Roundup for the year 2007

We’re another year older. Whether we count the days ahead or look behind and add up those that have passed, we all marked the passage of time.

This year we are two for two– two years in a row without a hurricane forcing us off the coast, out of the county or into another state. We can only hope that this trend continues in 2008.

In this column we’ll look back at some of 2007’s articles and see if what we’ve talked about has changed.

Recreational and commercial fishing problems that we have talked about did not improved this year. They have gotten worse.

 

The regulations were tightened even more for several species by the regulating agencies. Continuing angling pressure, that is not likely to slack off next year, will probably offer us more of the same.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs seem to have really caught on in a big way. With their lower energy requirements and much longer life they are helping to lower carbon emissions and save us money.

 

Companies that sell C.F.L.’s are now even starting to recycle them to help avoid releasing their mercury into the environment. Baldwin County E.M.C. has a drop-off box for your burned out C.F.L’s.Four series of articles were written over several months about what are some the likely changes we’ll see in our future:  “The new age of Earth”; “Fisheries in transition”; “Our changing times” and “What the average person can do about global warming”.

“The new age of Earth” was written to look issues we face everyday like transportation, housing and getting along with people who are different from us. Global warming will mean global changes for many of us and the issues talked about will continue to affect us all either directly or indirectly.

“Fisheries in transition” looked at several major fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico including shrimp, red snapper, mullet and oysters. In the near future these fisheries will not only continue to be impacted by over-fishing and imports but the changing climate will have impacts that even the wisest cannot yet see fully. With much of the marshland predicted to be lost to rising sea level all the fisheries would be negatively impacted.

“Our changing times” continued to look further at the ordinary in our lives like eating, going shopping, communicating and institutions. Global climate change will have significant impacts on all of these as we go through time.

 

These will all be altered but it is their nature to be modified by market and political forces. Any modifications that come around in these arenas will be adaptations to new conditions.

The practical side was dealt with in “What the average person can do about global climate change”. Items around a person’s home that could be modified included insulation, CLF bulbs, roof vent fan, refrigerators and washers and forming a food co-op. Everyone can do something even if it only changing a light bulb. The more you do the less carbon is released and the more money you keep in your pocket.

I hope you’ve found this year’s articles interesting and informative. Maybe, some of them can be put to good use in your lives. The earth will thank you.

I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off until after the start of the New Year. So, have a fun and safe holiday season.

Think Global – Act Local

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