Our Future
Some folks still hang on to the idea that climate change is not real, just something cooked up by naysayers. Such a denial should worry all of us because the predictions of the scientific community are dire indeed if we continue in our current path. One consequence will certainly be an increase in numbers and intensity of natural disasters. After a year where disasters killed so many people and caused so much damage all around the world, we can no longer afford to ignore the warnings if we want a future.
For example, I don’t think we can afford to continue being a throw-away society. Recently, my washing machine stopped working. When a repairman came he easily found the problem: an accumulation of lint in the pump which was easily cleaned. My machine is more than 25 years old, and the repairman told me he seldom sees machines that age because they last a long time. He says that what he sees now is the newer models that are not as well built. Newer is not necessarily better.
In my neighborhood there was a fellow who repaired electronics. Some years ago he repaired my VCR (remember those?). He is now retired and when I saw him recently he said he was sad that few people repair their television sets today. They prefer to buy something new with the latest innovation in picture and sound. So more garbage is being generated! Do we really need to have the latest product as soon as it comes out? And where does it end?
When one of my aunts moved into a retirement apartment from her home, she told me that the thing she missed most was her clothesline. She had hung her clothes outside all her life and had a difficult time adjusting to only using a clothes dryer. I understood because I have been using a clothesline most of my life. There’s nothing like the smell of clothes dried outside.
I am hopeful that the young generation coming after us might turn things around. They are certainly trying. My granddaughters hang their washed clothes on folding expandable racks that can be used in the house as well as outside.. They do it because it is easier on their garments than tumbling then in a machine, but also because it helps the environment. Imagine if everyone did this how much energy we would save!
Another point for the younger generation is that many of them are vegetarians. It’s no secret that meat production accounts for some 2/3 of the greenhouse gas emissions, and the millennials have taken notice. Because of reduced red meat consumption in North America, there has been a steep decline in the number of beef cattle, a trend which will surely continue. In a few years, this is bound to have an effect on the environment and hopefully prevent an increase in natural disasters.
