TWH – The majority of environmental news reporting recently has increasingly held alarming stories like the collapse of the Conger Ice Shelf in Antarctica and record temperatures of 70 degrees above normal were recorded in March of this year. In June of 2020, a new high temperature was registered in the artic in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk, Russia. It was 100.4°F.
Catherine Colello Walker, a glaciologist with NASA, tweeted about the icebergs created by the Conger Ice Shelf collapse.
New @usnatice-named icebergs resulting from complete collapse of East Antarctica’s Conger Ice Shelf (~1200 sq. km) on/around March 15, seen in combo of #Landsat and #MODIS imagery. #CongerIceShelf #Antarctica @helenafricker @jdmillstein https://t.co/16JtKcXQPY pic.twitter.com/lSKMNgRgNi
— Catherine Colello Walker (@CapComCatWalk) March 24, 2022
Heatwaves and shifts to the ice on both poles reflect what the future is likely to hold if serious changes are not implemented to slow down the continued heating of the planet. While the collapse of the Conger Ice Sheet did not have a major impact on sea levels, subsequent melt-offs and future ice loss could have a dramatic effect on sea levels.
One of the alarming things about the Conger collapse is that it occurred in a region of East Antarctica that has been considered “stable.” Were that section of Antarctica which is composed of more ice and is much denser and thicker than other parts of the continent’s ice to completely melt, it would raise sea levels by 160 feet. Thankfully, it would take a millennium or longer for that to happen according to ice scientist, Peter Neff.
The way the planet is being impacted by warming temperatures is not uniform, and this reality can seemingly lend credibility to climate deniers and their claims. NASA created a video that breaks down how different latitudes have been affected over the past 140 years.
Anywhere a person looks, it can seem that there is yet another horrifying news article about an environmental event or disaster–be it an oil spill, acres of forests on fire, melting glaciers, or species soon to be extinct.
For Pagans, Witches, and other practitioners who revere nature, it can feel especially depressing and overwhelming to be constantly confronted with bad environmental news, particularly since most of those events the average person cannot really do anything about.
As Douglas Adams wrote, “Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.”
The reality is that there are things happening and strides being made towards supporting a healthy environment, and quite literally hundreds of programs that all seek to create plans for helping to negate the impacts of climate change and navigate new, environmentally friendly ways forward.
Each year The James Dyson Award highlights some of the amazing submissions they receive, many are not just wonders of innovation, but have the potential to bring great change to industry as well as have a positive impact on the environment.
Among recent award winners is Lucy Hughes in 2019 for the creation of a completely biodegradable single-use plastics from fish waste, MarinaTex.
In 2020, the sustainability award went to the AuREUS system developed by Carvey Ehren Maigue which is described as “an evolution for walls/windows, and uses technology synthesized from upcycled crop waste to absorb stray UV light from sunlight and convert it to clean renewable electricity.”
Jerry de Vos won in 2021 with his design of a simple handheld plastic scanner that can identify what kind of plastic something is made of, so you know how to recycle it.
These are just a few of the past winners and 2022 entries can be viewed on The James Dyson Award site.
Just this week Zurich, Switzerland announced that it is following through with the first stages of its plan to eliminate natural gas for heating within the city by 2040. This is not just furthering its commitment to limiting greenhouse gas emissions, but also serves a dual purpose in supporting Ukraine by reducing its dependency on Russian gas.
In fact, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has actually resulted in many European countries either re-examining their reliance on Russian sources of fuel or accelerating plans to install infrastructure for methods of clean energy production.
In another hopeful scenario, some game theorists, who are economists that study strategy dilemmas, believe that the Paris Climate Agreement as it pertains to climate change is similar to one of game theory’s classic dilemmas, “the stag hunt.”
Game theory is “a branch of applied mathematics that provides tools for analyzing situations in which parties, called players, make decisions that are interdependent. This interdependence causes each player to consider the other player’s possible decisions, or strategies, in formulating strategy.”
The stag hunt dilemma is centered on two hunters who if they choose to work together, can bring down a stag, and both receive a large benefit. Separately, they could instead more easily catch a rabbit, which would provide them each with a single meal. By cooperating they have the potential to bring down larger game, which would feed them both and possibly others for many days.
In applying game theory to climate change, the benefits of nations globally working together to reduce emissions and prevent the global temperature from rising above 2° C would be greater than continuing to heavily rely on fossil fuels and other practices that are problematic in reducing climate change.
The stag hunt theory could also be applied to magical groups and covens at the local, regional, national, and even international levels. Working together for a common cause to reduce, reuse, recycle and seek more sustainability could be a positive model for the future.
Could things be better? Most assuredly they could, but the children and young people of today who will ultimately inherit whatever the state of the planet is have continued to protest for energy reforms. What began with Greta Thunberg and the Friday Protests has grown into a grassroots organization, Fridays for Future with global protests still occurring.
And then there are the things each of us can do to make a difference. Simple, seemingly small things can all add up to help reduce our individual impacts on the environment, particularly when they are done collectively.
Image credit: anncapictures from Pixabay
The use of mass transit and ridesharing vs driving individual cars while plentiful in urban and commuter areas isn’t much of an option in more rural areas. However, planning routes and activities, combining errands, and even having days that are free from driving can help reduce emissions.
How lawns and gardens at home are designed and maintained can help not only offset emissions but also provide support for species like bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.
Choosing plant, tree, and shrubbery species that are native to the area over non-native ornamentals help provide pollen, nectar, and food sources for native insects and wildlife. Many native plants require less tending and less water, especially in areas that are prone to drought.
Opting to mow less frequently, reducing the amount of grass lawn with native plant gardens, or even replacing grass with native varieties of plants as ground cover can also help. Even apartment dwellers can lobby management to allow residents to have small spaces they can tend to or for the inclusion of more native species.
Composting yard waste and other compostable items can serve two purposes–reducing waste and providing topsoil for existing garden areas. Savvy property management companies are more likely to adopt conservation practices if they are shown that such practices are not only good for the environment but will also save them time and money.
Reducing the amount of single-use plastics is another small way to reduce environmental impact. While sometimes there is little choice when it comes to how items are packaged, choosing items in packaging that can be recycled or composted can make a difference. Carrying cloth or reusable bags along for use at the grocery and for other shopping instead of using single-use plastic bags is another simple and small way to reduce the prevalence of plastics.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but small steps like the ones outlined can and do make a difference. Especially if more people choose to implement such methods. During the global shutdown due to the pandemic, the impact was almost immediately noticeable.
As magical practitioners, there exists another entire set of tools for conservation. Each of the actions taken can be linked with conscious and deliberate magical work, be it to amplify the impact or help influence others to adopt greener and more sustainable practices.
If there is a bottom line to where things stand with the environment it is likely that each individual has the potential to be an agent of change, and can adopt and promote practices that are more sustainable. Who knows, it might even become trendy.
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