The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported in 2008 that our world was warming rapidly and that at 2 degrees Fahrenheit the melting of the arctic ice sheets is irreversible. We are there now. It is not a matter of “just” rising seas and the destruction of islands and coastal cities, it is the destruction of plants and animals that live in the oceans. It is the destruction of arable land on which we grow food crops.

All of the warnings are available from the scientific community, but the media is not letting the public know. If you broadcast not only the dangers of continuing to live as we do now, but also provide some suggestions on how to change our everyday habits to protect what is left of our world, you will be doing a great service.

For example:

Turn off your vehicle’s idling engine. If you are not moving, the engine can be off. For every 10 minutes your engine is off, you will prevent one pound of carbon dioxide from being released. Carbon dioxide is the primary contributor to global warming. (source: Environmental Defense Fund and www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel)

Drive less, walk more.

Discontinue the use of pesticides.

Don’t burn wood. Particulates from the smoke damage the lungs.

Use electric lawn equipment, not gas

Use electric cook tops, not gas

Take your re-usable bags to the store. Single-use plastics pollute our oceans and clog landfills.

Compost food waste and avoid methane gas that emanates from landfills

Don’t eat meat

Recycle everything allowable

There are numerous ways in which each of us can help to slow the course of global warming, but if the media doesn’t mention the critical crossroads we now face, few pay attention.

Kathleen Flynn, Arvada