The Air, the Water, the Plants, the Animals, the Planet

Our planet is experiencing major disruption and upheaval, as global warming is accelerating at an alarming rate. Global warming is creating extreme weather patterns, melting glaciers, massive fires, acidification of the oceans, diminishing water supplies, the rapid extinction of species—a multitude of environmental disturbances. I will briefly attempt to describe some basics about the issues we are facing, but for anyone who wants to delve into documented specifics detailing the decline of the planet (as seen through scientists the world over through decades of research and observation), I highly recommend Dahr Jamail’s book The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption.⁶

The planet is in crisis and human activity is the cause. Many say we are on the brink of a modern man-made sixth extinction. Decline is visible in every direction. A majority of these disturbing changes have happened in the relatively recent history of our species on the planet. The Industrial Revolution marked a turning point with the extensive burning of fossil fuels and the accompanying release of greenhouse gases into the air, adversely impacting our atmosphere. This might be said to be the beginning of the Anthropocene Era (the current geological age, which is viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment).

As a child, I was blessed to spend much of my time with my grandparents on a ranch by a river. It was idyllic in so many ways—surrounded and fed by the healing elements of nature, its beauty and natural gifts producing in me wonder, awe, and peace. Not many children today have the luxury of this kind of primary connection to unadulterated natural surroundings because so many people have been driven to live in cities in search of livelihoods to support themselves and their families. How many of us wish for a home surrounded by trees, clean running water, unpolluted air, and at least some small space of land that is insulated from noise and pollution?

When I was hitchhiking in Europe in the late 1960s I traveled through many areas where small farms were still in abundance. The people I met in the countryside were kind and hospitable. Upon my return to the US after a year and a half of travels, I was struck by the obvious shift away from small farms to agribusiness (often because farmers could not compete with large industrial farms), and this shift altered the consciousness of the country. A connection to, and respect for the planet (its plants, animals, soils, rivers, and lakes), is strengthened by simply living off the land. You might say that in losing our peasant class (not in any derogatory sense, but in the sense of small farmers living off the land), we culturally lost a large connection to and reverence for our planet.

Of course, culturally speaking, there are numerous indigenous cultures that have not lost this connection, even while enduring extreme hardships imposed upon them by the dominant cultures that invaded their lands. These dominant cultures rule the power structures of today’s world, motivated by profit and power, with influence and control exerted by astonishingly few people at the top of the pyramid. Disconnection from the earth (that ultimately sustains us) leaves us culturally ungrounded, and all the more so today as evidenced by the multitudes of people locked into their technology— cell phones, social media, and the internet.

Most everyone today is aware that we are in a time of dangerously increasing global warming (except those still determined to be in denial). The science describing global warming was actually becoming clear in the late 1800s, although, at that time, the levels of CO2 production were low enough that scientists assumed the warming effects we see now would take thousands of years. By the late 1950s, more scientists were postulating that carbon emissions could have radical effects on climate. Leaders of the US fossil fuel industry knew as early as 1954 that carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere posed a growing threat to life on Earth. In 1965, in a speech given to members of an oil industry conference in response to a report by President Lyndon Johnson’s science advisory committee, Frank Ikard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, stated, “This report unquestionably will fan emotions, raise fears, and bring demand for action. The substance of the report is that there is still time to save the world’s people from the catastrophic consequence of pollution, but time is running out.” ⁷ Unfortunately, we did not heed that clear message, and the fossil fuel industry has spent decades funding climate change denial. Increased warnings started to emerge by the 1970s, even clearer warnings by the 1980s, and the escalation of warming trends since then has given rise to very visible climatic changes . . . severe storms, floods and droughts, massive fires, and rapid melting of glacial ice, to name a few.

Simply stated, the increase in temperature is due to greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. These gases let sunlight pass through the atmosphere but prevent the heat from the sunlight from leaving the atmosphere. The main greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. Too much carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere, mostly due to fossil fuel emissions and deforestation. The leading countries in CO2 emissions (highest to lowest) are China, the US, the EU, India, Russia, and Japan.⁸

The Pentagon is the single largest user of petroleum and the single largest institutional consumer of fossil fuels and producer of greenhouse gases in the US and abroad. Between 2010–2017, the Pentagon released around 12 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases.⁹ The US is putting more CO2 into the atmosphere than can be absorbed by the earth’s natural processes, leading to a CO2 imbalance.

Forests have long been a stabilizing force in the carbon cycle of the planet (releasing oxygen and utilizing CO2), but current studies show that due to deforestation and degradation of our tropical forests, the forests may soon flip from absorbing carbon dioxide to emitting climate-warming carbon.¹⁰

We are also facing the very real dangers of melting permafrost (frozen soil). As permafrost thaws (meaning the ice inside the frozen soil melts), gases like carbon dioxide and methane are released into the atmosphere, as well as ancient bacteria and viruses trapped in the ice and soil. Unfortunately, this accelerates an alarming feedback loop . . . the more methane and carbon released, the more warming. The first active leak of methane from the sea floor in Antartica has recently been discovered,¹¹ and a heat wave has thawed the tundra in Siberia causing a rash of fires.¹²

If we are to survive, not only do we need to stop putting more carbon into the atmosphere and oceans by burning fossil fuels, we need to find a way to keep thousands of years of trapped plant matter carbon in the soil.

