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South Florida is famous for many things, beautiful beaches, lush coastlines, palm trees, Caribbean paradise – you name it. The front page of today’s New York Times may change that image. A huge and unsettling algae bloom has erupted in four South Florida counties, forcing the state to declare a State of Emergency. The image of a ‘Hulk’ green colored wave beckoning the soft sands is enough to make any person shriek in disgust. That image alone is likely to change how we view South Florida.
There is so much at stake, and so much opportunity for serious action within the EU-block. All we know for sure is that there’s now an empty seat at the grown-ups table, and there is little reassurance that all these environmental hallmarks of the last 30 years will stay around in the UK of tomorrow.
No issue has the eternal image of just what we have done and are doing to our planet like the Arctic. Arctic communities and an entire ecosystem are at risk. In the month of May, Arctic ice reached a new low, with the remaining 2016 summer months certain to hold new records on dwindling ice. Where many see a travesty of environmental stewardship and an ecosystem lost – others see an opportunity.
Maybe it was the record hellacious temperature readings in Phalodi, India? Maybe it’s the fact that 256 districts in the world’s largest democracy are coming face to face with droughts? Maybe it was something President Obama said this during President Modi’s three-day visit? Or maybe, it’s the opportunity to be a part of something that hopes to deter dangerous climate change for future generations. For whatever reason or combination of reasons, President Modi of India has stated today that India is very likely to join the Paris Agreement this year. Not only is this good news for India, it’s great news for our planet and all her inhabitants.
The latest IPCC Report and the Paris Agreement both make it very clear; in order to fight climate change we need to turn off the fossil fuel spigot. Continuing to invest in and support fossil fuels is flirting with disaster. We already have the tools to combat climate change; deepwater drilling is not one of them.
