It’s time to tame climate’s wild beast

"The climate is like a wild beast, and we’re poking it with sticks." Climatologist Wally Broecker.

That quote is on the first page of a new book, "Under a Green Sky: Global Warming, the Mass Extinctions of the Past and What They Can Tell Us About our Future" by Peter D. Ward, Ph.D. I read it because I wanted to know more about the study of the earth’s past climate history in relation to what’s happening now with global warming. Broecker’s quote really stuck with me.

The last thing any of us would do is poke a sleeping rhinoceros or lion with a stick (remember, there’s no cage here). If we were very lucky, it might ignore us, but chances are that if we persisted we would goad it into action, and face the consequences. Wild animals are beautiful, powerful, complex and unpredictable, just like our climate.

In the book’s introduction, Ward describes a trip to central Nevada in search of evidence about our past. He explains that it’s time for practitioners like himself to "begin screaming like the sane madman" in the 1976 film "Network" who yelled, "I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore."

Ward, a scientist, continues, "In our case, this cry must be: ‘I am scared as hell, and I am not going to be silent anymore!’This book is my scream, for here in Nevada … we sat on the remains of a greenhouse extinction, and it was not pretty, this graveyard, the evidence clutched in these dirty rocks utterly demolishing any possibility of hyperbole. Is it happening again? Most of us think so." He then concludes, "Thus this book, words tumbling out powered by rage and sorrow but mostly fear, not for us but for our children — and theirs."

There has never been anything like the situation we find ourselves in right now, unless you count many of the mass extinctions that are part of the geological record. The primary difference is that we are causing it this time. We have the power of choice. One key choice is to greatly reduce our CO₂ emissions. This must happen now since our options are diminishing with each passing day.

It’s time to drop the stick and back away from the beast; time to check into rehab and shake our addiction. The key is that we can do this. We have the solutions, the tools and the means. We must not be overwhelmed by the task at hand, but we must embrace it and make it our number one priority.

We should be talking with every friend, neighbor, business associate and elected official. Get engaged. We should be looking everywhere for opportunities to reduce our power demand. The worst thing we can do in our situation is contribute more carbon (CO₂) to the atmosphere.

Do you know that there are several coal-burning power plants planned for Nevada? We don’t even have coal here and yet there are companies that will find great profit in releasing more than 48 million tons of CO₂ a year into our air, at our expense. This flies in the face of all logic when taken in the context of the climate crisis.

Releasing CO₂ is bad for our planet and it’s about to become expensive too. The idea that coal is cheap and therefore a preferred fuel is no longer valid. Coal plants put us all at risk for much higher bills as the cost of carbon emissions begins to reflect its true environmental damage. Coal power is a very bad deal for the citizens of Nevada.

At a recent lecture at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Donald Aitken presented an incredible wealth of information about this crisis and the abundant solutions we have at hand. He has published a paper entitled "Transitioning to a Renewable Energy Future" that is available on the Web and can be downloaded at whitepaper.ises.org.

Another lecture at UNLV last year featured well-respected architect Edward Mazria, who has created a road map for significant reductions in CO₂ by implementing green-building techniques in a strategic manner. His work can be found at www.architecture2030.org/.

The American Solar Energy Society has an excellent publication, "Tackling Climate Change in the U.S." that can be read at www.ases.org/climatechange/.

At a recent meeting of the U.S. Green Building Council, Nevada Chapter, guest speaker and visionary designer David Oakey provided an incredibly inspiring and passionate overview of our place on the Earth and how we can move forward in ways that will not only avoid damage, but actually heal our world.

There are so many opportunities that lead to a vibrant, healthy future. It’s up to us to make the right choices. Letting others make the choice may lead us over the edge into the abyss. Can you hear me screaming or should I poke you with my green-living stick?

Steve Rypka is a green living consultant and president of GreenDream Enterprises, specializing in renewable energy, green building, alternative transportation and lifestyle choices for both residential and commercial clients. The company is committed to helping people live lighter on the planet. Rypka can be reached via e-mail at steve@greendream.biz. More information relating to this column is posted at www.greendream.biz.