Dear Jen,
I went to that movie--twice--and felt myself swinging between complete despair and surging motivation to turn the global warming tide (no pun intended). What's the solution? That's a lot more than I can answer in a 650 word column (Al had 94 minutes to detail the problem, after all), but I'll give you the Cliff Notes on what I consider to be the solution to global warming.
Step 1: Admit we have a problem--the same problem
The first step to healing is to admit there is a problem, and in this case, the first step is to acknowledge it's all the SAME problem. Many of us are dedicated to working on a wide variety of issues of serious concern around the globe: environmental issues like saving the rainforests, protecting coral reefs, global climate change, and social issues like stopping threats to health, protecting the rights of indigenous peoples, or ending wars fought over resources. While these may seem like disparate issues, they are each a symptom stemming from the same source: the global over-consumption of our resources as we live well beyond the carrying capacity of this planet.
Our over-consumption of resources and prolific use of toxic products directly impact populations around the globe. Indigenous people in developing countries watch as their lands are stripped from under their feet for minerals and timber to be exported to meet the developed world's needs. Wars persist over natural resources from oil to diamonds, and some day likely for clean water. Citizens in our own country face health threats from toxic products, production methods, and improperly treated discards. Every decision we make that promotes unsustainable and socially unjust consumption perpetuates this system.
Unless we change our systems, it is inevitable that we will increasingly fight each other for limited resources, that the populations and cultures of those who live in resource-rich regions will be increasingly under attack, and that the poisons we emit in manufacturing and production will continue to create environmental devastation and serious health concerns for all species, including humans. The sooner we come to the understanding that all these issues have one common root, the better we can work toward the same goals and make real progress.
Step 2: Focus the solution: Z-squared
Once we are focused on one common problem, the solution becomes clearer. It can be condensed into two areas of focus: Zero Emissions and Zero Waste, or Z-squared, as some of us like to call it. A Z-squared community promotes the sustainable and equitable use and distribution of resources.
Zero Emissions, of course, refers to emissions from transportation, energy and production--choosing alternative means of travel, alternative fuels, conservation, efficiencies, and renewable, abundant and non-polluting sources of energy like wind and solar.
Zero Waste refers to redesigning our production and consumption systems to use resources more efficiently, to prevent waste before it happens, and to incorporate all leftover materials back into the production cycle rather than discarding them as waste. If we pair Zero Emissions and Zero Waste together, we have our solution.
Plan, Design, and Choose for Z-squared
Each of us has an important role to play in creating a Z-squared system:
Plan: Elected officials need to be sure that every decision they make as public servants is aiming for Z-squared, and that rules and regulations reward Z-squared practices rather than perpetuate the unsustainable status quo.
Design: Businesses need to design every product and service for Z-squared, from production to recovery.
Choose: This is the key to Z-squared. Every decision each of us makes--including the products we purchase, the energy source we use, our means of transportation, and even the elected officials we vote for--is a decision either for or against a sustainable, Z-squared future.
That is a very simplified answer to a complex issue, Jen, but there is hope. It's up to you and me and every adult on the planet to make a difference. Check out examples of Z-squared in action at www.oneplanetliving.org.
