In Anger
Anyone who tells you global climate change is not a problem, or is not even real, is a liar. Science, something we once believed in and used as a tool, says that our planet is getting warmer due to increased Green House Gases (GHGs)—partially created by us no less—in the atmosphere. However, radicals all over the United States are trying to convince people that either the Science behind this is faulty, or that there is nothing we can do anyway, or that climate change is not even a bad thing, and it is definitely not caused by us.
A radical shift is needed in dealing with this. Perhaps focusing on environmental concerns with climate change is the wrong strategy. If global warming is framed in terms of US job loss, and potential US job gain if we do something about it, or the chance for Ford and GM to stop losing money, or how Agricultural subsidies can be changed to benefit small farmers, and not just corn and soy bean seed companies, etc. then maybe something can happen.
Maybe global warming doesn’t matter to people, but having good jobs does. Maybe sea rise does not seem important to people in Colorado, but jobs and tourists at the ski-slopes do. Perhaps farmers in Iowa cannot give up their pick-up trucks, but that does not mean that Ford should just keep making as many of them…
All that is required is for everyone to just stop for a moment, look around, and decide what is important to them. For most people, they’ll probably do the right thing if culture is set up to let them do it easily. Enough sacrifice, enough bad choices. Let us do something to make sure it is easy for people to make the right choices.
Originally written and published on Better Living Through Sustainability in 2008 at some point; … This version contains some updates, revisions, and improvements as of late 2012.