Climate Recovery

“Wildfires seem unstoppable, but they can be prevented” – Ryan Zinke

Last week, in response to the catastrophic California wildfires, Ryan Zinke, in charge of our public lands, said “no trees, no fires.” Zinke blamed radical environmentalists and failed to address the climate emergency, the root cause of the infernos. Zinke has unrestricted power and no credibility as ecological steward. Last December he proposed mining and drilling leases for Bears Ears, Grand Staircase, Cascade-Siskiyou, and Gold Butte National Monuments, plus three new sites.

Young children think they can hide by covering their eyes. This doesn’t work. Agent Orange is an exception, a twitter brat with an infant brain and a big mouth. Zinke and his mafia boss have chosen to ignore the climate emergency.

Forest carbon sinks

We must secure the forests to prevent arson and illegal logging, and plant as many trees as we can to mitigate severe floods, provide clean water, and sequester carbon in the forest soil.

US Forest Service dates back to the National Forest Management Act of 1976. The current version still uses the 1976 Congressional amendments. USFS plans are behind the times, and forests are under attack. Rep. Bruce Westerman’s dream is to give USFS unconditional rights without environmental review or public comments.

Climate priorities

U.S. forestry practices are influenced by Big Timber and old thinking. People concerned with climate change view forests as gigantic carbon dioxide vacuum ecosystems that constantly remove and store carbon in the soil. Unlike fossil fuel reserves quickly becoming stranded assets, forests have the highest value protecting life on Earth.

Ignoring the climate emergency

EPA’s website on climate change has been down. NASA Earth Science stopped using satellites to measure carbon in the atmosphere. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration attempted to change its long-standing mission, “To understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts” to a limited scope, “To observe, understand and predict atmospheric and ocean conditions.”

Ocean carbon sinks

Climate scientists rely on precise measurements of the ocean temperature and acidity. Oceans are our main carbon sink. Oceans dissolve carbon dioxide creating carbonic acid. Increased atmospheric carbon threatens marine life and the coral reefs.

Coral reefs provide habitats for many species, delivering unique benefits. Coral reefs are beautiful underwater cities, some date back millions of years.

Cyclones and severe weather have destroyed some reefs. Rising sea temperatures trigger coral bleaching in which the symbiotic algae providing corals nutrition and color in exchange for shelter become toxic.

Climate justice

The U.S. courts are our best hope to demand massive climate action. The trial of the century is a five-year project from Our Children’s Trust, the non-profit group supporting the 21 Climate Kids and Dr. James Hansen. The case will be heard on October 29, 2018, expected to last four weeks.

Climate crimes

Zinke and the current administration have shown negligence and treachery by their actions of promoting the extraction, storage, transportation, exports, and use of fossil fuels. The EPA threat to roll back fuel efficiency requirements and revoke California’s right to establish its own emissions standards is a declaration of war on the American people.

Political participation

People concerned with the climate crisis and the environment need to vote in every election and demand to be heard. To paint Arkansas Blue, we need to vote. According to The Environmental Project, the key to getting powerful environmental policies in place is getting more environmentalists to vote in every election. For the 2016 US presidential election only 56 percent of eligible people cast their vote, a very low percent compared to other democracies. Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Australia and South Korea, are at the top of the list, with over 80 percent voters.

We are running out of time

1. Please visit EnvironmentalVoter.org and sign the environmental voter pledge to cast your vote in every election.
2. On October 28, Climate Rallies will be held at city and state courthouses in support of the Trial of the Century. Plans are underway to get Eureka Springs on the list. Please visit OurChildrensTrust.org and their Facebook page for information.

Dr. Luis Contreras