By Rozina Sabur

In the early 2000’s Brazil was one of the global leaders on climate change. The country was known for its reliance on renewable energy sources and between 2005 and 2012 it successfully reduced deforestation by close to 80 percent. However, in recent years this has changed. 

On January 1, 2019, Brazil’s climate stance changed dramatically with the election of Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is a strong believe that environmental preservation is in opposition with economic growth, so the president campaigned on and succeeded in removing protections for the Amazon rainforest. Since then the Amazon has been under fire (literally) as cattle farms set the great rain forest ablaze for grazing fields. However, this is not Brazil’s only environmental problem of 2019. Early September the coast of Brazil has been engulfed in a terrible and mysterious oil spill and the government is doing little about it.

After almost two months Brazil’s government has struggled to make much progress cleaning the spill that has affected over a 1,000 miles of coast and have failed to locate the source. In light of the recent fires in the Amazon, and the lack of effort involved in cleaning the oil spill, Brazil has received an overwhelmingly negative perception from other countries and world leaders. However, their lack of action does not go without consequences.

Global leaders are noticing Brazil’s lack of action and laying down threats of their own. Already many US candidates such as Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 election have proposed fees on goods imported to the US from countries that don’t meet their carbon adjustment goals. Additionally, countries like France and Ireland have threatened Brazil with heavy sanctions for lack of action. When Brazil opted to shut down programs for curbing deforestation Germany froze $39 million in aid money and Norway cut an additional $33million. Brazil is quickly becoming the enemy in the eyes of many western leaders.

The important takeaway is that we are all responsible for our environment. The environmental problems taking place in Brazil right now are not just Brazil’s problems but everyone’s. Brazil is the most biodiverse country in the world estimated to be the host of somewhere between 15-20% of all species on earth. The great Amazon Rainforest produces so much of the worlds oxygen it is often referred to as the world’s lungs. It is up to everyone to protect the natural wonders of Brazil. We must pressure our representatives and governments and spread awareness so others will step in where Brazil wont.

As our climate warms there are certain clear consequences: sea levels and temperatures will heighten. These global warming ramifications have a clear correlation with natural disasters because, as the earth warms the probability of hot and record hot temperatures also increases. Scientists at NASA have theorized that these fluctuations in heat could alter storm formation due to a decrease in temperature difference between the poles and equator. Fluctuations in temperature, especially around the equator, result in bigger and more frequent mid-latitude storms affecting some of the most populated parts of the world. Additionally, record heat waves could cause damaging droughts and destructive fires; this is especially true in California.

Natural disasters are already occurring at record highs and they are only expected to increase with global warming. However, the US and many other countries alike have nonprofits in place to alleviate and restore communities from the damage caused by disasters. One such nonprofit is The American Red Cross. Red Cross is a US based nonprofit that relies heavily on donations and volunteers to combat the increase in disasters. Its work is only becoming progressively more important in today’s world.

James Cooper, a Disaster Planning Manager at Red Cross Sonoma County in California, has had his fair share of disaster experience. “The last two years have been some of the worst for Red Cross in California,” says Cooper. “With the higher temperatures California has seen an absolute record number of wildfires and we only expect it to get worse.” Cooper also shed some light on the future of Red Cross. “The good news is that people are stepping up,” says Cooper, “ We have seen a large increase in donations and our volunteer pool continues to grow.” As infernos continue to ravage the west coast Red Cross has been working hard. Lately, people view the organization in a positive light and as more individuals become affected by disasters they become more likely to donate or volunteer to the cause that helped them most: Red Cross. 

Disaster relief organizations like the Red Cross are only becoming more relevant in today’s world. In some communities these organizations are the only line of defense against the damage caused by super hurricanes and relentless fires. The work these organizations are doing is truly altruistic and the public evidently recognizes that. However, the root of these problems is still climate change. We cannot solely rely on the work of organizations like the Red Cross when times get tough. It is up to us individuals to make the changes necessary to improve our climate and reduce disasters.

When talking about climate change it becomes very easy to point out the faults of the fossil fuel industry and big corporations such as the meat industry. While it is true that both the fossil fuel industry and livestock produce the largest third of greenhouse gas emissions in the US, there are still another two-thirds of the pie. There are a lot of moving parts that contribute to global warming and it is important that we combat them at every front.

So, since this is one of my first blog posts I thought it would be appropriate to start with some individual solutions to reduce national emissions. I have put together a list of three main actions an individual can take to positively impact the environment:

1. VOTE

Yes, voting is number one and I will tell you why. Many of the problems that plague the environment today come from corporations. Though it is true that on the individual level we can make an impact by changing our habits, the fact is that no individual can take down the fossil fuel industry; not even 100,000 individuals can. Laws need to be passed and pressure from higher up needs to be focused on large fossil fuel corporations if there is to be any rapid change. So, the number one thing any individual can do is vote; research which candidates plan to confront the industry and how their policies will create a better future for the environment and vote!

2. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the number one greenhouse gas emitted by human activity is Carbon Dioxide. As reported by the EPA, the “main human activity that emits CO2 is the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) for energy and transportation.” A simple solution we can all implement is to look for cleaner ways to commuter. If its close, walk or bike. If it’s far look into public transportation (Eugene has a reliable EMX system) or talk about carpooling with a coworker. All these little changes make a big difference.

3. EAT SUSTAINABLE

One of the best actions an individual could take to better the environment is to eat less meat. Deforestation is increasing around the world for cattle farms that sate human appetite for beef. Additionally 24% of global greenhouse gases come from raising cattle and other farm animals. However, not everyone is willing to cut out meat but there is another dietary change that can combat global warming: buy local. Buying locally cuts out the transportation costs or significantly lowers them making for a lower carbon footprint.

What does this mean for the meat and fossil fuel industries? Ideally, with enough individuals making these changes fossil fuel industries will see a decline in business as well as heavy negative PR. Using fossil fuels will be looked down upon as people look toward wind and solar energy to meet their needs. 

As for the meat industry, it already faces a negative opinion of the public. Films like “Food, Inc” have exposed the industry for what it is and this, coupled with public awareness of its environmental impact, plagues its image. Conceivably with enough people making the sacrifices, together we can fight global warming.

Welcome, my name is Casey Cooper and “Green Eugene: Cooper’s Climate Blog” will be my first blog. In this blog I hope to talk about many of the problems threatening our contemporary world and environment. Here I will keep track of current advances in the fight for climate change and offer solutions, whether individual or collective, that we can all implement to improve our world.

In the past couple of years I have recently had a large interest in climate change. Like many others my age, I realize that our planet’s health is rapidly declining and it’s up to my generation to remedy it. I aim to share this interest in the plant with other students or individuals inside and out of Eugene.

However, the overall purpose of this blog is to incite change. I believe if enough people are informed of the damage happening to our planet worldwide we will be that much closer to making a difference. Likewise, I speculate offering real tangible solutions to the individual will aid in making today’s planet a healthy planet. So, please enjoy my blog and lets transform our world.