Today’s post is completely out of the norm for me. It has nothing to do with décor, my friends / family or the Bunny. It has to do with the fact that I have been able to wear a fall jacket the entire winter. Here in Canada that’s just not normal. I should be feeling the cold, and cursing all the snow banks. The streets should be filled with brown slushy snow and the pond near our house should have kids skating on it. Global warming and it’s effects have only impacted our lives for what most people see as good. No backbreaking shoveling, no double layers of gloves, no getting your car stuck in the snow banks made by the plows on the highway. Well I say it’s not right. Today’s edition of the Metro (a small paper handed out on the train line), reports several tourist attractions that have been already affected and are at risk of disappearing.
Victoria Falls – The basin which feeds these falls are at risk of drying up. Not only will the falls suffer, but all of the wild life and vegetation around it that feed off of the mist will start to disappear
Florida’s Everglades – A complex eco-system and home to wildlife are facing rising sea levels. This puts not only their homes at risk but their very existence, like the Florida panther.
Maldives – 22 atolls less than 1 metre above sea level will be uninhabitable and possibly erased from existence by the end of the century. Rising sea levels post the same issue for many other islands.
Mount Kilimanjaro – in 1936, Ernst Hemmingway wrote the famous short story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” since then 80% of the snow has melted. One of the most spectacular sites in Africa, scientists predict it will be void of all snow by the end of the decade.
Great Barrier Reef – 3,000 reefs stretching 2,600kms is being attacked by over-fishing, tourist abuse, industrial pollution and global warming.
Venice – This historic lagoon city has flooded 4 times as much as it was at the start of the 20th century destroying priceless buildings. It is estimated that St. Marks Square could be under 7 feet of water and deemed uninhabitable by the end of the 21st century.
So you’re glad for the warmer winter, well I leave you with this; It takes 250-500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose. Chemical filled products that we use everyday and pour down our drain are polluting the waters making local beaches not usable. In 60 years, our grandchildren will face an Earth much different from ours. The pollution and garbage will fill their lungs and parks. Many of the islands we vacation to and tourist attractions we visit will no longer exist. Are the choices you make today only for the benefit of your pocket and convenience, or do you consider the future of our children’s lives and our own before you act? Lastly, if you don’t like the snow, then frankly live somewhere else. We live in a country where snow is a norm. If you want sun and heat all year round, live somewhere where that is normal. It’s not normal here in “North” America.
*I warned you*
2 comments:
brace yourself.
it's supposed to be -19 on saturday, but with the windchill it's going to be like -28.....thank goodness we'll be at the spa :)
Lisa,
I think this is a wonderful post. I think it is great that you are aware of the problems plaguing our environment and the animals that cannot help but be affected by the problems humans are causing. People do not seem to understand the repercussions of their actions, or they don't seem to care. I am lucky to work for a company that recycles everything and to live with a fiance that supports my need to recycle, eat (mostly) organic, and try to live a mindful lifestyle.
Maybe you could do some more posts about how you and your husband are going to try to raise the baby in a more environmentally friendly atmosphere?
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