365 Days of Climate Awareness 366 – Conclusion

So, here we are! At the end of a year (plus a few days) of daily blurbs on science, climate, and climate’s impact on human life. When I think of the global situation, such as I’ve seen and learned of it, I think it’s grim but far from hopeless. We worry that, collectively, we humans can’t overcome our own natures to always want more. Even when it seems at times that most of the problem in global warming comes from a small subset of profiteers, even that is not entirely complete or honest. To borrow from a (REALLY) old Doonesbury cartoon, most of us don’t have the ability to create a massive oil shortage with a single phone call. Individually we don’t have that kind of influence. But collectively, we might.  

We certainly don’t have much time. A number of climate scientists have said that the next ten years will tell the story on whether our society can survive global warming mostly intact, or else suffer widespread, possibly catastrophic damage. As the IPCC’s latest report describes, averting global warming disaster will require effort around the globe, from the international down to the local levels. The political and economic realities are what they are. We can’t afford to fail.

G.B. Trudeau, "Doonesbury", 1979.

A little over a year ago I was invited to give a talk about global warming. I was a little haphazard, and tried to include too much (my usual problem). But at the end, one person asked, “What can I do, in my own daily living?” An excellent question which has usually frustrating, unglamorous answers. Mine that day:

1. Reduce
2. Reuse
3. Recycle

That’s a well-worn mantra by this point, but of those three, (1) Reduce is by far the most important. Reducing our consumption, in every way we can, is the biggest single key to averting catastrophe, and it’s something we each have the power to do.

I was struck by the four climate adaptation “enablers” published by the US Department of Defense:

1. Continuous monitoring and data analytics;
2. Incentives to reward innovation;
3. A climate-literate military work force;
4. Environmental justice.

As well as the five lines of effort:

1. Climate-informed decision-making;
2. Training and equipping a climate-ready force (i.e. prepared to handle environmental extremes);
3. Resilient infrastructure;
4. Supply chain resilience and innovation;
5. Enhancement of adaptation and resilience through collaboration.

In applying these principles to civilian life, among the enablers I find (3) A climate-literate populace the most important. In writing this series, I’ve tried to help make this more of a reality, by raising not just “awareness”, but people’s knowledge levels about the world around us, so we can all engage more meaningfully with others and make more informed decisions. Among the lines of effort, on an individual basis, I find (1) Climate-informed decisions in our daily lives, and (5) Adaptation and resilience through collaboration to mean the most.  

G.B. Trudeau, "Doonesbury", 1979.

I lost my home in the oil downturn a few years ago—yes, I’ve worked for oil companies offshore, even as I pursue a career in renewables—so I don’t own my own land right now. (How many more of us can say the same?) But I still think of myself as a survivalist at heart. A family member snickered at me once for saying that, but he has a very different definition from mine. My version of survivalism? A warm, dry house, enough land for a garden, access to water and wood, a library and some musical instruments, some basic hand tools, family and plenty of friends nearby. (I do still have the library, just packed in boxes for now, and three beautiful children.) Personal readiness is important, but community is everything. And thinking communally leads in short order to climate-conscious decision-making.

This is not to say we’re conceding the fight! Everything comes down to this November: whether we still have something like a democratic republic, and all the aspects of life which depend on that. Call, knock on doors, write, do what you can to ensure victory for Democrats this fall, so we can keep moving toward a more just future. Fighting climate change is only one, though perhaps the largest, in a whole range of issues we’re fighting for. Now is the time to steady ourselves with some deep breaths, and make the charge to win, so we can keep moving toward the future we hope for.

We are our own best hope. Let’s take care of each other.

Be brave, be steadfast, be well, and be generous with your love.