All
around the Neponset River Watershed, climate change is
affecting the land, water, people and wildlife, changing what
we view as "normal" in the environment and subtly
affecting our daily life and habits. All species must adapt to
these changes, migrate elsewhere (often, not a feasible option
for wildlife and plants), or....
Each
of us can reduce our own contribution to climate change. We
also can help natural communities adapt.
Signs
of Climate Change
Following
are a few climate change effects that you may or may not have
noticed, already:
Spring
comes earlier.
Average
temperatures across the Northeast have risen, especially
during winter.
Average
air and water temperatures will continue to rise over the
years.
Air
pollution in cities will increase (especially during the
summer).
Forest
make-up will change. This is because each species of plant
prefers a different range of climatic conditions. Some
plants will be able to tolerate the new weather (and
possibly even thrive), while others won't be able to.
More
precipitation will fall in winter, and more snow will be
replaced with rain.
Intense
rain storms will increase.
One-
to three-month droughts will become more frequent.
Summer
stream flows will drop.
Sea-level
will rise and flood and/or permanently inundate low-lying
coastal areas like barrier beaches, salt marshes, and
sea-side developments.
Some
wildlife species (both aquatic and terrestrial animals) will
migrate away or die out because their habitat has changed.
What
You & I Can Do
First,
each of us can use less fossil fuels (see tips below) to
reduce the amount of heat-trapping emissions that we add to
the atmosphere.
Second,
we can help local wildlife and ecosystems to adapt to climate
change by reducing the amount of natural resources we use
(i.e., use less water), enhancing the landscape for native
wildlife (i.e., plant native plants in your yard and
around streams and ponds if they're on your property), and
protecting streams from pollution (i.e., use fewer harsh
chemicals at home, plant a rain garden, and plant a variety of
native plants along the edges of streams, if they're on your
property). Read more, below.
Help
your river watershed adapt to climate change:
Water
temperature. As
air temperatures rise, stream temperatures follow.
Unfortunately, this warmer water provides less oxygen for fish
and the small animals that live along the stream-bottom
("benthic macroinvertebrates") , like the larvae of
dragonflies. Because of this, fewer animal species can live in
warmer waters. The diversity of species living in these
waterbodies drops.
What
you can do: Plant a variety of native plants around any
stream or pond in your backyard. Let these plants grow tall
enough to shade the water (never mow down to the
water's edge); they will help to keep it cool. Cool water is a
big help to the aquatic world; it helps to provide more oxygen
for aquatic wildlife to breathe. It also helps to slim down
your water use. The less water you take from the ground, the
more water there will be to flow through streams. The more
water there is in a stream, the cooler it runs, since more
water takes longer to get warmed up by the sun.
Flooding
& erosion. Climate change causes more intense and more
frequent storms, in turn, increasing flooding and erosion
along streams and rivers.
What
you can do: Plant a wide strip of native plants of a
variety of species around a stream or pond in your backyard.
Let these plants grow up (never mow down to the edge
of the water). The grown plants will slow down water that
flows over your yard and into the stream. The slower this
water moves, the less dirt it will carry into the stream or
shear away from the streambank. Thus, by slowing the water you
will reduce erosion of the streambanks and also prevent fish
eggs from becoming silted-over on the stream-bottom. Also, the
more slowly that surface runoff moves, more of it can absorb
into the ground to be filtered of pollutants and to recharge
the aquifer that feeds the stream and local wells.
Also,
you can protect your stream by building “rain
gardens” in your yard specifically to absorb the water
runoff that flows from your driveway, the street, and
downspouts.
Your
family even can replace your driveway with permeable pavement
or pavers, to allow more water to absorb into the earth
instead of running straight into a stream.
Water
availability. Expect more droughts. Streams will get very
low at times - and even sometimes disappear.
What
you can do: Conserve water, every day. Get creative.
Reduce the amount of water you use at home, school and work,
and help your friends and family to do the same. By using less
water, you help more water to stay in underground aquifers,
and thereby to supply streams, wetlands, ponds and the river,
for wildlife. Turn off the water when you: brush your teeth,
wash dishes by hand, or shave. When your family needs a new
appliance (like a dishwasher, toilet, showerhead or washing
machine), choose a water-efficient model. If your family
waters the lawn, water in the morning to reduce water waste
through evaporation. Plant native, drought-tolerant plants in
your yard to water less, in general.
Air
temperature & shelter. Wildlife will look for cooler
areas to live. Restored stream and river corridors, where a
variety of native plants have been planted along the
riverbanks, offer cooler shelters and travel corridors.
What
you can do: Volunteer for local projects that ecologically
restore stream and river corridors.
Reduce
your household's heat-trapping emissions with 10 steps
Excerpted
from the Union of Concerned Scientists fact sheet
"Massachusetts: Confronting Climate Change in the US
Northeast"
-
Become
carbon-conscious. The problem of global warming
stems from a previous lack of awareness of our carbon
footprint and its effect on climate. Individuals and
families can start by using one of several publicly
available carbon-footprint calculators that will help you
understand which choices make the biggest difference.
-
Drive
change. For most people, choosing a vehicle
(and how much they should drive it) is the single biggest
opportunity to slash personal carbon emissions. Each
gallon of gas used is responsible for 25 pounds of
heat-trapping emissions.
-
Look
for the Energy Star label. When it comes time to
replace household appliances, look for the Energy Star
label on new models (refrigerators, freezers, furnaces,
air conditioners, and water heaters use the most energy).
-
Choose
clean power. Consumers in Massachusetts can
purchase electricity generated from renewable resources
that produce no carbon emissions from your local utility.
If your local utility does not offer a "green"
option, consider purchasing renewable energy certificates.
-
Unplug
an underutilized freezer or refrigerator. One of
the quickest ways to reduce your global warming impact is
to unplug a rarely used refrigerator or freezer. This can
lower the typical family's carbon dioxide emissions nearly
10 percent.
-
Get
a home energy audit. Take advantage of the free
home energy audits offered by many utilities. Even simple
measures (such as installing a programmable thermostat)
can each reduce a typical family's carbon dioxide
emissions about 5 percent).
-
Lightbulbs
matter. If every US household replaced one
incandescent lightbulb with an energy-saving compact
fluorescent lightbulb (CFL), we could reduce global
warming pollution by more than 90 billion pounds over the
life of the bulbs.
-
Buy
good wood. When buying wood products, check for
labels that indicate the source of the timber. Forests
managed in a sustainable way are more likely to store
carbon effectively - thus helping to slow global warming.
-
Spread
the word, and help others. A growing movement
across the country seeks to reduce individual, family,
business, and community emissions while inspiring and
assisting others to do the same.
-
Let
policy makers know you are concerned about global warming.
Elected officials and candidates for public office at
every level need to hear from citizens. Urge them to
support policies and funding choices that will accelerate
the shift to a low-emissions future.
Learn
more about climate change
Read
a fact sheet about what to expect of climate change in
Massachusetts, produced by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS):
Massachusetts:
Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast (based on
UCS report Confronting
Climate Change in the U.S Northeast: Science, Impacts, and
Solutions).
Learn
more about climate change and what you can do.
One
simple way to help your environment adapt to climate change is
to support the work of the
Neponset River Watershed Association.
November
2011
