April 22 is Earth Day, a good day to renew your commitment to saving the planet, and the sooner you get started, the better.
Scientists at NOAA say the world’s five warmest years have all occurred since 2015 and by 2070 one-third of all animal and plant species on the planet could be extinct due to climate change.
Environmentalists predict that between 2027 and 2042 Earth will cross the threshold for dangerous warming.
“So, if we don’t take action now, we can expect some real disastrous environmental effects,” Leslie Poole, an assistant professor of environmental studies at Rollins College, told Ivanhoe.
Over half of voters in the United States say global warming should be a high or very high priority for this administration and 65% say that developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority.
So, what can you do?
Planting a vegetable garden can lower the use of fossil fuels as foods often travel over 15 hundred miles before they are eaten. Having a no TV day once a week and spending time outdoors not only saves on electricity, but has been shown to reduce symptoms of ADHD. Turning trash into artwork helps reduce the 140 million tons of waste that is generated in the United States each year.
Reports by Oxfam show that climate change could raise food prices by 50 to 60 percent more by 2030 if current environmental issues continue.
Contributor(s) to this news report include: Jenna Ehrlich, Producer; Robert Walko, Videographer; Robert Walko, Editor. To receive a free weekly email on Smart Living from Ivanhoe, sign up at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk