If We Don't Watch Out, We Average Americans Will Pay for This. - #Environment

They used to call us tree-huggers 

In my family, we have always reused and recycled. When my children were little and grew like weeds I purchased the majority of their clothes at thrift stores.

As soon as they could walk, they came along when I dropped off recyclables. Especially my son had fun doing that. He never grew tired of shouting "BOOM... BOOM," every time I threw a bottle or a can into the recycle container. 

Of course, we also dried the laundry outdoors. Besides saving on electricity costs and reducing wear and tear on garments, according to the NYT, my family saved 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from going into the atmosphere, per year. 

Yippee ki-yay! Over the years, that's 39,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. 

That was easy!

As an additional benefit, I exercised my arm muscles, on the fly.

Other efforts included a vegetable garden, complete with rain barrel, composter, bird bath, and butterfly garden.

But, whereas, in the early nineties, doing all of that was considered "somewhat obsessive," today, millions of Americans are doing the same. 

THE GOOD NEWS

Come Spring, the check-out lines at home improvement stores are longer and longer; hundreds of thousands of Americans people grow vegetables, herbs, and fruits. 

At recycle centers, the containers are always full. 

Corporations take efforts to protect the environment and offer recycle programs. 

Many state and city governments offer incentives to "go green." 

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THE NOT SO GOOD NEWS

At the same time,

U.S. EPA grants biofuels waiver to billionaire Icahn's oil refinery - sources (Reuters April 30, 2018)

The Trump administration is lifting key controls on toxic air pollution (VOX, January 26, 2018)

EPA Readies Plan to Weaken Rules That Require Cars to Be Cleaner (NYT, April 27, 2018)

Trump administration ends Obama's coal-leasing freeze (The Hill, March 29, 2018)

plus 71 other Environmental Rules are on the Way Out Under Trump (New York Times)

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In other words:

The government is UNdoing what we are working for. 

Thirty years ago, NASA scientist James Hansen informed a Senate committee that “the greenhouse effect has been detected and is changing our climate now.” 

Let's put this in perspective. Hansen was not "just some tree hugger." NASA is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government. Hansen was on the United States government's payroll. The government ignored what their own expert told them, for years. 

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Why on earth would the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) try deregulating some major sources of toxic air pollution, thirty years after we've learned about these problems? 

What about people who have 

• asthma, 
• allergies, 
• bronchitis, 
• COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), 
• emphysema, 
• cystic fibrosis, 
• and also – elderly people and little children?

Considering that Congress wants to do away with Obamacare's protections for people with preexisting conditions, I fear tough times may be ahead for many. 

Those of us who need treatment have to deal the most expensive healthcare system in the Western world. 

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And, what about storm damage (hurricanes, tornadoes, sand storms...)?

Here is the list of costliest Atlantic hurricanes (from Wikipedia): 

1	Katrina	2005	$125 billion
	Harvey	2017
3	Maria	2017	$91.6 billion
4	Sandy	2012	$68.7 billion
5	Irma	2017	$64.8 billion
6	Ike	2008	$38 billion
7	Wilma	2005	$27.4 billion
8	Andrew	1992	$27.3 billion
9	Ivan	2004	$26.1 billion
10	Rita	2005	$18.5 billion

3 of the top-10 caused death and destruction, last year. Only one of the top-10, Andrew, happened in the last century. 

Houston, TX is still coping with the mold problem stemming from hurricane Harvey. That means expensive reconstruction and remodeling AND more potential health problems. In Houston, 136,000 homes and other building were affected by this hurricane. 

We, the average Americans have to stand up and address our government's ignorance, or we'll pay the price (with hard earned dollars).

How do you see this?

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Read my fable "Are We Nuts?" and find out how the squirrel citizens of the Sciurus States solve this problem. (Just released)

 ~~~  v  ~~~  

"As relevant as it is entertaining."

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Gisela Hausmann is multi-award winning author, an email evangelist, and mass media expert.  Her work has been featured in Success magazine and in Entrepreneur, on Bloomberg, and The Innovation Show ― a show for Square Pegs in Round Holes, and "The Brutal Truth about Sales & Selling"-podcast. 

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©  2018 by Gisela Hausmann