Let's discuss about the how local environmental issues we see can connect to a bigger picture!

As many of us may be concerned, the increase in average temperature is affecting our day-to-day life now. 

In our community, we see these changes through more and more heat and air quality warnings, and just how significantly every decade is getting hotter. For the Arctic ecosystem, for vulnerable communities, or just any of us, rising temperature is a serious problem; it means rising sea level, intense forest fires, extreme weather, collapse of ecosystems, sickness and death, and so on. 

Climate Change and its effects may sound overwhelming. But we are all facing this, and there is hope if we work together!

We already know that burning fossil fuel is trapping heat, clearing forests is causing biodiversity loss and release of carbon dioxide. Switching to renewable energy like wind and solar power is one of the best climate solution we have. 

Aquatic animals like salmon, as we know, are a huge part of our local ecosystem. However, illegal dumping and littering is harming our vulnerable water and the animals that depend on it. Despite the bylaws, there are still examples of dumping of harmful chemicals and paints into the creek that is home to the salmon. 

Moreover, litter on the streets can also be carried by wind and rain, and eventually become ocean garbage. Water pollution often happens in cities, because unlike dirt which can filter and absorb the toxic elements, roofs and roads can only deliver it directly into nearby streams. 

The growing population and rapid development of Port Moody are replacing our forests with commercial buildings and houses. Loss of healthy canopy can lead to decrease in population of fungi, plants, animals, and microbes. Especially when an old tree is being cut down, it releases a great amount of carbon dioxide and makes the biodiversity less complex at the same time. For us humans, biodiversity loss will make our community less climate-resilient, meaning it will be harder for us to protect ourselves from climate impact and recover from it. Healthy nature spaces is also important for the well-being of our heart and body; it can lower our stress and provide us with lots of shade and oxygen. 

So, planting native trees not only can improve our local ecosystems, it is a perfect way to fight and adapt to climate change. 

Invasive species are spreading everywhere! From the forests to our backyards, harmful non-native plants are taking over. We have identified Himalayan Blackberry, English Ivy, Japanese Knotweed, and other species that don't belong in BC growing rapidly here. One of the reasons they spread so fast and far is because as global temperature rises, they are able to survive in areas that used to be too cold for them. Another cause is transportation of firewood and soil from another region, carrying the seeds of these invasive species. 

We say invasive plants are harmful because they can take away space and nutrients in the soil from native species. Because a lot of them grow and spread fast, they can choke or trap local plants and animals. These factors make invasive species a huge contributor to biodiversity loss as well. Continued invasive species removal and management is necessary to protect our indigenous species.

If you live around here you probably know we have bears living with us, but did you know 9 different species of bats are also our neighbors? As we are in the community of raccoons, cayotes, beavers, black bears, and deer, we encounter them quite frequently. However, they can be harmful to us, and we can be harmful to them, at times. The phrase, "A Fed Bear is A Dead Bear" exactly describes this; once the bears are fed by human, they can keep coming back, and eventually we will have to destroy them for our own safety. These kinds of problems are happening because we leave food or garbage outside, which attract the bears easily. 

 To live in harmony with our animal neighbors, we need to be extra cautious about how to deal with food and strong-smelling waste, and learn how to act safetly when we see wildlife.