Is the ‘Goldilocks Planet’ Just Right?

Earth is called “The Goldilocks Planet;” comparing our planet to the fairy tale, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

The tale is about a little girl who chooses from a set of three items.

Goldilocks ignores the porridge that’s too hot, or too cold.

She settles for the one that’s “just right.”

Planet Earth is similar to this fairy tale in it’s physically relationship to the Sun; it’s neither too close, nor too far from the Sun to sustain life.

Goldilocks Planet

About two hundred years ago human beings started to burn fossil fuels; we removed coal and oil from the ground; we started using it to warm our homes and buildings.  We made steam, refined metals, ran machines to make products and goods, produced electricity, and we move ourselves around planet earth.

The results of our efforts have increased carbon dioxide and smother gases which have trapped infrared radiation close to our planet’s surface.

Extinction rates are also rising.  Biologists say we are in a midst of a “mass extinction.”

We are demanding goods and services which affect our climate in a negative way.

Commercial fishing nets are up to 60 miles long.

Large scale agriculture demands an unsustainable amount of water.

Promoting Positive Changes

In an attempt to promote positive changes to our environment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an intergovernmental body of the United Nations, is the source of “unbiased” scientific information on climate change. The information they provide is invaluable.

The IPCC predicts the following concerning fresh water on our planet: It’s projected with “High Confidence” that:

• Dry regions are projected to get drier, and wet regions are projected to get wetter.
• Drought-affected areas will become larger.
• Heavy precipitation events are very likely to become more common and will increase flood risk.
• Water supplies stored in glaciers and snow cover will be reduced over the course of the century.

Choices You Can Make

Individually, we can help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases from polluting our atmosphere.

• Conserve energy–use less energy.
• Control your thermostat.
• Unplug things when you’re not using them.
• Recycle—especially aluminum cans and paper.
• Look for the Energy Star label when purchasing new products.
• Use water more wisely.

Please note: Any average item you purchase at the grocery store has traveled 1,500 miles which definitely affects the amount of carbon in our atmosphere.

If you can purchase from local vendors, you’ll greatly reduce the miles your food travels, as well as your ecological footprint.

Another point worth noting is that there’s enough wind power that blows through the mid-western United States everyday to supply 100 percent of the electricity demand in the U.S.

In addition, enough solar energy falls on the Earth’s surface every forty minutes to supply the “world’s” need for electricity for an entire year.

Supporting expanding renewable energy and reducing our support on coal are steps worth taking to help preserve the Goldilocks Planet.

Being aware is one thing — taking action is another…