- September 16, 2013
- in Green Tips
- by marcos
- 815
- 0
"Suppose you've just sat down in a crisply air-conditioned movie theater. Why not take the length of a preview or two to consider the building's massive carbon footprint? Imagine those greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere, disrupting ecosystems and causing infectious diseases to spread rampantly, particularly in regions of the world where the poorest people live. Visualize massive storm systems cutting widespread swaths of destruction. Think of your children's children dying horrible, unnecessary deaths."
That was from The Onion in a beautiful piece that nails the dilemma of tackling climate change. Call it eco-anxiety, when, as individuals, we face the existential threat of climate change but are continually reminded that everything we do contributes to the problem.
What can you do?
Christopher Mims at Grist comments: "Without ever explaining itself, this Onion article points to exactly the result we've arrived at today in the U.S.: learned helplessness among those who are educated about climate change, which happens to resemble just the sort of inaction denialists and delayers prefer. Meanwhile, what can we do? We're not policymakers or engineers, most of us. Vote? In a political system so decrepit it feels like only a complete reboot could solve its underlying issues?"
Exactly- and with the likes of Gov. Rick Perry out campaigning as his state burns, what can you do?