Guest writer

Climate warriors

The time to protect Earth is now

During his Sept. 24 address to the joint session of the U.S. Congress, Pope Francis, in a soft calming voice said, "I am convinced that we can make a difference. I have no doubt that the United States, and this Congress, have an important role to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a culture of care and an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature."

With simple words and actions, showing love and affection, Pope Francis delivered an urgent message: Take care of our common home and take care of the poor. "Now is the time for courageous actions," said Pope Francis.

We need to deal with enormous challenges we are facing today. The problems and solutions are known, as long as we act now. Delays will increase the cost and decrease our chance of survival.

Pope Francis came to the U.S. as a climate-change warrior: a warrior of peace, hope, and compassion. His words and actions during his brief visit inspired all who wanted to listen. Laudato Si, Pope Francis' encyclical "On care of our common home," is a blueprint for survival. COP21, the December United Nations Climate Conference in Paris, could be our last chance for global action.

Two common elements will determine our survival: carbon dioxide and water. For over 800,000 years, the maximum pre-industrial CO2 levels were 280 parts per million (ppm). In 1988, we passed 350 ppm, the upper limit to avoid dramatic climate change. Our lack of respect for nature in the pursuit of economic profit has significantly added CO2 in the atmosphere, passing the lethal milestone of 400 ppm in March 2015.

The annual rate of increase, driven by positive feedback loops, is getting faster.

In general terms, surface warming leads to droughts and insect infestation, which lead to forest wildfires, which lead to increased CO2 emissions and loss of forest carbon sink, which leads to increased warming. Man-made greenhouse gases could lead to abrupt or irreversible climate changes.

Climate scientists are highly concerned with Arctic melting which would release immense amounts of methane to the atmosphere. Pound per pound, the climate-change impact of methane is 25 times more than CO2. Further delays on decisive actions to significantly reduce CO2 emissions would be suicidal.

Having access to clean water, something we to take for granted, is a thing of the past in places like Syria, São Paulo, and California. Extreme droughts followed by torrential rains make a bad situation much worse with flash flooding and soil erosion. What do you do when rivers run dry and public water gets contaminated?

Severe drought in Syria is one of the causes of the massive migration of people, seeking safety and refuge in Europe and other parts of the world. Are we prepared to provide food and shelter?

The state of São Paulo, the industrial center of Brazil with a population of over 40 million, is experiencing its most extreme drought in 100 years. Lack of clean water triggers disease and civil unrest as taps run dry, driving the government to use force to control the population.

California forests are on fire. Extreme droughts are the worst in 500 years. What was once fertile farmland feeding the U.S. is now at high risk. California is expected to lose an estimated 2.2 trillion gallons of surface water in 2015. Most areas are facing exceptional drought. The water level of some key reservoirs is down 75 percent. Some hydroelectric plants have shut down. Droughts are expected to get more intense this winter.

With no tap water in some areas, people will have to relocate. Long-term droughts will increase the frequency of conflict and displacement of populations. How can we ignore our brothers and sisters? Our new world is not a safe place anymore. The U.S.' major polluters oppose corrective actions to protect their assets--a senseless, irresponsible behavior.

The leading sources of greenhouse gases are electric power generation and transportation. Immediate adoption of the Environmental Protection Agency's plans to reduce emissions from power plants, and their regulations to reduce heavy-duty transportation emissions, is essential.

Our forests are the environmental mirror image of fossil-fuel combustion, capturing and storing CO2 and storing rain water. The 2015 USDA Climate Smart program will promote reforestation, and preserve the carbon sink and water stored in the forests. We must stop wood-pellet exports under the pretense of renewable energy, a clear and present danger of deforestation and pollution.

What do you remember of Pope Francis' visit? What are you doing to take care of our common home and people in urgent need?

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Dr. Luis Contreras lives in Eureka Springs.

Editorial on 10/09/2015

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