" I saw After the Flood", now I know. Now what?

I got this above question from my future mother in law, among others. And I'm so excited to have these conversations! Figured It's best to share my initial response to her with all of you as well

 

First thing you can do (and you're already on your way!): Keep watching documentaries, reading news stories, and educating yourself. But ALWAYS ask, who funded this study/movie? What interest do they have in the outcome? What qualifications do they have to make these statements or decisions? You'll notice Leo did most of his movie as a fact finding mission for the UN. He interviewed academics, who don't typically get funded by private interests.

 

We need to stop wasting our energy on a discussion of if it's true or not. Climate change is real. EVEN if 97% of the climate scientists in the world are wrong (but they're not), we are seeing day to day changes like: rising energy costs, increasing rates of asthma, drought and flood and plight that requires the genetic modification of food, and increasing rates of chronic disease. We can't deny those changes, they are already here. So let's make decisions that leave our world at least as good as we found it. (Didn't your mother teach you to clean up after yourself?)

 

That doesn't necessarily mean giving up your lifestyle. A carbon tax would create a market shift, and things that pollute less will cost less. Please note,  fossil fuels get federal subsidies to the tune of $300 billion or so per year, while renewables get $30 million. Imagine if they switched those two. Solar and wind and water power would become the norm, and it would cost you more to pollute the planet more.

 

Now even if we get the carbon tax, it will take years for the shift to happen. So what can you do?

 

At home:

 1) You don't want to spend a lot of money (and shouldn't have to), to make your home use as little energy as possible.  There are Energy Star for homes contractors who will do an audit of your  house and provide creative financing options to make your home use as little energy as possible. Focus on electricity based power instead of fuel. Natural gas is better than oil, but is not a long term solution.

2) All utility companies offer the option to offset your home's power with renewables. It's usually a small added cost per kilowatt hour you use.

 3) You can lease or buy solar panels inexpensively as an individual homeowner, seeing 30% or more in tax refunds and state offered subsidies. This will benefit you even more if you have mostly electricity based systems in your home. And the electricity grid is becoming cleaner as time goes on.

 

In transit

1) Many statewide public transportation systems are not sophisticated enough to get everyone where they need to go in a timely manner. Prioritize public transportation, but when you need to use a car, consider using carshare programs like zipcar instead of a second car.

 2) For your primary vehicle, ask for a zero or partial zero emissions vehicle. Law requires the average fuel economy for manufacturers to be 50 MPG, so every brand should now be putting out at least 1 model of car that gets to 50. Don't accept anything lower than 45 MPG average, this will also future proof you against rising gas costs and stricter emissions standards.

 

At your polling place

1. Demand more of our politicians- write off those who write off concrete policies to create a healthier place for you and your grandchildren- because if they are still denying it, their pockets are lined with private interest money. Ask for a carbon tax at your county, state and federal level!

 2. The gas tax polling question in NJ will put more money towards public transportation in addition to road and bridge repair. We are one of the lowest gas taxes in the country, and there has been no increase since 1988. It's gonna hurt a bit, but is long overdue.

 

It's a big issue with a lot of ways to make a difference, but those are a start.

 

You can never do too much to make the world a better place, there will always be work to do. But my hope is that if we band together now, jobs like mine won't exist in the future because it will just be the way things are done. They won't need special consultants to build healthier, more efficient places- they'll need lawyers and permits to do anything else.