Pakistan is experiencing horrible flooding. Newspapers are mentioning it but the magnitude of the tragedy is not really making the headlines of US papers. The floods are impacting over 33 million people and there is more rain to come. It is a tragedy of incomprehensible dimensions. Flood water and displaced people combined with heat, is likely to breed more disease and public health officials are concerned.
Scientists announced that the Greenland ice sheet melting means at least a 10 inch sea level rise will occur regardless of what we do to limit our carbon emissions going forward.
This weekend (Labor Day Weekend) the US will experience yet another extreme heat event on the west coast. There is concern this will result in wildfires.
It is a lot to take in all the news about climate change. I admit it is easier to turn the other way, especially because almost none of us live a carbon neutral life. There is guilt. I get an Amazon package with something I need and toss away the plastic bubble envelope and I feel guilt. There is also a feeling of powerlessness. There is fear.
But I am always surprised when I tell people I feel morally conflicted about flying right now and moving forward I am not sure I will ever fly again. I tend to get vacant stares and comments about how of course I will fly again and how we need to live our lives. But what if living our best lives means we are destroying the lives for the children. I look at my three amazing grand daughters. Roen with all her curiosity and desire to explore and learn about the world, Maeve with her energy and enthusiasm for life and Nikko with her intense observation, humor and meticulous logic. Don’t they deserve a world that is not burning? Will they have a safe place to live as adults? Will there still be honeybees and ants and “hipmunks” in backyards? Why should adults need to travel be a priority given that it plays a role in destroying our children’s futures. And yes if we all stopped flying it would not be enough. Much needs to be done to shift our planet from a consumption capitalist system to a world that lives more in harmony with nature. None of us alone has the power to make much of a dent in this problem.
The first step is acknowledging “WE HAVE A PROBLEM” and then we can collectively work the problem rather than just assuming there is nothing we can do.