Earth is our island

KAP on Tongariki - Easter island
Originally uploaded by Pierre Lesage

I was thinking recently about the mystical history of Easter Island, known to local Polynesians as Rapa Nui, and one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world.

The rise and fall of the once great Polynesian nation is well documented. Upon arriving in their canoes the Polynesians began chopping down the island's dense palm tree forests. They used the wood primarily to build large frames for transporting the magnificent statues, called moai, that are iconic symbols of Easter Island around the world today.

As their religious quest to build more statues continued the forests dwindled, with soil erosion becoming widespread and many species of animals disappearing as their habitats were destroyed.

In his book "A Short History of Progress", Ronald Wright speculates that for a generation or so, "there was enough old lumber to haul the great stones and still keep a few canoes seaworthy for deep water". But the Easter Islanders had reached a point of no return because when the last boat was no longer seaworthy, war erupted over the remaining planks that could be used for fishing. Soon, unable to fish, the people of Rapa Nui exhausted all possible resources, including eating their own dogs and all nesting birds. And then there was nothing left.

All that remained were the giant stone moai who symbolised the devouring of a whole island. The statues became monuments where the last starving islanders could keep faith in hope of salvation, but more than a few were toppled over in anger and remorse.

The civilisation had flourished in a frenzied, unsustainable state until the resources completely vanished, resulting in widespread famine, extreme hardship and cannibalism. Being so remote, there was nowhere to go.

I liken the situation on Easter Island to a potential scenario for our entire planet Earth. On a micro-scale the ancient Polynesians destroyed their habitat in a quest for building objects that were essentially useless. The statues had religious significance but could certainly not feed the starving people who were left in the end. We seem to be following their footsteps: constructing buildings, pillaging resources and lusting after material objects that are often unnecessarily and blindly consumed. Advertising and availability coerce us into harbouring desires that are often completely irrational.

If only we could take a slower approach to everything we do. If only we could learn to savour the natural resources we consume rather than expect them. Learn to place less importance on material gain and more on the health of our environment and ourselves. Before we build weapons in the name of some unseen deity we should honour the Earth that feeds us.

Remember, if we destroy our natural resources and poison our air we will be no more fortunate than those Easter Islanders. At the end of the day Earth is an insignificant island in the vast reaches of space and if we destroy it, there really is nowhere else to go.

'Green roofs' concept for cooling cities

A new low-tech approach to cooling cities (mentioned in my previous post) has been detailed in a recent article published by New Scientist magazine. They say that by covering buildings in plants you can dramatically reduce the surrounding temperature by up to 11 degrees celcius, depending on the location. These green surfaces lower the surrounding temperature by cooling air through evaporation of water and by simply absorbing less heat than conventional building surfaces. The result is less reliance on air conditioning, reduction of urban 'heat islands' and a generally healthier environment. Personally I also think that it looks invitingly integrated into our natural environment. I suppose research will be needed into the ideal plants for various building structures and analysis of plants which cause the least structural damage or corrosion and require the lowest maintenance. Overall, however, this concept is one that I feel can be actioned quickly and with great results.

Global cooling solutions

With Arctic ice shrinking to a record low, even opening up previously impassable shipping lanes in the ice-clogged North-West Passage, many people are considering drastic solutions to the most evident proof yet that planet Earth is heating up.

There are an array of proposed quick-fix solutions out there and they range from the feasible to the downright wacky. Some of these include:

• Sending thousands of computer-controlled satellites into orbit, each equipped with mirrors to deflect a fraction of the sunlight that would otherwise reach earth
• Fertilising the ocean with iron, creating algal blooms which could help absorb additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
• Pumping nutrient-rich deep water to the ocean surface via networks of millions of pumps to help absorb carbon through sequestration
• 'Green roofs' - covering urban rooftops with vegetation to help cool dwellings and offset the "urban heat island" effect
• Pumping sulphur particles into the atmosphere to mimic the cooling effect of a large volcanic eruption

These are just a few of the proposals being presented by both scientists and representatives from the coporate sector who stand to make big bucks if their solution is actioned. The environmental risks associated with many of these solutions are huge - ranging from worldwide droughts to actually worsening the global warming crisis by releasing more carbon into the atmosphere.

So while the experts debate the pros and cons of these solutions what should we do? Well, quick-fixes to serious problems generally do little more than mask the symptoms until the next crisis emerges. I believe that if each of us makes a determined effort now to reduce our resource consumption then, by developing these habits, we can start to drastically cut down the current impact we are making.

Combined with clean energy initiatives and accredited offsetting projects we can then begin to decide on which of the quick-fixes may actually be worthwhile.