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Everything
Under the Sun: Towards a Brighter
Future on a Small Blue Planet by
David Suzuki and Ian Hanington, David
Suzuki Foundation, 2012, is a stock
taking within each of a number of
environmental and related issues – some
familiar, some less so. The chapters are
collections of information pieces,
sometimes weakly linked. Mexico’s
garbage solution is alongside riding
bikes to save the world in chapter 2.
The book is not a thriller, but then
there are rewards among the short
pieces. The preface sets a
tone. “The global market isn’t just
about producing and supplying goods and
services ... it’s about reaping profits
that create massive disparities of
wealth.” … “It’s led to a system of
constant growth and ever-expanding
exploitation of finite resources on a
finite planet.”
“…protecting our Earth is
inextricably linked with issues of
social justice. Inequality, poverty and
war are often at the root of
environmental problems …” … “Solutions
exist.” Here is a short summary of
the chapters: Chapter 1 is about
species going extinct in alarming
numbers from the web of life on the
planet - frogs, macaws, caribou, bees.
Human activity and ignorance about the
inter-relationships of the species is
the cause – using pesticides, fueling
global warming and destroying habitats.
It is the web of life of which were a
part which is being destroyed could be
bolstered by a plea for time to
understand better the implications of
our activities before we watch our
fellow creatures disappear. Chapter 2 is about
people moving to cities, going from
bicycles to cars, drawing on oil,
consuming goods and producing mountains
of garbage. Landfill is a major source
of methane which adds to global warming.
Burning garbage contributes energy but
that destroys potential resources. The
bicycle enhances human mobility in a
sustainable way at low cost while
providing healthy exercise. Instead of
safe lanes so more people could ride a
bicycle, bicycles must compete with cars
on congested roads. Cars demand more
polluting oil production, contribute to
global warming and add ever greater
demands for paved roads as gridlock
grows.. Chapter 3 reviews
energy. Global warming from excessive
burning of fossil fuels calls us to
conservation and sustainable
alternatives. The Tsunami in Japan and
the oil well explosion in the gulf of
Mexico show how nuclear and fossil fuels
can pose huge threats to life and our
environment. Both fuels are finite.
“Nuclear energy isn’t even that green …”
when you look at the bigger life cycle
of the uranium processing and the
de-commissioning of the plants. The
“Scheer” policy of moving towards
renewable energy in Germany was
effective in beginning a new economy. “The scale of the
Alberta tar sands project is
unprecedented … And we are creating an
environmental catastrophe that will take
centuries to recover from …” Rebranding
won’t make the tar sands “ethical.”. To
be ethical “… Canada must slow down the
development, clean up the environmental
problems, implement a national carbon
tax, improve the regulatory and
monitoring regime, and make sure
Canadians are reaping their fair share
of the revenues.” The blow out
preventer failed in 2010 and the Deepwater
Horizon drilling rig exploded in
the Gulf of Mexico. BP had filled out
its own inspection reports to US
regulatory agencies. The gulf is dotted
with rigs with similar devices. There
are 27,000 abandoned wells and 3,500
“temporarily abandoned.” Demand
for more oil has produced “fracking,”
hydraulic fracturing, where great
amounts of water sand and chemicals are
blasted into wells to fracture the
underground shale and release natural
gas. Leaks, blow outs, water
contamination, increased atmospheric
ozone and emissions of methane are just
some of the possible consequences.
Storing carbon underground is not the
answer to the global warming from
excessive use of fossil fuels. Short chapter 4 gives
the hope of science and the challenges
it faces. A new branch examines
conditions necessary for sustainable
life. Applied science is the biggest
force affecting our lives and a process
for giving grants allows scientist to do
their explorations for new drugs or the
workings of a mini environment. Nature
may have things to show us about solving
our problems. There is “rampant
ignorance” or antipathy towards science
and efforts to confuse the established
science linking global warming to human
activity and greenhouse gas emissions. Chapter 5 takes a
look at “the behemoth that wouldn’t stop
growing” – the economy. The economy
ultimately depends on the finite goods
and services from the environment and
healthy humans. The trees replacing
carbon dioxide with oxygen and holding
the top soil in place with their roots
are part of a thin layer of water and
land and air where we live and it, with
us, is the ground on which any economy
must be conceived and built. The
economic sense in protecting the
McKenzie valley or the spotted owl can
be shown and it is evident that the
pollinating of bees is crucial to the
new market for blueberries from BC.
Global warming can be viewed as the
result of a bad economy and carbon
offsets are a tool which can be used to
help rectify it. Chapter 6 examines
global warming. There is 90% certainty
when scientists say “very likely,” but
there has been manipulated
misunderstanding against the scientists’
virtual unanimity that human activity
and burning fossil fuels are causing
global warming and climate changes.
Fossil fuel companies financed
scientists to research around doubts,
exploited ambiguity, sought to undermine
inter-governmental reports and
pronounced exchanges among scientists a
plot. Governments argue the “economy”
comes first –foolishly when the health
of the planet is failing. Forests are part of
the global warming puzzle. Preserving
them absorbs carbon dioxide. They must
be used in a sustainable way.
Technological fixes can be ill advised.
Algae blooms in the ocean to absorb
carbon dioxide would also produce deadly
toxins! Climate change will affect water
supplies, changing rainfall patterns and
melting glaciers that source rivers. The
international agreement to stop the
destruction of the ozone layer by
refrigerants is a success story to
follow for global warming. Climate
driven phytoplankton reduction (40% drop
since 1950) is another feature of
climate change. The oceanic
phytoplankton remove carbon dioxide and
produce ½ the oxygen we breathe. Chapter 7 reviews the
state of the oceans. The combined
effects of over fishing, fertilizer
runoff, pollution, acidification from
CO2 are putting much marine life in
danger of extinction. Dangerous
chemicals have been found in aquatic
animals everywhere and marine liter and
plastic is found throughout the oceans,
“sometimes in massive swirling gyres.”
