Q. I’m a grandmother and I’m extremely worried about climate change. I feel like I’m going to leave my grandkids with such a mess to clean up. Can you give me any words of hope?
It’s easy to get caught up in all the doom and gloom that is often reported on the state of our planet. And while there is much to be concerned about and much that still needs to be done, I am happy to say that there is hope, that there are some good news stories. For instance,
- Pink Salmon returns to the Fraser River in British Columbia this year exceeded original forecasts. The estimate was raised to 11.6 million, up from between 6.1 million and 8.6 million fish.
- Thanks to the phaseout of ozone-depleting chemicals, the hole in the ozone has been improving. According to a UN-backed panel of experts in January of this year (2023), the ozone layer is on schedule to recover to 1980 values by 2066 over the Antarctic, 2045 over the Arctic, and by 2040 for the remainder of the world.
- While it was once thought that it would take years to improve air quality, significant improvements were made in just a matter of months over the pandemic.
- While it is unfortunately common to hear of species being assessed as at-risk in Canada, it is not very often that we hear of species recovering. However, it does happen, just look at the Peregrine Falcon. It was first assessed by COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) in 1978 as Endangered. In 2017 they were re-assessed but this time they were given a status of Not at Risk. They are still listed as Special Concern in British Columbia.
- Research shows that in just a few months a balanced soil environment can be achieved and can result in increased yields by over 200 per cent. This balanced soil environment provides plants with greater nutrients, greater protection from pests and diseases, and effectively protects against drought as well as flooding.
While there is much more to be done to reverse the impacts of a changing climate, there are certainly advances being made. If we all work together, we can help turn things around for ourselves and for future generations.
