Readers respond to last week’s Feedback Friday topic, which was:
Dawn of the Age of Catastrophe?
Posted July 14, 2023
Wildfires in Canada continue to rage, Vermont is experiencing unprecedented flooding (yes, Vermont!), and the world is setting record high temperatures right now, everywhere. The world is literally on fire, flooding, and going through incredible climate change. And it’s possibly due to…us.
This week, another very important—and under the radar—scenario has developed. Scientists have decisively concluded they’ve pinpointed what they call the “golden spike”—a spot in the geologic record that perfectly preserved the dangerous transformation of Earth caused by humans. The golden-spike is Crawford Lake in Canada, of which the fine sediments beneath its surfaced have perfectly captured a thousand-year record of environmental history, culminating in an explosion of man-made disruption around the middle of the 20th century.
These scientists are calling the year 1950 as the start of the Anthropocene in Earth’s geologic history. Their findings will still undergo much more scrutiny and analysis before this new era is added to the planet’s timeline.
And all of this begs the question(s)…
What do you think about the global climate with regard to environmental disasters and the role humanity has played in the increase of catastrophic incidents?
Here’s what you said:
There is only one solution: drastic reduction in the number of humans on this planet. That being said, I see no hope...
Janet Farnham, Bridgeville
Here are my thoughts. We have scientific evidence that we are consuming too much in ways we are harming our environment. We have known this since the 50's. Large corporations oil companies and chemical companies knew what they were doing but unfortunately our or their desire for profit was more important. Where you have man and an economy based on pure capitalism you will always have greed selfishness and corruption. We must now before it is to late call it what it is an emergency and start thinking differently about how we do things in how we do everything and begin creating a restorative mind set. If we use a tree plant a tree, shift purchasing patterns to less toxic restorative options as well. This is a huge subject and we will have to all work together doing what we can in our own homes and communities. Imagine if each community had a lot more local options food forest parks...and as we built we thought more about all of the life it affects...being sure we really have green space for people and all life here...what if we changed 1/2 or a 1/3 of our lawns to pollinator safe gardens what if we all thought together and we all each of us did one thing a day. Even if all the science was completely wrong we would have built nicer more sustainable communities.
Anonymous
I believe, for the most part, Americans are very conscientious of the planet. From our recycling efforts, to our emissions testing and gas production. We also have one of the cleanest drilling efforts in the world. We do still live on this planet with other countries that do not share our efforts and there is nothing we can do about it. We still breath the same air China breaths, who is the #1 offender of the planet. I also believe the government agencies trying to manipulate the weather is not detrimental and has a negative effect on our hemisphere. God created this world and He is the only one who can destroy it. When and if that ever happens there will be no effort of ours that will thwart it.
A Zaqbiegalski, Millersville
The evidence is overwhelming -- more storms in more places, more fires, hotter temperatures year round. 98% of climate scientists say that humankind is responsible. I'll put my money on them rather than the 98% of evidence-free deniers and conspiracy theorists who say we aren't.
Marc Knapp, Annapolis
Yes. Us humans play a role in care and ruin of any place we go or are. Have ya noticed mother earth doesn't really care ...SHE does her natural routine and changes ..... flood ,rains, volcano, earthquakes, fires by lightening regardless of the constant yap and flap ....our skies on fire and falling (which by the way mother earth is not the only rock in constant motion) and the whole climate changing rhetoric....the rules for thee but not for me. ..We have been listening to since our parents were born. Oh and if not the whole human populations of the world doing it together then how is it to work . CHINA is larger human and polluting nation than several nations combine ....and they are not on board with any of the constant blah blah we listen to here . Hey I'm doing my part. Like mama always said clean up after yourself and be kind cause the world is your home.
Christine Gromley, Centreville
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