On August 9th, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its 6th Assessment Report reviewing the latest climate science. If you haven't already heard, the future is bleak. The fact that humans and our fossil fuel usage have warmed the planet is undeniable, and we've reached a point of no-return. Already 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it was in the 19th Century, humans have put so many greenhouse gases into Earth's atmosphere that even if we stopped all emissions now, the planet's temperatures would continue to rise over the next 30 years. That heat wave we had back in June? The drought we've experienced all summer? The wildfire smoke we've been plagued with year after year? These climate change effects will continue to worsen over the next 30 years, and will only lessen by the middle of this century if we take drastic action right now. Many of us have taken up individual actions like reducing car trips, composting food waste, and insulating our homes to reduce our contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. And while I won't tell you to stop these valiant efforts, this is not the type of drastic action I'm referring to.
We need to demand that our political representatives support and regulate massive greenhouse gas reductions.
The IPCC report shows that there is still a window in which humans can alter the course of climate change if we adopt aggressive and widespread reductions in greenhouse gases today. And yet here in Spokane, a citizen's initiative headed to our local ballots proposes to ban the regulation of natural gas in construction. I can't think of a more absurd and unnecessary roadblock towards achieving carbon neutrality. That's why The Lands Council is working with a legal team to challenge the validity of this initiative and educate voters before the November election. We've also served as advisors to Spokane's Sustainability Action Plan and Water Resource Group to address climate change locally. Not to mention the thousands of trees we plant each year are a vital part of a carbon-neutral future, along with the habitat and water quality improvement they provide.
I promise that The Lands Council will continue to put climate change front and center throughout our work, and I want to thank you for supporting these efforts. It's because of your financial support that we've been able to expand our team to build our capacity for restoration, conservation, and climate solutions. Read on to meet some of our new staff members in this issue of our newsletter! I hope you'll join me in welcoming our new staff, and more importantly I hope you'll join me in demanding the political will and coordination necessary to fight climate change.
Gratefully,
Amanda Parrish