Sequim Gazette Editorial and Letters to the Editor

Is global warming for real? More importantly, do you care about the phenomenon?

On the eve of Earth Day 2008, (April 22, although every day should be an Earth day), global warming and whether it is the bane of existence for Mother Earth, as we know it continues to be a hot topic of conversation.

From rallies calling for Congress to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050, to former Vice President Al Gore's documentary on climate change, "An Inconvenient Truth," debate concerning the issue is heating up. Pardon the pun.

For those who have moved to a planet other than Earth, global warming is the average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth's surface, which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns. Global warming can occur from a variety of causes, both natural and human induced.

In common language, global warming often refers to the warming that can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities.

The term climate change often is used interchangeably with the term global warming and is actually preferred since it helps convey there are other changes in addition to rising temperature.

Global warming is possibly the greatest challenge facing us this Earth Day. The first Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, 1970, was a time when cities were buried under smog and polluted rivers caught fire.

Responding to the widespread environmental degradation, then U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for what he called an environmental teach-in to be held on April 22 each year. Today, Earth Day is celebrated around the world.

From the get-go, the celebration was divisive. Those who cared deeply were - and to some extent still are - called environmentalist wackos. Earth Day was seen as the high holy day for spotted-owl enthusiasts, hippies and liberal tree-huggers, to quote Rod Dreher, editorial page editor of The Dallas Morning News.

As it turns out, time has shown environmentalists, if you will, have not been alarmists all along. The human footprint on Earth has indeed altered its environment considerably.

Russell Kirk, author of "The Conservative Mind," wrote: "In America, especially, we live beyond our means by consuming the portion of posterity, insatiably devouring minerals and forests and the very soil, lowering the water table, to gratify the appetites of the present tenants of the country."

Now we have another divisive issue, that of global warming. Some refuse to concede global warming exists, pooh-poohing Gore's documentary, while others quote its message like words from the Koran.

But no serious person can deny the overwhelming scientific evidence that the world's climate is changing dramatically.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average two-person household produces about 41,500 pounds of carbon dioxide every year, mostly from the fuel that powers our cars, heats our homes and helps make all the stuff we buy.

The scientific consensus is that we humans need to reduce carbon emissions - some say an average of 2 percent per year for the 80-percent reduction by the year 2050.

How to do it?

There are lots of ways, some easier than others. Recycling, turning off unnecessary lights, car pooling, replacing conventional light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs and eating locally grown foods are but a few ways in which carbon emissions can be reduced.

The key is, it takes all of us working together to make a difference.

Unfortunately, most of us don't want to take something like global warming seriously because confronting the fact means we cannot continue living as we like. It would also mean facing the real possibility that we are condemning future generations to hardships because of our lack of stewardship.

Living in Sequim, where the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca are everyday vistas and open space still exists, it is sometimes difficult to imagine the glaciers melting and the salmon disappearing.

But, the human footprint has affected Sequim and its environs and will continue to do so if we don't take appropriate action.

The impact of the first Earth Day was astonishing. Thirty-eight years later our air is cleaner, the rivers no longer catch fire and the bald eagle is no longer endangered.

Whether you think global warming is an idea that crazed liberals dreamed up or you give it some credence, our home, the Earth, must be protected, cherished and nourished.

Celebrate Earth Day with an act of kindness toward the good Earth, which in turn means an act of kindness toward your fellow earthlings.



Auctions spell success for local groups

Are we auctioned out? Apparently not, since the Sequim community found it in its heart, or pocketbook, to support no less than three auctions this weekend.

The Museum and Arts Center hosted its sixth annual auction and fundraiser, "MAC Nite," which raised nearly $45,000 in order to keep the arts alive and well in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley.

Meanwhile, over at the Boys & Girls Club, the Greywolf Elementary School PTA hosted its annual auction, which raised about $16,000 for school programs. Not a bad haul for one night.

The Sequim High School Operetta Club decided a silent auction before the school's variety show would be just the ticket to raise money for its upcoming production of "The Wizard of Oz." The group has high hopes -- pun intended - of having flying sequences included in the production. The musical opens May 2.

Congratulations to all who made this auction weekend so successful.

Mary Powell may be reached at editor@sequimgazette.com or at 683-3311.