I had an interesting conversation with a friend this weekend about the validity of “global warming” as a scientific fact. It was a healthy discussion that had both sides digging in and backing up their positions with fervor.

I’m not one to say that global warming is caused solely by human consumption, but there is no refuting the fact that we are adding to it. My friend’s position? Warming and cooling trends are cyclical – usually in 30 year trends – and there’s evidence we’re at the beginning of a new cooling trend.  He commented that his parents  used to talk about the Snoqualmie Pass area snowpack being more than 150 inches back in 1979 and that it disappeared during the latest warming trend, which he believes may be over and reversing.

I agree in cyclical weather patterns, but there’s one thing global warming naysayers rarely take into consideration: the effect of a growing global population. In 1979, the world population was 4.3 billion. Today, it’s 6.8 billion – that’s a 63% increase or 2.5 billion more people belching CO2 into the atmosphere! To put things in perspective, the world population was 2.5 billion in 1955. So, in the last 30 years, the population of the earth has grown as much as it had … since the beginning of man through 1955! Yikes! I believe the population growth impact is immeasurable when viewing historical warming-cooling evidence simply because there is no precedence. We have no idea what a population of nearly 7 billion is having on the atmosphere compared to 30 years ago because the impact is changing exponentially.

It’s obvious that the additional 2.5 billion people on earth since 1979 are emitting more CO2. And if we know that CO2 emissions contribute to global warming, we can logically say that humans are contributing to the problem. And as long as the population is growing, the livestock population – another major contributor to global warming – is growing, too, which only makes matters worse! In addition, scientists have discovered that the thawing permafrost, a result of global warming, is accelerating and that the thaw contains nearly twice as much CO2 as experts originally thought. So, we have a growing population of humans and livestock combined with a rapidly thawing permafrost release of CO2. What does it all mean? A situation the earth has never faced EVER before in its history. 

Those who don’t believe CO2 emissions are contributing to a pending climate crisis must not see the earth as a living entity. It is. If you keep poisoning something that is living, it’s eventually going to respond negatively. People who smoke live shorter lives than people who don’t. Same holds true to those who don’t eat healthy diets. Doesn’t it make sense to say the same applies to the earth? While cyclical weather patterns may be part of the current warming trend, I think it’s intelligent to assume human consumption is contributing to the acceleration.

The question struck me hard. My response struck me even harder, because it really did come across as if I didn’t care too much. In truth, I’ve been a recycler for years, so I felt somewhat positive about my green intentions. Then in hit me: having green intentions is all about hope and has nothing to do with actions. I suddenly realized that having green intentions without having green actions is nothing but a bunch of hot air — globally warming hot air.

Realizing I needed to do something about my half-hearted activities, I listened carefully to the speakers at the rally so I could absorb the energy and the messages, and then transfer them to my lifestyle. I was surrounded by people who were obviously more driven by sustainable living than I was and it felt infectious in the good infectious kinda way.

Then it happened.

I was introduced to Rose Thornton, founder of ReGeneration Productions and creator of what would become “Mission: Sustainable.” After a brief 5 minute conversation, Rose and I agreed to meet for coffee and discuss this idea she had for the yet-to-be-named show.

What evolved was an opportunity to work with Rose to develop the show concept and, ultimately, a chance to direct the pilot episode. This was a significant moment for one simple reason: My green intentions were now becoming actions. While I still have a long way to go before I become “as sustainable as I wanna be,” I now have the opportunity to be a part of an educational process that will encourage hundreds of thousands to transform their intentions to actions, too.

I’m looking forward to going on this journey of discovery along with Rose and the rest of the cast and crew. I know that by being involved with this project, my life — and the world, too – will change for the better.