Does anyone remember this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0sxwGlTLWw
It aired in 1970. I
remember what a strong impact it had on me.
We used to go to Patapsco State Park in Maryland for picnics in the 60s-early 70s. There were lovely trails through the woods,
and one led down to a large waterfall.
The water spray felt so cool and the Patapsco River seemed so
clear. There was a swinging bridge that
would take one from one side of the river to the other. There were other splendid, seemingly
untouched places to visit. I remember my family went with another Deaf
family to a remote area in Virginia, along the Potomac River. The woods were lush and the river seemed safe
to swim in then. But that was in 1970,
when I was 15.
After seeing that commercial, I began to notice litter along
the sides of the roads. People rolled
their windows down and tossed their fast-food trash without a care in the
world. My brother and I would take short
cuts through the woods near our home and we began to see empty cans (beer and
soda), paper plates, napkins and once there was a tire. People were so careless with the Earth. It seemed like Earth would always be here and
never die away.
Recently, Ted, my adult son and I began rewatching an old
mini-series called Centennial. It takes
place in Colorado and spans a time from the mid-1700s to about the 1970s. The story tells about how Centennial came to
be over that period of time. The scenes
are absolutely breath taking. We watched
the two trappers paddle up and down the Platte River, meeting and trading with
the various Native American tribes. The
Native Americans were one with nature, respecting and cherishing it.
I wonder if the Platte River is still there and, if it is,
how choked with trash it’s become?
I remember distinctive seasons as a child and teenager. Winters were cold and snowy from late
November to early March. Spring brought
warmer, milder weather. I could go
outdoors and play wearing a jacket or a sweater. Summers were hot but not unbearable. In the heat of the afternoon, I would lie
under a shaded tree and watch the clouds.
Fall arrived with school and the loveliest colors to the trees’ leaves.
In recent years, we seem to have gone from four seasons to
two. We’ve had long usually warm winters
followed by a very brief break for spring, followed by an early, long, hot
summer with uncomfortably high temperatures, followed by a brief break for fall
and then another long winter.
Changes to our environment started with Rachel Carson, who
wrote a book called Silent Spring.
I didn’t read it until I was an adult and it was really
eye-opening. At the time the book was
published, though, it was the early 1960s.
Scientists scoffed at and made fun of her. Even though she was dragged through the mud,
she still inspired President Kennedy to begin a department that became known as
the Environmental Protection Agency.
What I remember most about Carson’s book is that everyone born after
1954 (me included) has DDT in their livers, a result of the over spraying of
that chemical. Planes used to fly
overhead and freely dump the poison all over, even on kids playing outside. Now it’s outlawed.
Her warnings haven’t stopped industries from polluting the
air and water through the years with their toxic refuse. Slowly, scientists began to realize the harm
it was causing to people. There were
cancer clusters and other sicknesses in neighborhoods near the dump sites. Restrictions were placed but then the dumping
began in the ocean.
Well, the ocean is so vast, isn’t it? What’s a little garbage here and there? After years and years of it, we have
ginormous garbage dumps in the oceans.
They affect the animals and birds that depend on the sea. People are affected too. How many times have beaches had to be closed
because needles, medical waste, and e coli stuff have washed up on the beaches. The bacteria comes not only from the garbage,
it also comes from people pooping in the ocean with no care or thought for
others.
We have raised the amount of carbon in the air so high it’s
burned holes in the ozone layer that used to protect us from the sun’s radiation. Now you have to have sunscreen lathered on
constantly if you’re out in the sun for a prolonged period of time. It’s not a good idea to sun bathe on the
beach as I did in the 1970s and early 80s.
“But there’s no climate change!” That’s what the right-wing
politicians like to say so that they can continue to receive financial support from Big Oil and coal companies and other polluting corporations. There’s always been periods of extreme
weather, droughts and flooding and dust storms, right? Really, though, there’s been nothing like what’s happening
now.
Read this: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/3/2114238/-The-mainstream-media-goes-there-humanity-should-prepare-themselves-for-the-climate-end-game
And the massive amounts of rain and flooding we’ve
experienced recently? We can expect
more: https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-intensifying-the-water-cycle-bringing-more-powerful-storms-and-flooding-heres-what-the-science-shows-187951?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Science%20Editors%20Picks%20%20August%203%202022%20-%202365523592&utm_content=Science%20Editors%20Picks%20%20August%203%202022%20-%202365523592+CID_1fbce3942d4e494342bd88c280454f35&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=Climate%20change%20is%20intensifying%20the%20water%20cycle%20bringing%20more%20powerful%20storms%20and%20flooding%20%20heres%20what%20the%20science%20shows
Meanwhile, there are states out in the Midwest, south and
west that are suffering with drought.
Sources of drinking water like Lake Mead are beginning to dry up. Several states get their water from Lake Mead
and other lakes, reservoirs, and dams. What happens when there’s not enough to go
around anymore? Here in New Jersey, we’ve
just learned that we have the beginnings of a drought and need to start
conserving water.
Well, what about the polar caps? They’re so frozen solid, they’ll be there
forever no matter how warm it gets, right?
Well, check this out: https://theconversation.com/arctic-is-warming-nearly-four-times-faster-than-the-rest-of-the-world-new-research-188474?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter%20for%20August%2012%202022&utm_content=Daily%20Newsletter%20for%20August%2012%202022+CID_6b2c2ff2a9c5a4d1e8fe3bae52433825&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=Arctic%20is%20warming%20nearly%20four%20times%20faster%20than%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20world%20%20new%20research
Okay, but somehow we will learn to live with this, right, so
why worry? We won’t be around for when
the earth finally gives up and burns up, so why worry? Here’s two reasons:
Infectious diseases can increase because of climate change https://www.huffpost.com/entry/climate-change-infectious-disease-paper_n_62dfeac9e4b03dbb991d9a9e?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20Email%208-9-22&utm_term=us-morning-email
Contaminated soil has been found in the south along the Mississippi and bay
that’s made some people very ill.
There are old abandoned places of business that have
contaminants in their buildings. It’s
not just superfund or landfills or other dump sites. There are hundreds of undocumented businesses
that could have toxic material in their buildings. Flooding can bring those contaminants into
our soil and our drinking water. Ew.
The fact that Congress just passed the first major piece of
legislation addressing climate change is a huge help. Well, it was actually the Democrats that got
the bill passed. Every single Repub
voted against it. They vote against
anything that could be beneficial for our country. And they think they’re the patriots?
There are many ways to reduce our carbon footprint. While the political parties and Big Oil fight
over going green, we can recycle everything we can, bring reusable bags to pack
our groceries and other purchases in, use trash cans instead of dropping junk
in the parking lots or on park trails, or throwing them out the car window. Everyone can do a little bit. It’s not impossible if we all make an
effort. We may not be around when the
Earth finally gives up and dies, but our grandchildren and great grandchildren
will be. Is that what we want for them?
Didn’t think it was coming so soon? Well, it is.
We were warned.
https://twitter.com/andykimnj/status/1534689100506202115?s=21&t=gSa7cXa53PLeDRywN9iwdQ
https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/ss/slideshow-stop-wasting-time?ecd=wnl_spr_080922&ctr=wnl-spr-080922_supportTop_title_1&mb=YYm2ySWN6wWuVccYKvWE%4033h2f7%40aGp%2Fm4Hmxq65iwU%3D
