One last wake-up call?
This super hot summer in the northern hemisphere is one of the last wake-up calls we are likely to get. Systemic change is inevitable. Will we influence this change to benefit our survival?
Summer here in our little valley is clearly winding down. Afternoons can still be quite warm, but temperatures dip at night and sweaters are welcome for the morning walk around the garden. We’ve been among the lucky in this summer of 2023: not subjected to the extended, dangerous heat across much of the globe, and (so far) escaped days of clogging, hazardous wildfire smoke. Nonetheless, this super hot summer in the northern hemisphere is one of the last wake-up calls we are likely to get.
Saving our species requires more commitment now than ever. And, dare I use the word, sacrifice. We must give up the expectation that we can go anywhere, eat anything, and toss away our waste, any time we want. “We” here refers to those of us who live in the privileged world of wealth, of private vehicles, overstocked groceries, and distant, out-of-sight-out-of-mind landfills.
And as much as that is true, our individual sacrifices won’t be enough. Systemic change is inevitable. The only question is whether we will influence this change to our species’ benefit, or whether it will occur through (more) vast destruction.
Systems that promote individual convenience at all costs will need to give way to systems in which large corporations take full responsibility for the products they make and distribute throughout their full life cycles. (And if you worry that making companies accountable for disposing of their own products and packaging will increase cost, well, check your last garbage bill. You are already paying taxes and fees to do what the companies fail to do.) Actions that benefit climate cooling will need to become supported, ubiquitous, and cheap. Think local composting, localized food production and distribution, mass transit. Actions that exacerbate climate warming need to become rare and expensive: think private vehicles, highly processed food, fossil fuels for heating and cooling.
Our transportation, waste, manufacturing, and agricultural systems are already under significant threat. Making them resilient to, and protective for, climate change is the only smart move. Any person who seeks a public leadership role needs to be vocal about this to earn our support. All elected officials are now climate officials, whether they want to be or not, just as all jobs are now climate jobs.
The time to worry, debate, and wonder is past. Now is the time for action. We know what to do, and we are truly, irrevocably, all in this fight together.
Be safe and well.