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Roger's Home Journal

Roger's Home Journal

Climate Change Becomes Personal

By Roger Faris

Mar 28, 2002 -- I was all set to go on holiday to the Larsen ice shelf in Antarctica when word arrived that it had collapsed into the sea. Over 1,250 square miles of ice shattered and splintered to become a vast collection of icebergs. My travel agent helped me apply for a trip cancellation refund, but we were informed that company policy is to not recognize problems that may be tied to global warming.

That position is perfectly understandable. Who would want to take responsibility, or have any connection at all, with climate change and associated floods, famine, and devastation in coastal communities around the globe? My dreams of drinking really cold beer while frolicking with penguins will have to be put on hold until I can identify a more stable sheet of ice and make a new reservation.

The unfairness bothers me, though. Sure, I've contributed to the buildup of "greenhouse gases" in the atmosphere, along with everyone I know. But I'm the one who had to endure this unexpected cost and disruption in my travel plans. I keep asking everyone what I should do, and they all come up with the same answer: "Think globally, act locally."

So I've been trying to sort out my next steps. Coincidentally, a research organization called Northwest Environment Watch has just released a very important report called "This Place on Earth, 2002." It's full of great ideas that may help move the Pacific Northwest toward true and lasting progress. The report examines how our traditional measures of prosperity often fail to take into account possible long-term negative effects, such as environmental degradation and a decline in quality of life.

Our region is growing and changing at a rapid pace, but clearly we could be much more thoughtful and careful in managing the growth, and making sure that changes are for the better. In comparing patterns of urban sprawl, Northwest Environment Watch found that the Puget Sound area is moving at high speed in the wrong direction. As we build out into the suburbs and foothills we unwittingly make public transportation systems nearly impossible. We've been setting ourselves up for long commutes in terrible traffic, requiring ever more pavement, while killing off wildlife, polluting our water and air, and making the area a far less attractive place to live.

There are a dismaying number of people (selfish idiots, really) who believe that they should be free to do whatever they want to do, regardless of effects on our social, cultural, and physical environment, because, well, it's just human nature. Someone from the spectacularly dishonest "Evergreen Freedom Foundation" was recently quoted as saying that people need incentives to change their behavior. That same group lobbies long and hard against legislation to create sensible incentives that would help us achieve a more sustainable society.

To avoid a future that looks like a wetter version of Los Angeles we'll need to be serious and bold about redirecting growth into the relatively dense urban areas. Let's promote and celebrate the transformation of our downtown into a lively residential neighborhood. Also, as a small part of keeping housing costs under control, how about a municipal ordinance to allow detached garages in our neighborhoods to be converted into tiny, affordable studio apartments. Let's ask the Northwest Eco-Building Guild to help with design review for each proposal (imagine beautiful architecture, super-insulation, green roof systems, etc.). Street parking might become a little less available, but maybe it's time to look more closely at the costs, benefits, and where we're headed.

All of us in the Northwest have an opportunity to lead the way in demonstrating how to live in harmony with each other and with the natural world. We can take action immediately, and set a good example for other regions. Alternatively, we could wait and watch as the polar ice melts away and we're confronted by vast flocks of angry penguins, swimming toward us like feathered demons in an Alfred Hitchcock sequel.

Roger Faris is the director of the Phinney Neighborhood Association Well Home Program and Project Impact Earthquake Retrofit Program. He can be reached at (206) 789-4993, unless he is installing refrigeration equipment in the Antarctic.


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