SMALL STEPS GO A LONG WAY TO EASE CLIMATE CRISIS
By Vivian LaMoore, Inaajimowin Editor
When people think about greenhouse gas emissions as causing climate change, the first thing that may pop into our heads is giant industrial factories spewing clouds of smoke and burning fuel into the air, or an over-crowded six-lane highway during bumper-to-bumper rush hour. “But it is more than that. It is everyday activities of you and I,” said Peter Okoro, the newly hired Climate Specialist with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Department of Natural Resources.
Peter Okoro is originally from Nigeria. He did his undergrad studies in China in Environmental Science for four years and in 2022 received his Master’s Degree from Madison, Wisc., in Environmental Conservation. He chose this path because “It is time to make a change in the environment,” Okoro said. He began working with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Department of Natural Resources officially in December 2023 in his role as Climate Specialist.
“We are faced with a climate crisis,” he said. “As a people, we need to adapt to this climate crisis, which we all know as climate change. My role with the Mille Lacs Band is to come up with plans and strategies within the DNR here on how we can mitigate and adapt to the climate change crisis. My main task is how I can ensure that the carbon footprint of the Mille Lacs Band is reduced.”
Okoro explained that human activities — by all of us — have contributed greatly to climate change. How does climate affect us? One example is the wild rice which has fed the bodies and spirits of the Anishinaabe people from the beginning of time. It is critical to the culture and traditions of the Mille Lacs Band. The existence of wild rice is extremely sensitive to climate change and has been affected over time by it “As years go by, the temperature keeps rising due to toxic gases. This is concerning for the existence of wild rice,” he explained.
His challenge is to find ways to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. “It is a collective effort with everyone,” Okoro said. “That is what it is going to take to change. It is going to take all of us collectively to make change. But changing the carbon footprint starts with individual behavior.”
Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels — coal, oil, or gas — causes a large chunk of the greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat, according to the United Nations Climate Action. And according to World Population Reviews, the United States is the second largest consumer of electricity in the world. China ranks number one. Coal and natural gas are energy sources that can be used directly, for example, to heat homes. But more often, energy sources are used to produce electricity, which has an almost boundless range of uses. These include heating and cooling homes, preparing food, and powering a vast array of modern devices that we use daily, from cell phones and computers, to satellites and medical equipment, and more.
“Electricity consumption is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions,” Okoro said. So to reduce that carbon footprint, Okoro said, “First of all, we should all find ways to conserve energy.”
That may include simple small steps of turning off lights and appliances when not in use, turning down the heat a degree or two and opening windows in lieu of running the AC, unplugging charging cords when not in use, turning off computers and other electronics when not in use, etc. Another thing we can all do to help reduce the carbon footprint Okoro said is to “form habits of recycling plastic, reducing plastic use, and reducing paper waste. Limiting the use of plastic bottles and bags can go a long way.”
Okoro continued saying that a third idea to reduce individual carbon footprints is to “reduce our mileage. While transportation is a necessity, we can work on ways to reduce the miles we take on a daily basis.” Some ideas are to rideshare when possible for meetings, consolidate shopping trips, take better routes, use public transport when possible, and keep on track with vehicle maintenance.
Reducing the carbon footprint is up to each of us. “It is collectively our everyday actions, it is you and I, it is what we do at home, at the office, and at school that contribute to climate change. The more we can do to increase awareness as individuals, the better we all do,” Okoro said.
Nigeria is located on the western coast of Africa with its southernmost border touching the Atlantic Ocean. While the landmass is a bit larger than the state of Texas, at roughly 347,000 sq. miles, it holds a population of over 230 million people. It is very cultural and diverse, with over 250 tribes. Although English is the national language, over 500 regional languages are also spoken. The climate characteristics in Nigeria are classified as tropical, Okora said. “It is characterized by just two seasons — the rainy season and the wet season.”
However, he grew up in the south-Saharan Africa, where they were continuously affected by drought. “I was impacted directly by climate change. Going into the environmental field, I decided I have to make a change in whichever way I could. That is my biggest motivation for getting into environmental studies is to learn how I can make an impact. I took interest in climate change, mitigation, and adaptation and that is how I found myself here. I believe greenhouse gases are one of the major issues that contribute to climate change. And this is the reason why I am here today. To make those changes to save our planet. But it is a collective effort with everyone. That is what it is going to take to change. Changing the carbon footprint starts with individual behavior.”