Climate change has also been a regular visitor to our national parks with the intention to stay for a while. The mixed bag of travelers brought on by the global warming bus includes a garden variety of invasive species called the Red Brome. This weed-like scrub thrives in the higher temps nourished by the increase CO2 in the atmosphere and is spreading much like the wildfires it feeds throughout the high desert landscape of Joshua Tree National Park. The Yucca Brevifolia, also known as the Joshua Tree, from which the park gets it’s name, could very well vanish over the next 100 years, according to Professor Kirsten Erin Ironside from Northern Arizona University and Dr. Ken Cole of the U.S. Geological Survey. Climate models from both experts show an alarming increase in temperatures affecting the long term health of the living iconic landmark. According to Michael Cipra of the National Parks Conservation Association, (NPCA), if the lanky tree goes by the wayside, so will all the animals which use it as a “living hotel.” Another national park which will see great changes made by humanities exhaust will be Glacier National Park, in less than 20 years all the glaciers will become small enough to be made into margaritas. Reducing the emissions which contribute to hotter summers sure seems the way to go, that’s if your interested in renewing your national park’s annual pass.

Motoring madness has met its match. The United States has long since been considered a ‘petroleum playground’ with urban moms cruising down the road in an empty Chevy Suburban with a carrying capacity of a small village in Africa. According to the The Seattle Times, the governors of  California, Oregon and Washington are lobbying to create a “green freeway” along the western coast of the U.S. spanning 1,382 miles. This heavily used blacktop is to be serviced by alternative fueled stations. These green pit stops would have pumps providing ethanol, biodiesel, natural gas, and even hydrogen pumps to service cars like the Honda FCX Clarity, a newly introduced hydrogen fuel cell motoring marvel,  getting a whopping 74 mpg, (according to the Honda Motor Company), when compared to 20 mpg for the Chevy Suburban fossil fuel burner. The stations would also carry swappable batteries and charging stations for those buzzing about in electrical cars. When will this futuristic renewable Route 66 begin? Washington state will be first at the starting line, with Oregon and California drafting closely behind this coming summer.

Here’s a toast to the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and to one of the greatest civil leaders of all time, Abraham Lincoln. The British adventurer/biologist who brought us the controversial On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, inspired by his travels on the HMS Beagle throughout South America, especially The Galapagos Islands. “Mysteries of Mysteries” a quote coined by Mr. Darwin in awe of the bio diversity of the islands, as he swept through the archipelago 174 years ago and gave his weary sea legs a brief break from his long journey from England. Nowhere in the world can the 168 plants unique to the islands be found on the planet. Unfortunately 60 percent of those are close to extinction, not to mention many of the iconic animal species, like Darwin’s Galapagos Mouse which became extinct in 1996. Currently two of the most formidable environmental obstacles for the island chain are ecotourism, (173,000 visitors in 2008, according to the Galapagos Conservancy), and invasive species brought over from settlers looking for work from the mainland of Ecuador. Darwin once wrote it was difficult to pitch a tent due to the scurrying land iguanas competing for space. Now between the black rats and other feral mammals hitching a ride from a steady stream of shipping, there’s plenty of room to even build a golf course. Scientists at the Charles Darwin Research Station at Santa Cruz Island, are working tirelessly to limit the damage wrought on by humanities incomprehension and avarice. By preserving Darwin’s great find of Galapagos we may very well save our own origins.

The night skies are not as dark as you think. Light pollution covers most of the populated areas of the planet, and then some. Have you ever wondered why you can’t see the Big Dipper? It’s basically poor lighting design. Most of the beneficial illumination that we need to navigate around after sunset, shoots skyward and obscures the starry night. If that wasn’t bad enough, according to National Geographic Magazine, “light is a powerful biological force, (and) on many species it acts as a magnet.” This means not only does light pollution affect the aesthetic appeal of our nighttime skies, but many migrating birds traveling at night collide into brightly lit buildings. They are also drawn by the lighthouse effect of off-shore drilling platforms, where large flocks circle the structures until they drop into the sea from exhaustion. Humanity has lit up the night as if the bogeyman was about to invade our homes during our sleep. This form of pollution is the easiest to pull the plug on, if not for the romantic starry nights, but for our fine feathered friends in our trust.

We all know the Earth’s climate is not what Ozzie and Harriet once counted on every season. For the most part the mercury has been traveling towards the higher end of the thermometer. At least that’s what 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore so graphically displayed in his documentary An Inconvenient Truth,  also collaborated by a world wide legion of climatologist and environmental gurus, who appear to be right, but also lets take into account weird weather patterns that may not be a direct result of humanities tampering with the atmosphere. According to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the 2008 meteorological year places the US in a relatively cool place on the planet while the rest of the world sweats bullets, (a steady incremental rise in planetary temperatures since 1998).  This climate chaos is partially blamed on the atmospheric condition of La Nina, being the cool phase of the planet bucking against the warmer variations of the oceans and rest of the planet. That might explain weather anomalies like snowy mountain peaks in the lower altitudes around posh Palm Springs, California, and snow ball fights on the Las Vegas strip. Enjoy the cool respite, La Nina will be leaving soon. 

Solar and wind generated electrons are the media darlings sharing the center stage of the current renewable energy revolution currently unfolding before us. Geothermal energy is the lesser known of the green applications getting ready to be tapped for the so-called green grid. The Leathers Geothermal Power Plant in California is staking its share in the new economy by pressurizing the steamy, volcanic stew from hundreds of miles below the surface to turn turbines and thus producing clean power. Other potential areas for geothermal-electric generation is the northern “Ring of Fire” a large circumference of volcanism in the Pacific, like Mount Spur near Anchorage, Alaska, a sure bet to produce large amounts of inexhaustible power required to satisfy Sarah Palin’s dry cleaning needs.