My last visit to the library a book that caught my attention was Climate Hope: Stories of action in an age of global crisis by David Geselbracht. With all the doom and gloom associated with climate change I was intrigued by the words HOPE and ACTION. It turns out the author is a journalist and lawyer who lives and was raised in B.C. He has taken the time to travel to countries he feels have made some significant changes which has given him a restored sense of hope and determination.
The first seven chapters give a good history of how we arrived at our present state and the last four chapters provide some of the most promising solutions. Chapter nin on nuclear power supported some research that I have written on and I would like to recommend a video also from the library. Note below:
In closing the author provides some interesting insights into the spiritually inclined in Chapter 10 title Evangelical climate hope.
What I would like to include in this article are some local climate solutions discussed in the September October 2024 issue of the Logging and Sawmill Journal (LSJ). One article about work being done in the Merritt area where eight First Nations are working with Valley Carriers from Abbotsford and moving under-utilized wood to make post and rail and a variety of pulp, firewood, pellets, briquettes, sawdust, shavings, wood chips and bio fuel. With help from Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. about 10,000 cubic meters of stem tops, lower value logs and burnt timber, much of which would have been piled and burned on site, was chipped and trucked to Merritt for making higher value products.
The second article is discussed in the Edge section of LSJ where Derek Sidders describes some work on site preparation and regeneration systems to adapt to climate change. A number of site preparations are described that will reduce the competition of deciduous trees but not eliminate them. The hardwood component manages the moisture better than the coniferous trees and are therefore more valuable for the long-term health and value than a coniferous mono culture. Also in the Edge section is a trial comparing class B battery vehicles with diesel trucks operating with two commercial transportation fleets with the purpose of providing data driven solutions which is intended to supply real world operational requirements. Some of the objectives will be to provide on-road testing, user experience, safety considerations and best operation practices which will be valuable for prospective purchasers of electric vehicles.
A third article is about B.C. forester Rainer Muenter developing a business catering to private forest clients including German families who own some of the largest private forests in the West Kootenay area. Private forests in B.C. must be at least 25 hectares and owners agree to manage their forests according to the Private Managed Forest Land Act under which they will receive special tax considerations. There are now several hundred private forests which is only about five per cent of the total commercial forests but in some areas of the province may represent 20 percent if the annual harvest of the region. While the tax break has become less beneficial than it first was the fundamental ideal behind this approach and other private forest owners is the multi-generational ownership having an asset in better shape than the original to turn over to the next generation.
In closing, the use of nuclear energy is and will continue to be controversial so I recommend the following video. The Strangest Dream is about Joseph Rotblat the only nuclear scientist to leave the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government’s secret program to build the first atomic bomb. The film retraces the history of nuclear weapons, from the first test in New Mexico, to Hiroshima, where we see survivors of the first atomic attack. Branded a traitor and spy, Rotblat went from designing atomic bombs to researching the medical uses of radiation. Together with Bertrand Russell he helped create the modern peace movement, and eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize.