For climate-change solution, everyone into the pool

Some may think my concerns are misplaced. But for those who follow the science and pay attention to actual facts, we are living in a time of extreme and rapid change. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

Climate change is not just about polar bears, penguins and Greenland’s melting ice. Climate change harms people, everywhere.

Based on the evidence, more than 97 percent of climate scientists are convinced that human-caused climate change is happening. The best time to prepare for disaster is before it occurs. We are woefully late to the party.

Ironically, September is National Preparedness Month. It is wise to be stock up on important supplies in the event of a local emergency, but the real disaster will not be over in a few days. Preparing for the effects of severe climate change should be front and center.

The continuing and severe drought is bad enough, but what about actual warming? This summer really hasn’t been that bad, right? That has certainly been my experience.

The data show that a large percentage of the additional human-caused heat is being absorbed by the oceans, ameliorating the effects in the atmosphere. We haven’t felt it much — yet. It is a temporary condition.

Remember, human activities have caused an imbalance and it is huge. I’ll repeat James Hansen’s example: The extra energy equivalent of 400,000 nuclear explosions is being added to the planet every day. Oceans cannot absorb it forever. And when the shift occurs, scientists say things may get very, very hot and that it could happen abruptly.

How are we dealing with this crisis? There is no significant leadership nationally or locally. Recent articles about a new sports stadium are all the proof one needs that local politicians’ priorities are very misplaced.

On the state level, a government-appointed “commission” of industry insiders just rubber-stamped a permission slip for the oil and gas industry to perform hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in Nevada. Good thinking. Let’s implement a short-lived, highly toxic and extremely water-intensive technology in the country’s driest state.So what if fracking exacerbates climate change.

It all makes perfect nonsense. Alice in Wonderland experienced nothing nearly as crazy as the tragic reality of our current culture.

As individuals, our homes can be our best option for building the resiliency we will need as the crisis deepens. Some homeowners are taking things into their own hands and some excellent ideas are spreading.

One example is the garden pool. Mesa, Ariz., resident Dennis McClung has turned an empty backyard swimming pool into a miniature, self-sufficient ecosystem that produces much of his family’s food.

He transformed a large, run-down pool into a closed-loop food production system. The system incorporates aquaponics. Power is supplied by solar energy. The system was designed to feed a family of four, providing organic eggs, milk, fruit, veggies, herbs and fish — 365 days a year.

McClung’s garden pool system uses 90 percent less water than conventional farming methods, a very crucial factor in a dry climate that is becoming only drier. He has formed a nonprofit organization to innovate, teach and help others implement better ways to grow food.

His website, www.gardenpool.org, contains a wealth of information about living a more sustainable urban lifestyle in the desert Southwest. Topics include: gardening tips, water conservation, beneficial insects, and raising goats and chickens in an urban environment. There are also plenty of how-to articles to help you start.

McClung isn’t waiting for someone to tell him what to do. He is creating solutions and sharing them with the world. Responsible citizens do that.

His example is simple, effective, inexpensive, logical and accessible to many. If local officials have an ounce of collective sense, they will make it easy for this sort of self-resiliency to thrive. I’m not suggesting they take the lead, just don’t stop others from doing so.

Steve Rypka is a green living consultant and president of GreenDream Enterprises, a company committed to helping people live lighter on the planet. For more information and links to additional resources relating to this column, or to reach Rypka, visit www.greendream.biz.