Guest opinion: Willis Lambertson: Boulder must continue seeking alternatives to looming climate disaster - Boulder Daily Camera

Boulder must continue seeking alternatives to looming climate disaster

By Willis Lambertson

Let me preface this guest opinion by stating that I graduated from the University of Colorado with a BA in geography and a BS in marketing in 1993 and I also lived in Boulder for a spell in the early 2000s.

I write with a heavy conscious as July 4 marked the warmest recorded temperature day in modern history on Earth. We need to re-think the consequences of our fossil fuel and environmental management as soon as possible.

There are numerous secondary factors in the consideration of global warming. The asphalt surfaces that surround a community have been known to create an urban heat island effect, but little research pertains to that asphalt’s effect on warming rainwater that falls from the sky. Our home temperatures also warm the plumbing inside the home and the discharge of wastewater from dishwashers, showers and washing machines warms the water we use and return to the environment. Warmer water in the environment means less heating is necessary to evaporate that water and despite the positive benefits to atmospheric moisture, water vapor is a greenhouse gas. Heat and moisture that escapes from homes through cracks and inefficient windows plus the opening and closing of doors further releases warm, moist air that probably contributes to warming. Roofs that are dark-colored and attic spaces that retain heat, especially in the summertime, radiate that heat into the atmosphere long after the sun has set. Furthermore, our vehicles, where the inside temperature can warm to over 130 degrees radiate that heat well after dark and might warm rainwater that falls upon them.

Reimagining the world of the future without catastrophic change requires people, especially in progressive communities like Boulder, to devise more effective roofs, roads and reflective painted surfaces to minimize all the causes of global warming. While I have long since lost touch with the academic community in Boulder, I regularly keep tabs on the news from that part of Colorado and hope Boulder County continues to be in the vanguard of climate awareness advocates. With increases in average temperatures, we will probably not only see increases in the meteorological extremes, but increases in foodborne illness from sitting out too long, an increase in heat-related human injuries, and decreases in the productivity of electronics and mechanical devices. Sea-level rises that inundate communities will expose coastal infrastructure to ocean advances that further increase the metals and pollutants found in seawater.

While this may seem beyond the realm of comprehension, without communities that proactively seek solutions on the local, regional and global levels, we may find ourselves held back by the inertia of events that appear to be transpiring. Kudos to all those in the Boulder community, academic and otherwise, that are still seeking alternatives to the looming disaster through research, education and transforming business.

I’m proud to call Boulder home for part of my life.

Willis Lambertson is a former Boulder resident. Lambertson lives in Lake Barrington, Illinois.