Director Barney Owl coughed up yet another pellet (indigestion?) as he propped his talons on the desk.  He’d stayed up all morning pouring over the latest ACB (Avian Census Bureau) report. “These finding can’t be right,” he hooted.  “There must be some mistake.”  So he called together his bureau chiefs.

        “This survey claims we’ve lost almost 1 of every 4 birds in North America over the past 50 years.  It says habitat loss, pesticides, insect declines and the changing climate have wiped out almost 3 billion of our friends and neighbors.  Tell me it isn’t so!” Barney pleaded.

        Melody Lark was the first to pipe up.  She reported that her grasslands are among the most threatened biomes on Earth and have a bird population decline of over 40%.  Janice Junco reported that a quarter of her flying forest friends have been lost.  And on it went with reports from the desert, arctic and coastal regions all sadly giving similar statistics.

        Finally Woody Duck lightened everyone’s spirits.  “Thanks to wetland conservation efforts waterfowl have added 34 million flyers since 1970.  Things do improve when our human friends make the effort,” Woody quacked.

        “That’s it!” Barney hooted. “Humans are the key to stabilizing our population.  We’ve got to educate them about how each individual can make a difference.”  So the ACB put together a guide for humans and posted it at 3BillionBirds.org. (Click:  7 Simple Actions)

• Make windows safer. – Add window “clings” or use other diversion methods.
• Keep cats indoors - Cats are the #1 human-caused reason for the loss of birds, aside from habitat loss.
• Reduce lawn space and add native plants.
• Reduce pesticide use.
• Drink shade-grown coffee – Look for Bird Friendly certification on your coffee package label.
• Reduce plastic use – A boatload of environmental benefits will follow.

 
        Perched in the back, Baldy Eagle hadn’t said a word, but now in his stately manner he strode to the front.  “Humans are a clever species.  They saw the damage that DDT pesticide was causing and wisely banned it in 1972.  As a result, my raptor family has expanded by 15 million members since then.  Humans know that we birds really are the ‘canaries in the coal mine,’ a sort of barometer of environmental health.  I’m confident they’ll help because this is their only home too.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

       Common Sense perched on the shoulder of ancient humankind and whispered in its ear, “Obviously, the sun revolves around the Earth.”  During the Renaissance she murmured to doctors, “Draining out the diseased patient’s bad blood by bloodletting will drain out the illness as well.”  In the 1800s, Common Sense basked in America’s abundance and practically shouted, “Limitless resources, such as the passenger pigeon, can’t possibly be exhausted.”

        In recent times Ms. Common Sense pointed to the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents and convinced most of us (this writer included) that nuclear energy as a power source is incompatible with a healthy environment.  “It’s just too risky, a possible catastrophe!” she’s warned.

        But Common Sense sometimes gives way to further analysis, scientific advancement, or actual demonstration as in the case of the now extinct passenger pigeon.  Today’s challenges over energy use and climate disruption may give us reason to question Common Sense’s former message about nuclear energy.  Could it be that catastrophic consequences would be more likely if we DON’T include sensible use of 21st century nuclear technology in our energy mix? 

       Consider a recent quillette.com article by Michael Shellenberger.  He explains that  the energy density of any fuel determines its environmental and health impacts.  Fossil fuels, for example, have very low energy density.  In contrast, uranium can produce one million times more heat per its mass than fossil fuels.

        Renewables also have weak energy flows, so they have to be spread over enormous areas.  It’s understandable that those concerned about the negative effects of fossil fuels have looked favorably toward renewables as the only and best alternative. They seem natural.  However, even in sunny California, a solar farm requires 450 times more land to produce the same amount of energy as a nuclear plant.

        What about safety?  Nuclear is arguably the best energy from an environmental perspective because it produces so little waste and its residue is contained.  Since the 1960s, every major study finds nuclear is the safest way to make reliable electricity.  (Maybe the least environmentally destructive also?)  Nuclear plants already save lives that would have been lost to air pollution.

        Wow!  Shellenberger’s argument is one big kielbasa to chew on!  In today’s energy and resource hungry world Common Sense advises, “Let’s wisely examine ALL options in building a healthy and prosperous future because this is the only home we’ll ever have.  We’re all forever… Earthbound.”