What About the Environment?

What about the Environment?

By Ken Cook

We are bombarded with information about the state of the earth’s climate and the natural environment. It is hard to decide what to be legitimately concerned about, when there are so many conflicting voices, each with its own agendum.

On any given day, one may find articles related to global warming, and climate shift. There is one side which is alarmist. They say that it is too late, that disaster is inevitable. Their evidence shows that we have already initiated the cascade of events which will cause the melting of the polar icecaps resulting in the loss of cooling provided by ocean currents. Some estimate that these events will occur as soon as the middle of this century, which means, if these theorists are to be believed, that cataclysmic episodes involving massive loss of life may happen within our lifetimes.

At the other extreme, there are individuals who say that no action is necessary. They point to evidence of natural climate shifts which have been documented throughout history, outside of human influence.

In the face of two conflicting opinions, what should we do? How do we form reasonable opinions and take appropriate action? Is there anything we can do? Do we even need to do anything at all? Should we support environmental causes? Should we bother to feel guilty about the opulence of our high-consumption lifestyles? After all, if the end is in sight, why bother? And if the end is not in sight, why bother?

In our industrialized society, the average person has little contact with nature. People go from one climate-controlled place to another, only passing through the great outdoors long enough to complain about the weather. Nature is fine, we think, in its place, but who likes mosquitoes? We can handle a little nature on TV, but only when there’s a commercial on the station you were watching.

Still, I’d like to think that the natural world, as represented by non-human communities of vegetation and animals, is important. One must agree that there is less of it around these days. Most of the plants we see on a daily basis are exotic landscaping plants with no ecological value. I once saw a swallowtail butterfly fluttering around a yellow croton, attracted by the color, but unable to find any nectar to slurp.

The best we can do is to devote a little of the space we control to inviting nature back. One way to do that is to plant native trees and shrubs along our property borders, and allow them to naturalize. If I do it, and you do it, and the people over there do it, before you know it, we have re-established woodlands all over the place. Your landscaping can include a variety of nectar sources, along with some butterfly host plants, and fruits for birds. Then you can look out your window at your own nature show while you wait for the final verdict from the climatologists.