“If you really think that the environment is less important than the economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.”
– Guy McPherson
A few months ago, national attention was focused on the torrential rain and resulting floods that engulfed California. Now it is our turn to watch equally impressive flooding on the East Coast and heat waves that are shattering records throughout the country (and world).. Areas such as Phoenix, Arizona have created heat sinks that collect extreme temperatures during the day and retain much of it at night. Concentration of buildings, pavement and concrete are no longer balanced by nature’s defenses of trees and open space. In other areas, valuable open space that allows the Earth to breathe and our ecosystem to thrive are chocked by urban growth. To complicate matters, drastic weather changes are exacerbating political and economic hardships around the globe that promote mass emigration.
Through dire predictions of global warming and collapse of our life-sustaining ecosystem, there is some hope. Although there are naysayers who refuse to acknowledge more and more obvious physical manifestations of global warming, the impact of weather patterns on our economic and emotional well-being is inescapable. As governments quibble over who is responsible and who should pay to reverse the wanton use of natural resources, we can take action on the local scene. One is the preservation of our trees and open spaces. Fremont recently received a report (Fremont Urban Forest Management Plan) that outlined the condition of its “urban forest” and remedial actions to support and enlarge its trees… natural air filters and climate modifiers. The plan detailed types of trees, condition and aging of the urban forest in the city.
Although there is much more to global warming than urban forestry, care and proliferation of our urban forest is something we, as individual residents, can do to help our environment. The first step is to read the Urban Forest Management Plan at the Fremont.gov website to fully understand the issue (This can be a guide for all communities, not just Fremont). If motivated, contact your city to inquire about tree-planting events or the type of trees best suited for your property, if space permits. Is your city a “Tree City”? If so, how can you help to retain that title and if not, what can you do to help your city become a Tree City. Another resource is the Arbor Day Foundation that promotes tree planting on a larger scale.
Massive, existential challenges such as climate change can be overwhelming and far exceed an individual’s ability to influence the outcome of national and international debates. However, solutions can start with local efforts, even a single tree. After all, so far we haven’t found another like planet or the means to go to it if we destroy the one we live on.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
– Native American Proverb
