Like my colleague, Russ, I found a lot to like about the results of a Public Policy Institute survey this week that showed people are becoming increasingly aware of air pollution in the Valley. We get it. That's half the battle.
Valley residents are connecting the dots -- that brown gunk they see in the air has something to do with the asthma treatments their children are experiencing and that constant coughing that Grandma complains of. All of us are being asked to change our habits and the way we do business. That's much more likely to happen if people are educated about the problem and understand why it must be done.
Threats of huge fines from the government got our attention, sure, but education is key. The Bee has been committed for years to giving its readers the very best information possible on air pollution and on the Opinion pages, we have aggressively advocated for action to reverse the trend. Those efforts are starting to pay off in rewarding ways and seeing the level of awareness go up is a sign that we're on the right track.
I see a corollary to the information coming out on global warming. It's going to take a lot of education for people to understand something they cannot easily see every day. The increased awareness of air pollution comes after, literally, hundreds of stories, editorials, charts and graphics in The Bee. But educational efforts like "An Inconvenient Truth" will play a part in getting people's attention and helping them connect the dots between their everyday habits and gradual, but certain, environmental changes.
Part of the problem with global environmental issues is that there is only one Earth. We cannot look at another planet, for example, and look for a model of how "not" to do things. It would be a lot easier if we could just observe the Planet Ninny, for example, and see what mistakes they made there and avoid them. As far as we know, we just get one chance with this planet, so we'd better get it right. If it starts sending out distress signals, we'd better pay attention.
May we are the Planet Ninny, and others are observing us. :0
Actually, your timing was interesting, because I just got through signing a contract to have solar panels installed at our home.
They won't get ours done until October, though, because they are booked solid through the summer. That's both encouraging and disheartening. People are showing interest in renewable energy, and lots of people are doing something about it. But we have only scratched the surface of the potential of solar energy alone, not to mention other sources of clean energy.
We're also only scratching the surface when it comes to conservation. The irony is that a lot of the things we can do as individuals will save us money in the long run. But it sometimes requires some investment up front, and the payoff may be down the road, so that tends to run counter to our culture of consumption and instant gratification.
What I get tired of hearing is that we are somehow damaging the planet. Nothing we do is going to destroy the planet.
On the other hand we can easily make it so we can not survive on the planet. This is not a save the earth thing. It is a save our kids issue.
What a good point, John. Reframing the discussion in terms of protecting our children's future instead of "saving the Earth" may be an important distinction in engaging more people's interest. We always need to answer that question, "why should I care about this, and why should I care about this now?"
Not everyone cares about saving the Earth, but we all care about saving ourselves and our kids.
This LA Times piece about brain wiring and environmental threats seems appropriate:
Brain wiring and threat assessment-- If only gay sex caused global warming