil was produced. Enough carbon was stored to reduce the percentage in the atmosphere from 98% to 0.03 % Our comfort zone you might say. The problem is it is now on the increase. When carbon is burned carbon dioxide is released to accumulate in the atmosphere. As far as the earth is concerned it is just another cycle. But we humans can't adapt quickly enough to survive this cycle. We evolve too slowly. It is our actions that are accelerating the cycle.
Accurate measurements of atmospheric co2 were began in 1958. As techniques improved it became possible to not only measure quantities but also estimate past volumes by taking core samples from arctic ice. Air is trapped in pockets and isolated from the atmosphere. The age of ice can be determined from the strata that are laid down each winter.
The results show that for centuries prior to the industrial revolution the figures remained constant. In the fifteenth century air contained about 270 parts per million (PPM). By 1750 it contained about 265 PPM but by 1984 it had increased to 345 PPM. There is no doubt that CO2 is accumulating resulting in the greenhouse effect. Other industrial chemicals, particularly Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCS) also contribute, although in much smaller volumes, they are much more effective at absorbing radiation. The concentrations of these industrial chemicals are increasing at rates between 0.2 to 5 % per year — per year. That doesn't sound like a lot. In your lifetime it may not be. But what about your children’s, and your grandchildren. Our responsibility should not decrease as descendants become distant from us.
Unfortunately, the effects of many of these pollutants will not be seen for several years. Professor of Chemistry at University of California Sherwood Rowland has produced research which shows that significant changes due to these chemicals in the earth's atmosphere will begin to be detected not only by the year 2000, but also in the year 2100. What this means is, the damage we are doing now will be apparent a hundred years from now.
The atmosphere is being damaged by our irresponsible use of chemicals and the way we waste our resources. As consumers demand more products, industries are created to supply them. Many of our heavy industries have disappeared, but not completely, they have just moved to other locations around the world. We may be making token efforts to improve the quality of air, but the factories are still pumping out pollution.
There seems to be some sort of naive belief that we have a different atmosphere. We don't, it's all the same. It may surprise you to learn that some of the worst deposits from atmospheric pollution are found in what we think of as the pristine arctic. A hole in the ozone layer the size of Europe exists over the Antarctic. We are all responsible due to our insatiable demands for consumer goods. At any given time, the most important thing on anyone's mind is the next purchase they are about to make. Think about it. And one of the most common is the car the one thing. That car is most responsible for the desecration of this planet, from the industry that produces it, to the noxious gases it produces. Automobiles churn out an incredible amount of CO2, but lots of other nasty things too. We spread chemicals everywhere, destroying everything.
I don't need to reel off facts, we don't need long scientific reports. Pollution is obvious, just look up. In Toronto, its almost impossible to see stars at night. You can still see much more clearly in the countryside but that too will change. The madness must stop. It was reported just this week that our government has signed another deal to help build nuclear reactors for another less developed country. There will be benefits, but the power produced by these reactors will go to producing more consumer goods which we will be conditioned to need, especially cars. Do you think you will be able to see the stars when every family in the world owns a car. General Motors would love to sell them one. But long before the stars fade from sight, there will be no one around to see them. The sky will eventually clear again, but not for our children.
What can you do. In some respects — not much. We are trapped in a world of our own creation, not the one nature gave us. We must stop being irresponsible. Begin right now, this very moment to act responsibly to our planet, your grandchildren’s planet. Stop using unnecessary chemicals. If you don't like dandelions eat them. They are nutritious. Drive less, walk more. Eat less — eat organic — demand it. Consume less, create more. It is small actions by every person that will, just maybe, make enough of a difference to salvage our world. But only if we start now.
David M. Hobson April 1996
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