Why Hope is Killing the Planet
The belief that “someone” will solve the problem is the problem.
In 2015, the world made a promise to itself: to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This goal, enshrined in the Paris Accords, was hailed as humanity’s last chance to avert the worst impacts of climate change. Yet, as of now, it’s clear we’ve already broken that promise. Global temperatures are on track to breach the 1.5°C limit not decades from now, but imminently. And this isn’t a wake-up call — it’s a eulogy for the future we thought we were saving.
Let’s dispense with the comforting lies: the planet isn’t waiting for us to act. The carbon dioxide we emit today will trap heat for centuries, and the methane leaks of the present will wreak havoc on our climate in mere decades. This isn’t a crisis we can postpone. It’s here, now, and we are woefully unprepared for the tidal wave of consequences. Yet we cling to “hopium,” a deadly delusion that there’s still time, still room for action, still a future where we can hold the line. The reality is harsher: we are past the point of no return, and the clock is no longer ticking — it’s already run out.
The Gap Between Dreams and Data
When policymakers set the 1.5°C target, it was already an aspirational goal, not a…
