Guest Blog Post on Blog Action Day by Simon Owens for CARE

Climate change is not only about melting ice caps and polar bears. Climate change is about people.

Swinging weather patterns are creating disasters on a scale that human civilization has never before witnessed. For the world’s poorest people – the ones least equipped to deal with its effects – climate change is devastating their crops, livelihoods and communities.

"Climate change is worsening the plight of those hundreds of millions of men, women and children who already live in extreme poverty – and it threatens to push hundreds of millions more people into similar destitution," says CARE International’s Secretary General Robert Glasser. "A concerted international response to this unprecedented challenge is required if we are to avoid catastrophic human suffering."

CARE is working toward a world where poor people can create opportunity out of crises like climate change. But the current reality is that climate change makes poor people even more vulnerable.

For instance, agricultural production will likely decline in the poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Less reliable rainfall will likely affect planting seasons, crop growth and livestock health – and lead to increased malnutrition. In other parts of the developing world, flooding will likely further diminish the quality of already-marginal soil and could cause outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

Climate change also is hurling many poor families into “Catch-22” situations. For example, they may select crops that are less sensitive to rainfall variation, but also less profitable. As incomes decline and people are not able to eke out a living, children are forced to leave school, assets are sold off to afford essentials, malnutrition rates increase and large-scale migration ensues. The end result? Deepening poverty for tens of millions of people around the world.

What Must Be Done?

At the international level, negotiations to develop a new treaty to guide global efforts to address climate change will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark in just a couple weeks. The United States must help lead those efforts, and forge a strong agreement that caps emissions, stops global warming and responds to the effects already in motion. We must do this for the sake of all of humanity.

What can I do to help?

First, you can make a tax-deductible donation to CARE to help poor families access the tools and education they need to adapt to the effects of climate change, make efficient use of their existing resources and overcome poverty for good.

Second, if you live in the Unites States, you can write your senators and urge them to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, a critical step toward U.S. leadership in tackling climate change. U.S. leadership is critical to making the Copenhagen negotiations a success.

Third, you can join the CARE mailing list to be kept up to date on CARE’s activities and other ways you can take action in the days counting down to Copenhagen.

To donate, take action and join our e-mail list, please visit www.care.org/climate

Check back here tomorrow. I registered my blog on the Blog Action Day site. Everyone registered for this even will be posting something related to climate change. The video below explains.

There was an article in the Arkansas section of Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The article, titled "New Alternative-energy panel has some gaps," fills readers in on what's happening with the newly created commission, created under Act 1301. The purpose of the commission is to explore alternative energy sources in Arkansas (solar, wind, biomass, and other alternative energy sources), and examine the possible economic impact from using alternative energy sources. The commission is only authorized to study this issue in Arkansas, and the commission has not other authority. There is already trouble with the commission, though. Three of the 15 members have not been appointed yet (members are not government employees), there is no allocated budget for the commission, and there are no established deadlines for the commission.

All of this being said, the current members on the commission met for the first time this week to get started. This was on their own time and money. This is definitely an improvement over not having an alternative energy commission, but the state needs to do more. The article mentions that some of these issues could be settled in the next legislative session starting on February 8, 2010. Alternative energy is something that Arkansas needs to give a second consideration. I think the majority of people think Arkansas is not well suited for alternative energy, but I have noticed several recent articles bringing this view into question. At least Arkansas seems to be taking the first steps toward a sustainable future.

Pictured above is a rain collector. This one was in Laurel Park, left over from Conway Ecofest a few weeks ago. Basically, the rain collects on the V-shaped roof and drains into the elevated water barrel behind it. Once the small barrel is full, you can drain the water into a larger storage container (the white cube next to it). A friend told me this was still out in the middle of the park so I decided to take a look. I think it is so neat and I would love to have one if I could (apartments don't lend themselves well to rain collectors). This is a great way to save water and water your plants with rain water. I have heard, though, that it is a good idea to not use this water on your edible plants. I guess this has to do with any possible pollutants, but you can still save water using it on your decorative plants and landscaping. The structure would look great in any backyard. It would be a nice place to sit and read, and be eco-friendly at the same time!

Thesis writing is kicking into full gear and work on my eco-friendly living guide is progressing very well. I heard that EcoFest in Conway was a great success. There were lots of booths set up and attendees, too. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend because of a prior obligaton, but I am sure I would have had a great time! I know sometimes it is difficult to keep up eco-friendly behaviors. Well, it may not be more difficult, but not recycling, not turning off lights, and driving faster on the interstate might require less effort. In light of this, let me share some of the inspiration I had recently.

This is the Two Pine Landfill in Jacksonville, AR. This is also where NLR takes is trash. I remember when I first started high school, you couldn't even see the dump over the line of trees. Now the landfill towers over the highway next to it. Let's look at another picture.

This picture was taken from the McCain Mall parking lot next to highway 67/167. In the distance, you can see the Two Pike Landfill. This locations is around a mile away and the landfill still towers over its surroundings. That makes me want to recycle, compost, buy in bulk, and try to find any way possible to eiminate waste!

Last week when I was reading The New Yorker I was pleased to find an article by Elizabeth Kolbert that was about several new books about experiments in environmentalism. Much like how I tried to live as eco-friendly as possible over this past summer, many other people are attempting other experiments in environmental living. One of the main experimenters is "No Impact Man." Colin Beavan attempted to live, for one year, with zero environmental impact. Though I haven't read the book yet, Kolbert relates some intriguing information about the book. Beavan lives with his wife and daughter in an apartment in New York City and they make some serious changes in their lives. He and his family stop driving, using the elevator, and even turns off all electricity to their apartment. That is dedication! Beavan also gave up toilet paper. I can't imagine how his family liked this. No Impact Man is a great resource for information on going green. Check out his website http://noimpactproject.org/ and see all he has to offer. His book and documentary were just released, but I don't think it is showing anywhere around Little Rock. A great feature of the website is that you can try the experiment yourself for one just one week. If you sign up for the experiment through the website, then you will receive support and guidance through the people with No Impact Man on how to live a live free of environmental impact.

I am no longer vegan. I have been thinking about stopping for a few weeks now, but I wanted to finish out August. The main reason is that in my apartment and group of friends, I am the only one with any dietary restrictions. Thankfully, my friends are accommodating, but I still feel like I am limiting the possibilities. But, I am very happy with two full months of veganism. I only committed myself to one month, and since I was enjoying it I continued into August. In the future I might pick it back up again. I certainly have a greater respect for anyone living the vegan lifestyle. It really makes you think about what you ear, wear, use, and much more.

I forgot to mention another great eco-friendly service that UCA has for its students - a shuttle service. To be honest, the shuttle service is likely more intended to lower the parking demand on campus, but it allows some students living in UCA housing away from campus to catch a free, eco-friendly ride to their classes. By carpooling, a large amount of carbon emissions are not entering the atmosphere. Carpooling is a great way to save money and help lower fuel emissions. Here are a few great sites to look for carpooling information in Central Arkansas:

eRideShare.com
Zimride.com
Zipcar.com - Zipcar is a car sharing service that has not yet made its way to Arkansas. Check it out though. Another great thing is that it teams up with universities to help students out. If the demand is high enough, maybe Zipcar would come our way!

One quick note about recycling glass. A reader mentioned that Conway does recycle glass, and they certainly do! It may not be convenient (you have to take it to the city dump/recycling center), it is still a great benefit. Hopefully the service will extent curbside.