Restoring marine ecosystems, estuaries
and mangroves could capture 7% of
current fossil fuel emissions. This is
10% of the reduction required to hold
global temperature change at 2 degrees
Centigrade. On the other hand, when
polar ice disappears, the lack of
reflective surface accelerates global
warming. Human activities in
ocean ecosystems requires integrated
eco-system based management. The chapter
describes pulling together first
nations, coastal communities, marine
industries and NGOs around conservation
options. “A credible, long-term plan for
any ocean region must include an
increase in protected areas where
specific types of industrial activity
are limited.” Cruise ship sewage and
food waste is large scale. It is dumped
into the oceans repeatedly along sea
lanes. Waste goes acidic as it
decomposes increasing nutrients which
starve the ocean of oxygen and
contribute to creating dead zones. The
technology to treat and dispose of ocean
waste is not complicated. The $1-10
million cost is for a ship of total cost
over $1 billion. The once plentiful huge
gentle basking shark is an endangered
species as a result of sport, its liver
oil, and the inconvenience of basking
for commercial fishing. An endangered
designation, not conventional fishing
legislation is needed to preserve such
species. Chapter 8 about
feeding the world notes: “… we must be
careful we don’t create more problems
than we solve” … “industrial agriculture
is based on the mistaken premise that
nature is inadequate and must be
replaced …” Monsanto
and Dole have a plan to produce new
spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and
lettuce with improved nutrition,
flavour, colour for a world with square
seedless watermelons and patented seeds.
Large industrial farms require massive
amounts of fossil fuels and pesticides
and fertilizers. Small scale farming,
especially organic, is better for the
environment and biodiversity. Studies
find “small farms almost always produce
higher output levels per unit area than
larger farms.” The global food shortage
is a myth. Epidemic hunger and obesity
show a problem of equity and
distribution rather than shortage. Genetically modified
foods raise concerns of unknown impact
on human health. Also, a green light for
GM seeds is implicitly a licence to use
the pesticides they are designed to
resist. Their use undermines
biodiversity which ensures other crop
varieties are available when one variety
falls victim to disease. Much coffee is
grown in open plantations on land that
was once tropical forest. Sun coffee
requires fungicides, herbicides and
pesticides. Shade coffee can provide
canopy cover from a variety of tropical
trees providing refuge for birds,
butterflies and other wildlife. Consumer
demand has made changes. The Suzuki
Foundation has worked on ecological
fisheries and fish farming. Aquaculture
is important and some kinds are OK.
Current salmon farming is problematic
since sea lice multiply on salmon farms
and go out to affect wild stocks. A
solution is isolated tanks for farming
salmon. Although more costly, the
farming should protect the crucial role
wild salmon play in our shared
eco-system. Greater use can be made by
humans of small fish like sardines. The
economically valuable Bluefin Tuna needs
protection from fishing as a Japanese
delicacy if the species is to survive. Chapter 9 proclaims:
healthy people – health planet. Our
bodies are ecosystems with a variety of
microbes giving services. What we put in
or put on can pollute our ecosystem. The
widespread use of antibiotics in us and
for raising cattle has led to resistant
strains of harmful bacteria. Lotions,
soaps shampoos and deoderants contain a
wild mix of chemicals often including
fragrances- many never tested for
toxicity. Some can trigger asthma. Some
harm the environment after we wash them
off. Europe restricts fragrences and
other chemical use. Scents are mainly
synthetic and can cause serious health
problems in some people. Fragrance free
is a good idea. The sniff test is a good
one. Avoiding strong air fresheners, new
car smells and new shower curtain smells
can avoid inhaling toxic chemicals. There is no simple
relationship between a gene and a
disease. So value remains in promoting
food labelling, taxing junk food, doing
unbiased research so that people can
make healthy lifestyle choices. Abundant
clean water cannot be taken for granted.
The UN knows that forests are important
for our health. Getting outside and
exercising is good for the body and the
environment. Cars are not. Saving the
planet is not necessary but saving
ourselves is. Outdoor fun is good for
kids and the planet. They can connect
with our shared ecosystem. Spending
school time outside can add to this.
Family time outside and exercising for
health is a good example to set. The
chapter ends: we shouldn’t expect our
kids to clean up our mess! The
final chapter 10 reflects on aspects
of the big picture. Is 7 billion
people too many? Supporting more
people is a challenge, but: “Over
consumption by the privileged is a
greater factor in the rampant
environmental destruction and resource
depletion.” “Most environmental
devastation is not caused by
individuals but by corporations driven
more by profits than human needs”
Population growth is stabilized by
protecting women’s rights, access to
birth control, education on
reproduction and wealth
redistribution. The big global needs
are reducing poverty, conflict and
enabling human rights, but leaders
assume constant economic growth is
paramount. Environmentalists look to a
future where new technology provides a
sustainable society free from burning
wood or fossil fuels which goes back
to life in a cave. Environmentalism is
a way of seeing an interconnected
world whatever our profession.
Environmentalists do not see a spotted
owl as more important than humans and
their livelihood. They see humans at
the centre of an eco-crisis.
Sustainability includes human
sustainability, dealing with human
issues of justice poverty hunger and
war. We are biological creatures who
need clean air, clean water, clean
food and soil, and biodiversity. The
markets, economies and isms do not
change these needs. The chapter moves
through people’s different perceptions
on to conserving and Christmas,
gifting, lighting, and a “grumpy old
man ponders the past.”  |