Earth Day 2021: Passing on a Cleaner World

MIDWAY, Utah, April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Preserving the beauty and wonder of our natural world for future generations should certainly be a goal everyone can get behind. While progress is often stymied by polarizing debates, clean air and water should be a priority for everyone.

"We all want to pass on a clean and healthy world," says Bill Pekny author of A Tale of Two Climates: One Real, One Imaginary (Two Climates LLC, 2020, ISBN: 978-1-73493-960-6, $34.59). "But the science is confusing to the average person, and it can be easy to get lost in the details. Meanwhile, instead of focusing on the fruit closest to the ground we waste our energy trying to convince 'the other side' to see things our way."

Pekny, who holds M.S. and B.S. degrees from Georgia Tech and DePaul and spent more than 50 years as a scientist in the U.S. Armed Forces and aerospace industry, wants to help demystify the science and help people understand what they can do to help. He says we should focus on combatting pollution in meaningful ways that are right in front of us instead of getting lost in debate that often just produces gridlock. 

"Small, incremental changes can get us moving toward bigger changes in the future," he says. "People will start seeing the benefits right away. These little victories can generate some real momentum and get people excited about working toward a cleaner world."

With that in mind, here are five ways to fight pollution that we can all get behind. Pekny offers these ideas that could pack a big punch in our quest for clean air and water.

1. Focus our efforts on pollution mitigation. All too often we get caught up on reducing carbon emissions in the abstract, and it can distract from other more meaningful ways to fight air pollution. Plus, getting rid of CO2 won't help reduce other toxic pollutants.
   
   
2. Manage forests better to minimize wildfires and resultant smoke (PM2.5) pollution. This includes controlled burns, managed logging operations, and preemptive thinning and removal of underbrush that fuel wildfires. This is a wise step, since trees usually leave the forest in only two ways—lumber or smoke!
   
   
3. Place more emphasis on walking trails, biking trails, car-pooling, and public transportation in order to reduce vehicle pollutant emissions.
   
   
4. Build more firebreak and logging roads. These roads improve accessibility to fire prone areas and gives us greater ability to inspect remote power lines (a frequent source of wildfires). 
   
   
5. Fund life cycle research and development of safe modular nuclear reactors and the geothermal fracking process. These have the potential to be flexible, reliable, and continuous sources of clean energy.

"The natural beauty of our planet is incredible," says Pekny. "My hope is that everyone will gain and enjoy a greater understanding of how we can work together to preserve this natural beauty for future generations." 

About the Author:
Bill Pekny is the author of A Tale of Two Climates: One Real, One Imaginary. He holds physics M.S. and B.S. degrees from Georgia Tech and DePaul University, plus graduate study in physical meteorology and numerical analysis at Florida State University and the University of Utah, and a visiting scholar appointment at the Ginzton Laboratory of Applied Physics at Stanford University.

Bill's career in science spans over 50 years in the U.S. Armed Forces and the aerospace industry.

His career highlights include: Project Stormfury with the U.S. Navy Hurricane Hunters; applied atmospheric physics and meteorology research; LASER RADAR development; new product testing in various atmospheric environments; aviation optics and electronics; global climate research; and more.

About the Book:
A Tale of Two Climates: One Real, One Imaginary (Two Climates LLC, 2020, ISBN: 978-1-73493-960-6, $34.59) is available from major online booksellers.

For an interview with Bill Pekny please contact Dottie DeHart, DeHart & Company Public  Relations, at (828) 325-4966 or [email protected].

Contact
Dottie DeHart
DeHart & Company Public Relations
828-325-4966
[email protected]

SOURCE Bill Pekny