A Southern perspective

By Jim Roth | Phillips Murrah P.C. | The Journal Record

[ MARCH 8, 2010 - OKLAHOMA CITY, OK ] - When we think of the “South,” it’s natural that we Americans think of that southern region of our country often described by its sunbirds, fried food and warmer weather. It’s also likely that we think of conservative life and traditional political and social issues, including energy and environmental policies. These stereotypes exist for a reason.

I’ve recently learned of another “Southern perspective” that reminds me that we are citizens of one world and that action somewhere affects all of us elsewhere.

For the first time in my life, this past month I traveled to the Southern Hemisphere. Yes, that half of the globe on the south side of the equator. That’s more than a few miles south of our Mason-Dixon line. In fact, it’s two airlines, four airports, 17 time zones and 24 hours of travel south of my home in Oklahoma, USA.

And what beautiful places I found in the countrysides of New Zealand. Lush green hillsides and deep blue waters dominate the islands of New Zealand, a country of about 4 million people and 40 million sheep. Rugby and sport is king there, but so too is an awareness of the world in which they live. I was particularly impressed by the cleanliness of the cities, where recycle cans exist alongside every street corner’s “rubbish can.” Their British heritage adds a formality to life in New Zealand and the beauty of the land adds an awareness of the environment in which they live. A fleet of Prius taxis are everywhere, coupled with a bus system powered by clean-burning natural gas. Mass transportation is a real option for commuters and the open countryside is just a short ride away, where lush green hills and meadows seemingly abound sea to sea.

A reality that does not appear on any travel brochure is the fact that New Zealand’s location is currently south of the receding ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere. You read that right. These citizens wake up each day south of that protective layer that is discussed in most of the world as a theoretical issue debated by politicians. It’s real to them, as New Zealand leads the world in incidents of skin cancer in humans.

The ozone layer in the Earth’s stratosphere has depleted at a steady decline of about 4 percent per decade in its total volume since the late 1970s, and a much larger, but seasonal, decrease has occurred in the stratospheric ozone over the Earth’s polar regions during the same period. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as the ozone hole and some of the largest ozone holes have been recorded in recent years.

According to New Zealand’s governmental agencies, the ozone layer sits about 15 to 30 kilometers above the Earth and reduces the amount of dangerous ultraviolet light that reaches the Earth from the sun. Too much ultraviolet light can cause skin cancer and cataracts in people; it also distorts plant growth, damages the marine environment, and leads to the breakdown of materials such as plastics.

Global warming and ozone depletion are two distinct but interrelated issues.

Global warming occurs in the troposphere, or lower atmosphere. Global warming is caused by a relatively wide range of “greenhouse” gases, many of which are natural (although frequently occurring as a byproduct of human activity such as farming, and energy and industrial production).

The ozone layer is found in the upper atmosphere, or stratosphere. Ozone-depleting substances are a small range of manmade substances, for which alternatives are reasonably readily available.

There are some important links between global warning and ozone depletion. The ozone layer is vital for our survival and well-being. Man-made substances damage the ozone layer.

The environmental awareness is palatable. Hotel operators and shop owners warn tourists to wear hats, use sunscreen and stay inside whenever possible. Its sad advice when you consider their “outside” is some of the prettiest places anywhere in the whole Earth.

It’s my hope that citizens of the world take the environmental challenges of our time seriously and begin to set Mother Earth on a course to make her whole. That would be a good day from any perspective: south, north, east or west.

Jim Roth, a former Oklahoma corporation commissioner, is an attorney with Phillips Murrah P.C. in Oklahoma City, where his practice focuses on clean, green energy for Oklahoma.