As most local residents could not help but notice, this last summer was unusually hot and humid. As a result, to describe but one example, our garden has changed into a rain forest. Where one pruning, or maybe two per year used to suffice, now I’ve cut back shrubs three times this year, and they’re still putting out new growth. Our azaleas now bloom twice a year. We’re living in a different climate. Our local roofer told me that this summer was unbearably hot for them working up on roofs. And when it wasn’t hot, it was raining. This has meant fewer work days for his company, even as the bills keep coming in.
This weather, as we know, is not unique to New Jersey. Heat, draughts, powerful storms, floods, and forest fires have been experienced around the world. Will this, as our roofer experienced, disrupt businesses, but also commerce, and governance? Brazil, to take one country, seems unable to restrict the cutting down of Amazon forests – the world’s largest storage, or sink, of CO2 emissions. At a crucial time, this is going in the wrong direction — as is our administration’s elimination of curbs on releasing greenhouse gases.
Few people, outside of the President and the world of deniers, would disagree that we need to do something to slow and eventually reverse these climate trends. And do it very soon, and comprehensively. But do what?
Voting in aware and active leaders, like our new governor, is probably the single most important step we can take. We have an election coming up. There are any number of reasons, and issues, to vote out Republicans and their 18th Century views. But maybe the most far-reaching issue is climate change.
In Princeton, one can see many Priuses, Teslas, and other electric or hybrid cars.
But outside of Princeton, far fewer. We are fortunate to live in an affluent, educated community. A number of homes and businesses have installed solar panels, and even a few geo-thermal heating and cooling systems. Princeton University has adopted a number of clean, energy-saving systems. But to save civilization as we have known it – as the world’s leading climate scientists have warned – we need to take these steps much farther, wider, and quickly.
The UN Secretary General warned that we have maybe 2 years to begin to significantly reduce emissions, or possibly allow climate change to increase beyond our ability to control it.
So then, what can we do? Vote. Switch to electric cars – not only individuals but towns and companies. Install many more solar panels and adopt community solar where groups of residents join together to finance and benefit from cheaper, clean energy.
Encourage the Princeton public schools to change to solar. Short-sightedly they are dragging their feet. A number of neighboring town schools have switched to solar, and are saving money. We need to look at this through a longer lens – not merely through a current budget.
We, as citizens, need to make the aforementioned changes, but also others. Sustainable Princeton has been leading in several ways to preserve our environments and reduce emissions. Residents can consult with them.
A visit by some European friends showed us how far behind we, as a society, and nation, are in saving energy. In their home countries, they recycle everything, which saves energy.
Our guests dried their laundry outside, in the sun. Something we largely gave up in the ‘50s.
They used less air conditioning and lighting, which also saved energy. At home they bike more – something as a town we should encourage. Steps have been taken, but we could do more.
Sadly, the majority of scientists warn that we don’t have much time to begin changing. They point out that even with rapid behavioral alterations, the emissions already in our atmosphere will last a long time. But we don’t have, really, any choice, if we want to preserve the world we’ve enjoyed.