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No. 1 issue: Climate change
It’s grade school science. We are
Climate change is by far the
living on a tiny patch of planet
greatest conundrum civilization has
earth, an enormous globe hurtling
ever faced.
through space a hundred times
It took 200,000 years for the
faster than the fastest jets.
world's human population to reach
But it doesn’t feel that way. In
1 billion people, in about 1800.
fact, Pottstown seems quite staThen, in a little more than a huntionary — and horizontal, exdred years, the population
cept for hills and valleys.
doubled, to 2 billion. Now, in
We know dinosaurs once
just ninety years, it has more
roamed the Schuylkill Valley,
than tripled, to 7 billion. All
but that was a much different
these people are burning ever
world, millions of years ago.
more fossil fuels, emitting
Today humans predomiever more carbon dioxide into
nate. We live in permathe atmosphere.
nent structures that are
The human race has
Commentary by
warm in the winter and
experienced weather exTom Hylton
cool in the summer.
tremes before, but that
Electricity powers our
was back in our hunterappliances 24/7. We enjoy indoor
gatherer era. Our civilization deplumbing. Smart phones and the
pends on buildings, roads, underInternet. Driving anywhere we
ground pipes and electric lines. We
want, anytime we want, with grocan’t just pick up and move them.
ceries and every other kind of comLast month, in Paris, 195 namodity available in abundant
tions pledged to lower their greenstores or delivered to our door.
house gas emissions. But this enorThat’s why it’s so difficult to
mous task will require major changgrasp climate change. We are so
es in the way we live.
used to life as it is, we can’t imagUsing land more efficiently and
ine anything else.
limiting suburban sprawl are two of
According to American Associathe most important ways to limit
tion for the Advancement of Scigreenhouse gas emissions, accordence, 97 percent of climate sciening to a recent report by the Global
tists worldwide agree the earth is
Commission on the Economy and
warming with disastrous, almost
Climate.
inconceivable changes to come.
Reviving Pottstown is our small
Coastal cities like New York underpart of that effort. Thanks to our
water. Frequent, violent storms.
multi-story buildings and compact
Droughts. Species extinction.
form, we are far more energy effiAnd much of this will begin by
cient — and sustainable — than the
the time today’s kindergartners
car-dependent suburbs. Pottstown
are entering their prime of life.
represents the future of green.
PoƩstown, PA
Earth: 4.6 billion years old
Humans: 200,000 years old
Recorded civilizaƟon: 5,000 years old
PoƩstown: 260 years old