Growing Trees Now an Ethical Imperative

Editor,

It is established science and public policy in California that a global climate disaster is coming, caused by atmospheric carbon, which will make one-third of the species on earth extinct during the lifetimes of the children in Laguna Beach elementary schools. Orange County has already lost 50 percent of its bird population. The question is what can we do in Laguna Beach to help mitigate the disaster? The National Academy of Sciences says that humanity has about 10 years left to lessen the damage to manageable levels. The California Urban Forestry Act says to reduce emissions and plant large trees to provide shade and sequester carbon — and do it now.

In Laguna Beach, however, the public focus is not about the future of children growing up to live in a world so degraded for human habitation that our generation won’t recognize it; rather, it’s about current ocean-view greed, which has become politically chic and profitable in Laguna Beach. City Council declared a “right” to an ocean view and made it a criminal offense for Lagunans to practice urban forestry, ($1,000 per day fine and six months in jail) in direct contradiction to state and federal policy and law, which do not recognize a “right” to an ocean view.

Now Pope Francis has weighed in declaring that combating global warming is a “moral and ethical imperative,” and he specifically called for a halt to the destruction of trees.

No one has ever died from lacking a big-bucks ocean view. The World Heath Organization says that tens of millions will die in poor countries in the coming decades from flooding, disease, and malnutrition caused by climate change. Paul Ehrlich of Stanford says that, “We are sawing off the limb that we are sitting on.”

Will we Lagunans look down our noses and flaunt our ocean views, telling scientists, policy makers, and theologians that we are entitled because city council says so? Will we tell them that their priorities are wrong and that what is most important is home equity and having your friends envy your ocean view? That’s precisely what our city council has legislated.

Is there a middle ground? Actually, no. The Urban Forestry Program calls for growing shade trees as large as possible to sequester carbon and stop landslides, and it gives free trees to Californians. Join the program, and do your part.

David Pahnos, Laguna Beach