The recently released draft report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) paints a grim picture of planet Earth in the days ahead. The main point is that humans have waited so long to curb emissions that a hotter future is essentially locked in, as are more droughts, more forest fires, more crippling heat waves, more sea-level rise, and more floods. Moreover, the greenhouse gases that we have already pumped into the atmosphere will stay there a long time, inflicting misery for years to come. Continuing to pour greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere will create a domino effect of changes that will have severe consequences for humanity.
The report’s conclusion is unmistakable: we must act now. Historically, America has always managed to pull together when faced with serious issues. Still, judging by the level of intelligence on display by a hefty percentage of our politicians and citizens in response to the Covid pandemic and the 2020 election results, I have my doubts that we are up to dealing with climate change on a national level. Yes, many states, cities, groups, companies, and individuals are making serious efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses, but it is not enough, and the clock is now against us.
For too long, we as a nation and individuals were indifferent, or worse, complained that installing solar and wind energy, driving electric cars, buying local organic food, or conserving energy, were inconvenient, expensive, or unreasonable. Now, the IPCC report exposes the fallacy of our short-sighted attitude, as we are all about to be inconvenienced, shaken financially, and victims of life-threatening “natural” disasters.
However, now is not the time to give in to gloom and doom, despair, hand wringing, or giving up. It is time for each of us to acknowledge climate change and eliminate fossil fuels from our daily lives by 2030. It is time to prepare ourselves for the inevitable.
