October 15 2009 is Blog Action Day 2009 whereby Bloggers from all over the world unite to write about a single topic to primarily demonstrate a united front as well as confirm what we all know—Bloggers make the internet go ‘round. The topic for 2009 is Climate Change. This December world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a global response to climate change. For the first time in a decade the US has leadership in place to confront the climate crisis. The US is being urged to take bold action to curb emissions and introduce and enforce clean energy policies. www.blogactionday.org
Here is the challenge from my view, somehow we have to drive this issue home to the middle of the country. Both coasts are more familiar with the issues surrounding climate change/pollution byproducts and have made strides in introducing more avenues for public transportation. There are also more stringent and diligent guidelines in place for despoiling the environment.
The middle of the United States falls behind in these categories. I live in a small town in the mid-south region. We have no sidewalks or public transportation available. We have no centralized plaza for shopping. The closest store to my house is 15 minutes drive time. The vehicles we tend to use in this farm community tend to be big and rarely fuel efficient. My neighbors are smart people but their sense of urgency is focused elsewhere. Right now there are a lot of folks just concerned with taking care of their families today, they can’t worry about the tomorrow being impacted by bad decisions today in relation to the greenhouse effect. With the financial crisis and debate over health care in the forefront, the environment, particularly global warming has taken a second seat. What we seem to be missing in the discussion is the urgency. If we don’t fix this problem and learn to care for the environment, all other issues will fall by the wayside. If we can’t produce sustainable foods because of the erratic weather patterns due to climate inconsistencies we will die. If we can’t supply our country with clean and stable water sources we will die—it wont matter then whether we have healthcare or a job then.
What we need from our leaders is help in understanding how we find the balance in maintaining our immediate lives and yet move forward in protecting our planet. Reaching out to the middle of the country would be a great start. The economy where I live is fossil fuel based. Intellectually I understand what is right, what I need and should do but realistically it’s a challenging move to make away from the local industry. I believe if we are to be successful in controlling climate change and impacting the damage done to our planet and immediate environs, it comes down to education. Educate middle America to make better choices and appreciate and acknowledge their efforts.