Pollution in the atmosphere is another major concern. Pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles and gases that are suspended in the air, the bulk of which are from anthropogenic (human-sourced) activities, such as burning fossil fuels for energy production, transportation, and manufacturing, which releases toxic chemicals. Smog, or ground level ozone and soot (particulate matter) are the most common types of air pollution, and these pollutants cause serious health problems, including heart and lung diseases, and cancers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some interesting observations have been noted. In areas with high atmospheric pollution levels, more severe symptoms have been observed, as well as more deaths. At the same time, because of many countries exercising lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders, pollution levels have plummeted. In India, where air pollution is very high, people have reported seeing their neighboring Himalayas for the first time in decades. This “world on pause” has shown us what we can do, and, hopefully, we will take note and not rush back to our previous dysfunctional patterns. We need to take the time to reassess our priorities, and appreciate and protect our beautiful planet.

We are also looking at shrinking water resources and increased demand for water in all major use sectors (agriculture, energy production, industrial use, and human consumption). Challenges are arising very quickly, especially in light of the effects of global warming. The UN estimates that, by 2030, nearly half of the world’s population will live in areas of “high water stress.”¹³ Aquifers, our major source of water for agriculture, drinking water, and other human uses, are being depleted the world over, mostly due to groundwater pumping, and, in many areas, extended periods of severe drought. We see now that the dry areas of the Earth are becoming drier while the wet areas are becoming wetter. We no longer live in a world of abundant clean water. Where I live in California, the strong taste of chemicals used in my local water supply render the water barely drinkable. In a nearby county, there is increased salt-water intrusion. As nations run low on water resources, and more areas are affected by severe drought, conflicts will arise over sharing available resources. Conservation cannot keep up with current and future demands.

Of huge concern is the health of our oceans, which are also adversely affected by the excess CO2 in the atmosphere. Excess CO2 is being absorbed on the surface of the ocean, and this is happening at an increasing rate.¹⁴ Excessive CO2 results in more hydrogen ions, increasing acidity and making it more difficult for marine organisms, such as coral, and some plankton, to form their shells and skeletons. A particular pH is needed to allow a healthy ecosystem to remain intact, and this change in pH is affecting the health of the oceans. Most of the Earth’s oxygen comes from phytoplankton (70%, 28% from rain forests).¹⁵ The health of all organisms in the ocean is connected to the health of phytoplankton. The impacts of acidification extend all the way up the food chain to affect all the species in the water. Oceans are a basic source of both oxygen and food needed to survive on this planet. Overfishing has long been a problem, leading to unsustainable aquaculture and the loss of important marine life. I recently watched “Seaspiracy,” a controversial documentary by director Ali Tabrizi highlighting global corruption in the fishing industry, and the already hugely damaging effects of overfishing on the health of the oceans. Since then I have refrained from eating fish.

Plant life, animal life, and soils have been adversely impacted by overpopulation. Over 80% of our precious forests (the lungs of the planet) have been destroyed, our beautiful rivers (the arteries and veins of the planet) have been dammed, polluted, and diverted. Forests are cut down to create living areas, farming and grazing areas, roads, and to generate electricity (biomass fuel). Habitats are being destroyed, and entire ecosystems are being threatened.

I remember my second big environmental wakeup call coming as a sophomore in high school when I read Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring . . . a very loud call alerting us to the dangers of toxic pesticides that were killing insects, plants and animals, poisoning rivers and lakes, disrupting whole ecosystems, and finding their way into our food and our bodies. I reported on the book to my class at school because I felt everyone should know how serious a danger these toxic chemicals were to the planet. Again, no one seemed to respond with the level of concern I felt was warranted. To me it was a criminal act against all life forms. I remember as a child, my indigenous ancestor grandfather refusing to use poisons on the ranch. On a very basic level, he knew it was simply not right. Again, not “rocket science” when you respect the whole of life . . . something that was passed on to me as a young child.

Then, in 1973 I read The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, which detailed experiments showing evidence of emotions in plants. I felt encouraged that science was finally acknowledging the consciousness of plants, but mainstream science was completely unsupportive of the findings, calling it fiction and fantasy. Unfortunately, when we cannot view all life forms as having consciousness, then we have lost respect and connection to the living organism of the earth.

Many plant species are in peril. About 40% of evaluated plant species are threatened with extinction.¹⁶ Extinction as a natural phenomenon occurs at about a rate of one to five species per year, but scientists estimate we are now losing species at 1,000–10,000 times that rate, with dozens of species going extinct every day. Scientists predict that as many as one third of all species (plants and animals) are headed to extinction by the middle of this century,¹⁷ and 99% of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities, primarily habitat loss, global warming, and introduction of exotic species.

Species diversity ensures ecosystem resilience. Amphibians, birds, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, and mammals are all threatened. The human race is hurtling toward disaster on many levels. Decline is visible in every direction . . . melting glaciers, rising sea levels, burning forests, massive quantities of plastic in the oceans, extinction of species, and destruction of ecosystems. This is not a theoretical discussion, it is a physical reality.

Due to warmer and dryer conditions, wildfires are on the increase. In California, where I live, in 2020, 9,639 fires burned 4,397,809 acres, with at least 31 fatalities.¹⁸ In my local community, 925 homes were destroyed. Some of my good friends were able to save themselves but lost everything . . . nothing remaining of their home but a smoldering foundation.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a huge surge in discarded plastics (PPE gloves, masks, medical equipment), accompanied by a reinstatement of single use plastic bags, increased plastic packaging, and high demand for bottled water. Recycling services have been limited, and plastics are washing into waterways and oceans, a deadly form of marine debris lasting decades or longer. Unfortunately, some of those in the plastics industry are taking advantage of the current fears of virus transmission to push for rollbacks and suspensions of environmental measures put in place to curb plastic pollution.

We are moving in the wrong direction, and the global warming/climate disruption we are experiencing is happening too rapidly to allow for evolution and adaptation.