Brian Minter: We all have to make sacrifices in order to mitigate global warming

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The most recent news release from the Community of Environmental Scientists is warning that we are in a serious climate crisis now, and we need to make immediate changes to help mitigate global warming.

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It’s an incredibly complex issue, and few people truly understand all the ramifications of making a dramatic shift in the world’s highly integrated infrastructures. Anything governments do will be extremely controversial and will affect every person in every country. Encouraging people to move out of their comfort zones and to shift their lifestyles and habits in a more environmentally beneficial direction may seem to be an impossible task.

I was struck by an interview on CBC’s The National when Ian Hanomansing asked two prominent environmental scientists what each of us can do. Both responded by saying that getting like-minded people together to influence positive change is essential to solving this issue. While this is true to some degree, most of us just listen to these climate warnings, then carry on with our daily lives, waiting for someone else to help solve this crisis — hopefully, without inconveniencing us too much.

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I can’t accept that thought process. It is up to each of us to immediately do a number of little things to make small changes and to show some leadership. Driving vehicles less and more strategically, using less water and rethinking where it goes, keeping our room temperatures more moderate in summer and winter, shopping locally and wisely to reduce waste, being less fashion conscious, making things last longer, producing less garbage, recycling more, composting what you can — these are all little things that will make small differences.

When 38 million Canadians begin to think this way, it could make a significant impact. It doesn’t matter that many folks will think all this is insignificant in a global context. What matters is that each of us, who share this attitude and take small actions, are becoming leaders.

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As this is a lifestyle column, the relevance here is what each of us can do to help improve the environment. My go-to person in this area is Bill Hardy, a good friend who is on the board of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA), is chair of the International Association of Horticultural Producers and is on the Green Cities Committee. The CNLA, by the way, is working with the Ministry of Natural Resources to advise on the planting of two billion trees over the next 10 years at an approximate cost of $3.16 billion, which is incredibly low considering the wholesale cost of trees today.

To put this in some perspective, about 94 per cent of Canadian forests are publicly owned, and harvested trees must be replaced with seedlings for the next generations. This amounts to 500 million seedlings being planted each year, according to Seamus O’Regan, the Minister of Natural Resources, as reported in the Landscape Trades magazine.

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The same article quotes the American Association for the Advancement of Science, noting “that if 500 billion trees were planted in the appropriate places around the globe, it would eliminate two-thirds of the carbon emissions created since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.”

However, trees take time to grow, and planting 500 billion trees will help only if we can find ways to drastically reduce current emissions. In reality, it comes back to us as individuals. As Hardy says, “Small things matter too, and we all have more influence than we realize.”

Only five per cent of the earth’s surface is covered by cities, but that is where most of the carbon emissions originate and where heat islands exist. While population density is important in terms of living space, it also limits the amount of green space and the opportunities for tree planting.

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Hardy points out that one of the best approaches to finding a solution comes from Professor Cecil Konijnendijk van den Bosch, a director with the Nature Based Solutions Institute and also a director of the UBC Master of Urban Forestry Leadership program.

Konijnendijk van den Bosch and his associates are introducing a 3/30/300 rule not only to help improve our environment, but also to improve the well-being of people in all cities around the world. Simply stated, it means that for good mental health and general well-being, every person should be able to see at least three established trees from their home.

Secondly, in terms of an urban forest, the goal should be a 30 per cent tree canopy in every neighbourhood. This would go a long way to improving cooling, decreasing air pollution and reducing noise, as well as improving mental and physical health.

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Also, it is critically important to have at least a one-hectare area of green space within a 300-metre walk of your home. Ideally, it should be a linear green space that is safe and within a five-to-ten-minute walk.

Hardy believes this 3/30/300 concept is a holistic approach to improving people’s well being and to ameliorating urban environmental issues. He also believes we should be influencing governments, developers and city planners to move in this direction.

I asked Hardy about the issue of grass and allowing it to go brown in summer. It’s more than a water issue when it involves so many lawn areas, both public and private. We lose the cooling effect of turf, which is considerable, as well as the production of oxygen and carbon sequestering. With the little amount of water needed to keep lawns viable, it’s worth considering what to do about lawns. Hardy points to a Colorado State University publication, The Hidden Value of Landscapes: Implications for Drought Planning which makes a strong case for using just enough water in summer to keep our entire landscapes alive and well.

We all must take ownership of the many challenges we face in our very serious struggle with global warming, not only by being more energy conscious and cutting our personal waste, but also by greening our homes and cities and influencing positive change in our environments. It’s worth repeating what Hardy says: “Small things matter.”