Shifting our attention could heal the planet

By Letter to the Editor on May 27, 2019.

The world is in crisis mode to address global warming, climate change and greenhouse gases. Like throwing a drowning man both ends of the rope, much of the responses appear useless. As we shift from fossil fuels to renewable technologies for energy, we are now heading into a solar waste crisis. Aside from glass, steel and concrete to deal with, solar panels have lead (causes neural damage), cadmium and chromium (carcinogens). On an energy production rate comparison, solar energy generates 300-times more hazardous waste than nuclear power plants.

Currently about 200,000 hectares of forests are burning in Alberta. In 2017, Canada lost 3.4 million hectares. As a forest fire releases 170 tons of CO2 per hectare, the latter is 578 million tons of CO2, almost the entire limit of greenhouse gases for the entire country. Also, it has been calculated that the planting of 1 trillion trees worldwide would completely negate the need for CO2 reductions.

Forests and swamps have a tremendous impact on stabilizing weather, flooding, drought and erosion. One million species of animals may soon become extinct. It is missed that this is because these need a place to stay. Zoos or low-cost housing will not meet their needs if deforestation continues.

By shifting our attention (from raising taxes at the gas pumps, or flying 318 bureaucrats to the Paris Agreement) to managing our forests (on a national and international scale) we just might be able to heal the planet.

John Cherwonogrodzky

Medicine Hat

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