Climate Change Concerns: Trees bite the dust, temperatures rise

[“For a century or more our use of energy has altered the amount of global atmospheric carbon dioxide... (and) nature itself is giving signals that temperatures are changing as hurricane intensity increases... pine beetles are ravaging northern forests because they are no longer held in check by severe winters...” David Suzuki, The Sacred Balance]

An infestation of emerald ash borer may spell the doom of millions of trees in SW Ontario. London’s politicians were told Tuesday “the pest could ultimately kill 90% of (our) 440,000 ash trees.” (June 22, London Free Press)

Factoid - Our city is home to almost four and a half million trees. “One in ten is an ash,” says the Free Press report.

Then there’s the ravages of the pine beetle to consider.


“Mountain Pine Beetles (MPBs) have destroyed millions of pine trees, over 400 square kilometres, leaving once forested areas barren. At the current rate, 80% of mature pine trees in B.C. will be dead by 2013. Lodgepole pine, B.C.'s most commercially harvested tree, has been especially targeted which has led to millions of dollars in losses. The dead trees have contributed to releasing millions of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere... In the past, cold winters have kept their numbers in check. Hot, dry summers in central B.C. and Alberta have led to an increase of MPBs, while mild winters have failed to kill off the insect's larvae. (link to Tree Canada)

As seen above, economic losses are solidly linked to environmental degradation. And our excessive carbon emissions from heavy industrialization creates a Catch 22 scenario. Rising temperatures leads to tree loss via MPBs, which leads to the release of more carbon.

The majority of London’s ash trees will likely bite the dust. ReForest London’s project of planting one million trees in ten years is timely and deserves our support.

Efforts to reduce consumption, industrialization and carbon emissions must also be supported.

This from D. Suzuki’s The Sacred Balance:

“Knowing that oil and gas will run out, that using them creates health and environmental problems and that there will be unpredictable climatological effects, we must clearly govern our use of energy within a program of ecological sustainability. Coal and peat deposits are vast, but they release even more greenhouse gases and are a greater problem.”

Until alternative energy sources are on line, live small.

***

Please click here for more Climate Change Concerns.

.