We hear much about climate change nowadays. Every day there seems to be some reference to its effects. Every week, somewhere nature is telling us she is troubled. Pretty scary stuff. The task to stop or at least slow climate change seems so enormous that I wonder what a single person— like me—can do that would make a difference? Can the Power of One really have a significant influence? But if I — and the 70% of Americans (over 200 million) who are in favor of setting higher emissions and pollution standards for business and industry, and imposing mandatory controls on carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases (Gallup 2014), DID take some personal actions, what a collective difference we would make. On the other hand, since 30% of Americans don’t think climate change is caused by us human beings, it would be easy for me to throw in the towel and resign myself to the fact that we are not capable of mounting a sufficiently large campaign to stop or at least arrest the rate of climate change. I have to agree with the late George Carlin who in good humor said the planet will be here long after we have screwed it up and are all gone. He is right, but what of our children and grand children? Perhaps I can make the planet slightly better for them.
About Allegheny
Since 1997, the community has been a dumping ground for the toxic waste material resulting from the burning of coal-coal ash.