There was an article in the Globe & Mail that raised some issues between urban and rural perspectives on climate and the environment. I'd like to hear more discussion around this as this is being used to divide people in my home province of Alberta.
I write poetry and I could imagine a meadow with solar panels. It’s important to reserve land for pollinators but right now we use it all for agriculture, even land that is not suitable and has little yield. 70% of flora and fauna from meadows is killed like this. But reintroducing spaces for pollinators with solar panels is a very good start.
The irony of strengthening infrastructure to meet the challenges of climate change is that a major driver is urbanization, the loss of vegetation and soils with the increase in impervious surfaces, more/hotter heat islands, more/hotter stormwater into the sea and more arid landscapes. Much ado about the hockey stick graph of increased carbon emission and a blind eye (no profits to make) to the hockey stick graph of urbanization. A 2 or 3 percent increase in global vegetation and soils would cool the planet to 350 ppm carbon levels. Every infrastructure project should also include more soil and vegetation (more sponges retaining water in the land).
I live in Central Europe in a city that wasn’t made for heat. This summer I felt the burden of the rising temperatures for the first time. It’s getting harder to live without AC. The European cities are dense concrete jungles with no green spaces. And even in the most liveable city in the world new city parts are just concrete and pedestrian unfriendly. How is this sustainable?
After the summer sweltering, autumn came with heavy rains, days on end. The city is also not built to collect rain water so that it doesn’t flood the streets. I’m not even talking about using the water to flush toilets etc. We use clean mountain water for that… Meanwhile, the soil is getting dry.
Ive noticed on Substack a couple of writers who are framing solar as a destructive force akin to Oil and Gas. This article gives another view.
Im not a scientist. I rely on trusted sources. I get enough disinformation in the corporate press.
Every action has consequences. I prefer to add my grain of sand to whatever action can reduce GHG (just in case all those scientists are on to something) take the bus waste less consume less. I don't actually own a roof however I can support city initiatives that get solar panels on urban roofs.
There was an article in the Globe & Mail that raised some issues between urban and rural perspectives on climate and the environment. I'd like to hear more discussion around this as this is being used to divide people in my home province of Alberta.
Would a poet be inspired to write a poem while overlooking a large Solar farm with wild flowers growing between the endless rows. Doubt it.
I write poetry and I could imagine a meadow with solar panels. It’s important to reserve land for pollinators but right now we use it all for agriculture, even land that is not suitable and has little yield. 70% of flora and fauna from meadows is killed like this. But reintroducing spaces for pollinators with solar panels is a very good start.
But would a poet feel inspired to write in 120 degrees?
The irony of strengthening infrastructure to meet the challenges of climate change is that a major driver is urbanization, the loss of vegetation and soils with the increase in impervious surfaces, more/hotter heat islands, more/hotter stormwater into the sea and more arid landscapes. Much ado about the hockey stick graph of increased carbon emission and a blind eye (no profits to make) to the hockey stick graph of urbanization. A 2 or 3 percent increase in global vegetation and soils would cool the planet to 350 ppm carbon levels. Every infrastructure project should also include more soil and vegetation (more sponges retaining water in the land).
"Shout Out to Parry Sound" - We live near the very place they discuss, how wonderful to see : )
I live in Central Europe in a city that wasn’t made for heat. This summer I felt the burden of the rising temperatures for the first time. It’s getting harder to live without AC. The European cities are dense concrete jungles with no green spaces. And even in the most liveable city in the world new city parts are just concrete and pedestrian unfriendly. How is this sustainable?
After the summer sweltering, autumn came with heavy rains, days on end. The city is also not built to collect rain water so that it doesn’t flood the streets. I’m not even talking about using the water to flush toilets etc. We use clean mountain water for that… Meanwhile, the soil is getting dry.
There’s so much work to do.
Ive noticed on Substack a couple of writers who are framing solar as a destructive force akin to Oil and Gas. This article gives another view.
Im not a scientist. I rely on trusted sources. I get enough disinformation in the corporate press.
Every action has consequences. I prefer to add my grain of sand to whatever action can reduce GHG (just in case all those scientists are on to something) take the bus waste less consume less. I don't actually own a roof however I can support city initiatives that get solar panels on urban roofs.