Every since I can remember, all I have ever wanted to do is grow up. I wanted to have a job, to have my own money. I wanted a home, a spouse, and kids, maybe even a dog (or four). But now the likelihood of any of that happening is slim to none. And that is f*cking scary. This is no Halloween ghost story–this is the reality of life in the 21st century.
On Monday October 8th, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) released an ominously honest report on the state of the climate change crisis. Basically what they said is that we have 12 years to keep Earth’s temperature from rising 1.5 degrees C. We must cut greenhouse gas emission by 45% and achieve zero emissions by 2050. The 2015 Paris Agreement had the ambition of limiting global warming to this golden number of 1.5 degrees C. However, it won’t come into effect until 2020. Since Donald Trump took office the US has all but pulled out of the Agreement, rejecting the efforts to reduce global warming in favor of the Trump Administration’s “America First Policy”. This means that the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases (USA) is doing nothing, officially, to reduce those effects. Right after the report was released, Donald Trump expressed his doubt of its validity, “It was given to me. And I want to look at who drew it. You know, which group drew it. I can give you reports that are fabulous and I can give you reports that aren’t so good.” I honestly think someone drew him a picture to try and summarize this 700 page report contributed to by over 100 scientists and reviewed by 1,000 because there is no way he read even the abstract.
We have a little over 2 years until another administration (I hope) will be sworn into the Presidency. But that leaves us as a nation with only 10 years to make a massive change in how we exist on a daily basis. Not to mention that the other 8 billion people on Earth have to change as well. Even if I was a gambling man, I would not take those odds.
I have to cut myself off there, because I really hate being pessimistic. My moto is, “everything will work out fine,” and I have to tell myself that at least a hundred times a day. In my whole life, though, nothing seemingly hopeless stayed that way for long. Because everything DOES work out fine, the universe has this spectacular ability to always balance itself out. As a great man once said,“happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”. So here is some happiness and light…
First, probability tells me that if I care about this, there most certainly are other people in this world who care as well. I am not alone; none of us are. There are so many ways that people support each other in growing individual environmental friendliness. Change does not need to come in the form of an executive order or federal mandate. Buy stainless steel straws, bring your own bags and containers to the grocery store, “reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot”, walk everywhere you can and take public transit everywhere else, eat local, try vegetarianism, or veganism, do anything, but please don’t just sit around feeling sorry for us all.
Second, we all hold an unmatched and often untapped capacity to change the world. Our right to vote. Every single one of us can make our voices heard, effect real change, and manifest the future we want by voting. If I have said it once, I’ve said it a million times, but I will say it a million times more until my throat goes dry: VOTE! Not just in the Presidential election but in every single election, on every single ballot. VOTE!
Third, we all hold currency in society as consumers. You can make the choice of what you buy, who you buy it from, and who you invest your money in. There are two side of it, first, boycotting companies that pollute our planet and misuse resources and second, supporting companies that do care, that do take serious steps to being the best they can for all of our futures. Also sign petitions to force these companies to acknowledge changing public opinions, look at what it has done for the minimum wages of Amazon workers. If the government is not going to force change then we the people have to. You can also absolutely send letters to the CEOs, CFOs, and other executives of companies that are fueling the Earth’s destruction. Be completely honest with them and do not give up, be that little voice in the back of their mind appealing to their humanity. Just this year, because of public pressure, Seattle University has moved to divest from fossil fuels and uses almost exclusively recyclable or compostable food packaging.
Fourth, we now have a deadline for our goals in life. As a card carrying professional procrastinator, deadlines are a godsend. So you have 12 years to not just be a good person but be the best damn person you can. Smile at everyone you walk past, hold the door open for the person walking behind you, give up your seat on the bus, carry a few dollars in your back pocket so that if you see someone on the street asking for help you can give it, volunteer in your community, or make just one person smile every day. (I leave little notes hidden in my best friend’s clothes, backpack, and room, or sometimes I just hand them to her or bring her flowers I find on the way to class because there is nothing in this world that makes me happier than seeing her smile).
Finally, enjoy the little things. Look up from your phone or computer and see what a beautiful world we have. Every morning, when I walk to class, I look up the hill at the two white steeples on the old red brick Catholic church, the morning light catches just so and they glow orange backed by a misty pink sky. I try to memorize every inch of my baby cousin’s face, the sound of her laughter, the way her nose scrunches up when she focuses. I like to take a really deep breath after my first bite of dinner, savoring the flavors, holding onto the moment, the pure joy of such simplicity. I crave the look in the eyes of my students when that “aha” moment happens and a little light goes on in their head because their world view just grew a hundred fold.
I suppose that is the key to it all, my love of life. That passion is what fuels my fire, what keeps me persevering. I will always hold out hope that we humans are better than we first appear. We have 12 years to make a change and we got this.