by Paul DeatonHere in Big Grove it is sometimes difficult to see much beyond the property, so when we talk about climate change, as the folks at Blog Action Day suggested we do today, it is a micro perspective that may be short sighted and flawed. In that respect, I am like most everyone else who comments on this topic. We need to think beyond these micro perspectives.
When we consider the immediate trouble about the climate, it is hard to say much, except that the weather has been crazy the last few years. When we moved here in 1993, we thought that the 100 year flood was that unprecedented year, but it turned out that 2008 was much worse, with so much water that the shore of Lake MacBride and the Lake MacBride trail were flooded. Is increased flooding attributable to climate change? Hard to say, but the increased rains reveal problems.
Even today, after the recent 24 hour rain, we saw the brown soil with its the unseen chemicals pour into the lake. This runoff delivers silt, nitrogen and phosphates mostly. The nutrients will find their way to the Gulf of Mexico dead zones, adding to the problem of an increasingly dead ocean. In a real way, the water that falls on my lawn is connected to the global water system. If we kill the oceans completely, and many say this is possible and due to happen in the near future, it would be a calamity around the world. For me this means not using any chemical weed killers and fertilizers on our little plot. That is something in my power to accomplish. Persuading my neighbors to do likewise is another thing I can work on.
When our contractor built the house, he spent a lot of design time working to manage the flow of surface water on our lot. His main intent was to move rain water away from the foundation and towards the ditch at the street. I am glad for a dry basement, but why add to the runoff? As we redo our yard, we will be building some rain gardens to capture rain and apply it to the plants and trees that are here. This is a better solution than letting all of it add to runoff.
Word of the Emerald Ash Borer made it to Big Grove during the last couple of years. I recently planted two green ash trees, which may be the target of this vector borne insect. A vector borne insect is a result of global warming in that as the planet warms, the range of certain insects moves with the increasing temperatures, expanding their habitat. My trees are young enough that removing them now would have a minimal impact on our landscape. However, if I let them grow for another ten years, they would be more important to the landscape, and that is when the onslaught of the Emerald Ash Borer is expected to start. The bugs bore into the tree and eat it from the inside, eventually killing it. I plan to adjust what I am doing now and replace these long traditional Iowa trees with something that is not susceptible to this vector borne pest. It is another way climate change is influencing my current behavior. Neighbors are already talking about this one. Climate change has apparently progressed too far to eliminate this threat.
Finally, there is the constant barrage of information about the cause of CO2 emissions because of our heavy reliance on the burning of fossil fuels in electricity generation, agriculture, militarism and the automobile culture. Coal burning, agriculture and the automobile culture are particularly Iowan, but we contribute our share to militarism as well. We can take action here, by turning the furnace down to 64 degrees in winter, by using more afghans and blankets on the bed, by unplugging our computer and battery chargers when away, by making the yard more self maintaining, rather than a giant expanse requiring mowing with a tractor, by changing to low flow toilets, by beefing up our insulation and through many other actions. I commit to doing these things. However, what we also need to commit to is remaining engaged in society outside the borders of our plat of land.
Engagement in the broader society is where people most often put on the brakes regarding climate change. While our elected officials, our United States Congressman particularly, are frequently in the area soliciting feedback, few people attend these forums and give direct comment on climate change. We need to promote these listening posts and events more and make sure we participate. If talk about climate change is not heard in these venues, it won't be heard in Washington. The same applies to the Iowa State House and the County Board of Supervisors.
My knowledge about climate change is enhanced by the high speed internet that eventually made its way into our rural subdivision. Some part of our day should be spent gathering information about the climate change issue. The information we should seek is not the opinionated discussions of the mainstream media outlets, bloggers and commentators, it is the work done by the government and by non-governmental organizations on climate change. This work is readily available if a person has internet access, and can be an informed alternative to the mainstream media. We owe it to ourselves and our children to get well informed and based on this learning, engage in society as it pertains to climate change and work for the good.
We see the effects of climate change in Big Grove, and today, we pledge to renew efforts to do our part to explain, train and influence our neighbors and policy makers to help stop global warming that is creating climate change.
~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County. Check out his blog, Big Grove Garden. E-mail Paul Deaton
