ashland.news logo
October 1, 2023

Climate Spotlight: Calling all humanists

February 17, 2022

We need people from all walks of life to develop and implement solutions

By Lorrie Kaplan

I sometimes still hear climate change characterized as an environmental issue and it always takes me by surprise. I’ve been considering how to explain my reaction.

Lorrie Kaplan

I work on climate action and talk with other Ashlanders about it almost every day. But nearly all my conversations revolve around the changes and impacts to people — those within our local communities as well as around the globe.  

Climate action was once a cause championed almost exclusively by environmentalists — those focused on protecting natural ecosystems and species. I’m grateful for people working on the front lines to protect the amazing ecological diversity on our planet. Nonprofit organizations, biologists, federal employees, land conservationists and many others work tirelessly to give a voice to the animals, plants and landscapes that cannot speak for themselves. 

The battles they fight are against big money and big industry interests — formidable opponents that rarely concede.

A call for compassion

Protecting the environment is only one of many reasons people should be engaged in climate solutions.  Of equal importance at this time is compassion for other humans — those here now as well as generations to come. 

Climate change is no longer a distant, hypothetical problem. It is already creating serious impacts to peoples’ health, safety, economic well-being, infrastructure and overall quality-of-life. It exacerbates inequalities based on race and income. And it exposes our most vulnerable residents to increasingly severe conditions. 

A recent analysis of federal disaster declarations by the Washington Post found that in 2021 alone, more than four in 10 Americans lived in areas that were hit by climate disasters. More than 80% experienced deadly heat waves. Others experienced floods, fires, and hurricanes. Those who are exposed to these disasters are often disproportionately lower income and communities of color. 

Some outdoor workers were forced to keep working, and subsequently died from heat exposure. Some lower income residents drowned in basement apartments. Often during disasters, people without vehicles are unable to evacuate, including many older adults and people with disabilities.

Climate shocks and natural disasters exacerbate inequality both globally as well as locally. An August 2021 InterAmerican Development Bank blog cites three reasons: “First, poorer countries, regions, and people tend to be more exposed to climate change impacts and natural disasters than their wealthier counterparts. Second, they lose a greater share of their wealth when climate shocks hit. And third, they have fewer resources to cope with the negative impacts of climate shocks.”

Close to home

We can see this right here at home — given that 16 months after the Almeda Fire, many people still have not secured a new permanent living situation. Many have been priced out of their previous homes and are forced to remain in temporary housing. Some have reported feeling forgotten, as they remain in hotels and travel trailers, having lost everything in the fire, including their self-sufficiency.

Lower-income residents are also more likely to experience health impacts from smoke and extreme heat. Low- and middle-income homeowners and renters may find it challenging or impossible to invest in cooling and air purification, posing real health challenges in an era of heat domes and smoke seasons. Renters, who consume less energy than homeowners, have little leverage to demand energy efficiency, health and safety upgrades, like heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, or better insulation. 

I’m realizing that climate change isn’t strictly an environmental problem nor a social one. In fact, perhaps we have a lot to learn from our indigenous neighbors and friends about the reliance of people on a healthy environment — one that buffers us from disasters when we nurture and care for it. Perhaps our Western worldview that we are separate from our environment is, in fact, causing climate change itself. 

You have what it takes

When we think of climate change as strictly an environmental problem, many of us feel that we don’t have the right skills or knowledge to take action. Yet we all have experience as humans, community members, family members, and caretakers. 

To reduce the impact of human beings on our climate and the negative effects of climate change on humans and the natural world we are part of, we need people from all different backgrounds, skill sets and walks of life to develop and implement the solutions. 

Environmental scientists can describe to us what is happening to our natural systems, but we all need to engage in the solutions. How are you engaging? 

Lorrie Kaplan is chair of the Ashland Climate Action Project of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now. She is also an unpaid board member of Ashland.news. Guest writers for Climate Spotlight are welcome. Lorrie can be reached at lorrie@socan.eco.

Bert Etling

Bert Etling

Bert Etling is the executive editor of Ashland.news. Email him at betling@ashland.news.

Related Posts...

Climate Spotlight: Taking on our home energy footprint

New local survey data is available for policymakers on how residents think about household energy and climate change. The bottom line: Residents support equitable policies to implement energy efficiency measures, expand solar options, and reduce our use of “natural” gas.

Read More »

Climate Spotlight: Our house is on fire

Barbara Cervone: “Reports of our inadequate response to the climate emergency roll in as regularly as the tides. The latest came from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), telling us that the crisis is getting worse even faster than we’d imagined. It’s hard to envision a louder alarm, and yet we seem able to sleep through it.”

Read More »

Latest posts

The scariest Halloween house in town

If you haven’t seen this Halloween world on East Main Street yet, prepare to be impressed. If you’ve visited the family’s yard and trick-or-treat room in previous years, prepare for even bolder and scarier displays this year.

Read More >

Ashland emergency shelter operations, goals, up for discussion Monday

Ashland City Council’s Monday evening study session will focus on the new shelter at 2200 Ashland St. The meeting will include 15 minutes of time for public comment, a City Council discussion, an “operations overview” presentation and a presentation from the city’s possible contractor to run shelter operations — Options for Helping Residents of Ashland (OHRA).

Read More >

Wildlife crossing planned for Siskiyou Summit

Plans are moving along for a wide, landscaped wildlife overpass spanning Interstate 5 about 2 miles north of the California-Oregon border. The Oregon Department of Transportation earlier this year agreed to spend $1.5 million toward design of the crossing, and the agency in August applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for a grant to build it, at an estimated cost of $20 million.

Read More >

Explore More...

Halloween house

The scariest Halloween house in town

If you haven’t seen this Halloween world on East Main Street yet, prepare to be impressed. If you’ve visited the family’s yard and trick-or-treat room in previous years, prepare for even bolder and scarier displays this year.

Read More>

Ashland emergency shelter operations, goals, up for discussion Monday

Ashland City Council’s Monday evening study session will focus on the new shelter at 2200 Ashland St. The meeting will include 15 minutes of time for public comment, a City Council discussion, an “operations overview” presentation and a presentation from the city’s possible contractor to run shelter operations — Options for Helping Residents of Ashland (OHRA).

Read More>

Wildlife crossing planned for Siskiyou Summit

Plans are moving along for a wide, landscaped wildlife overpass spanning Interstate 5 about 2 miles north of the California-Oregon border. The Oregon Department of Transportation earlier this year agreed to spend $1.5 million toward design of the crossing, and the agency in August applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for a grant to build it, at an estimated cost of $20 million.

Read More>
ashland.news logo

Subscribe to the newsletter and get local news sent directly to your inbox.

(It’s free)

Don't Miss Our Top Stories

Get our newsletter delivered to your inbox three times a week.
It’s FREE and you can cancel anytime.