We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » It's time for a sensible approach to climate change
big picture

It's time for a sensible approach to climate change

January 28, 2020
David Maloney
No Comments

The science is quite clear for those willing to heed the signs. Our world is warming at an alarming rate, and there will be serious consequences if we don't act. The average worldwide temperature is rising at twice the rate of 50 years ago. Global surface temperatures have increased 1.6 degrees in the past 100 years. That doesn't seem like a lot, but for a balanced ecosystem, it's taking a drastic toll.

In 1910, there were 150 glaciers in Montana's Glacier National Park. Today, there are fewer than 30. Polar ice caps are also melting, causing sea levels to rise—potentially by as much as 32 inches by the end of this century, according to some models. That will not only wreak havoc on nice beachfront property but will also have devastating effects on marine life, commercial fishing, coastal cities, and our port infrastructures.

We've all heard the arguments. Climate change is cyclical. We had periods when the earth was warmer and periods of ice ages. Things change, and animals disappear. It's part of nature. We don't have dinosaurs around anymore, which I guess is a good thing, as that would make a nice walk in the woods much more of an adventure.

Yet the changes we're seeing cannot be explained by mere natural cycles. Levels of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, have soared in the past 50 years. That is mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels.

I realize people have been burning things to cook and stay warm for thousands of years, yet we are only now seeing a problem? That's because global warming is not a result of burning logs in fireplaces. It's from coal powerplants and internal-combustion engines.

Adding to the problem is there are simply a lot more of us. It took until 1804 for the world's population to reach 1 billion people. It hit 2 billion in 1927 and 3 billion only 33 years later in 1960. We will reach 8 billion in 2023. All of us are contributing to the problem.

And it's only getting worse. Greenhouse gases are cumulative. They don't dissipate like smoke from a campfire but stay with us for thousands of years. The more we add each year, the more there is to cause problems for future generations.

The U.S. is the worst offender when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions per capita. Modern transportation networks account for 30 percent of that, including supply chains. It's time to set politics aside and stop pointing fingers. Instead, we need to look at what we can collectively do within our supply chains to reduce our carbon footprints. I will explore ways to do that next month.

  • Related Articles

    It's time to change how products are packaged

    Supply chain professionals need to take the lead on climate change

    It’s time to prepare for health care’s biggest logistics challenge ever

Davidmaloney
David Maloney has been a journalist for more than 35 years and is currently the editorial director for DC Velocity and Supply Chain Quarterly magazines. In this role, he is responsible for the editorial content of both brands of Agile Business Media. Dave joined DC Velocity in April of 2004. Prior to that, he was a senior editor for Modern Materials Handling magazine. Dave also has extensive experience as a broadcast journalist. Before writing for supply chain publications, he was a journalist, television producer and director in Pittsburgh. Dave combines a background of reporting on logistics with his video production experience to bring new opportunities to DC Velocity readers, including web videos highlighting top distribution and logistics facilities, webcasts and other cross-media projects. He continues to live and work in the Pittsburgh area.

Recent Articles by David Maloney

In Person interview: Alex Stevens of Opex

Growing up … and up and up: interview with Sam Bertram

Life in the faster lanes

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Relaxed regulations for drone parcel delivery to take effect in March

  • IBM survey says digitalization trends will sweep trucking industry by 2030

  • Gartner survey signals increased investment in resilience over the next two years

  • Increasing Urgency for Vaccine Supplies Drives Launch of New Vaccine Manufacturing Resources on Thomasnet.com

  • What Level of Automation is Right for Your Warehouse?

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Ef7899d1 1c83 487b 9291 8af692931c96

myQ Dock Management

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
Introducing myQ Dock Management. Connect your loading dock equipment and iDock Controls from Poweramp, McGuire, or DLM to the cloud and view your loading activity online with myQ Dock Management.Facilities with myQ can monitor the real-time status of their docks and be proactive in improving efficiency and safety. ...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Time to rethink your lift truck power

  • Warehouse Management System Project Toolkit

  • Solving Talent Management Challenges Now and In the Future

  • Shaping Up Last Mile Delivery to Surpass Customer Expectations

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing