I Want YOU To Join The U.S. Climate Protection Movement
As I am sure you all know, the recent UN climate report estimated that in order to prevent the WORST possible outcomes of global warming, we have until 2030 to limit our greenhouse gas emissions by 45% and until 2050 to bring our emissions to net zero. If we fail to meet these requirements, there is no hope left for our species, or our world. That first deadline comes in just 11 years. It’s not about saving our grandchildren anymore, it’s about saving ourselves.
People always remark that it is up to my generation to make things right. But my generation does not have time. In 11 years, I will be 27, barely starting my career, and it will already be too late to turn things around. It’s up to us. We only have 11 years left, so let us make them count. Let us give it our all, and put up a fight. Because once our emissions are past the tipping point, we cannot go back. Our chance is now. Every living person has a responsibility to do their part, no matter how small.
But unfortunately, some people still don’t see that surviving as a species will involve major lifestyle changes. They are okay with recycling every once in a while, but don’t want to commit to remodeling the way we commute. They could tolerate a few more bike lanes, but they wouldn’t use them. But the thing is, we all need to realize that life will be very different in the future. That is a fact. It is our choice whether we want to welcome that difference by adapting to tougher policies, or to perish from it. We need to realize the urgency of this situation and not be afraid to take action.
So get involved in your community. You don’t have to become Greta Thunberg, but you can join a local protest group, or organize community education events. We have another strike coming up on September 20th, and this time, adults across the globe will be joining kids, and the world will strike from work and school. So join us in San Jose!
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other ways to get involved. Whatever career you have chosen, there is always a way to weave in your activism. If you are a teacher, educate your students about the Climate Crisis, and offer extra credit for them to attend protests. If you work in a business, turn your company in a more sustainable direction. Besides, this is Silicon Valley. We surely have the power to revolutionize the sustainable energy industry, and make money doing it too. Forbes Magazine predicts that the the United States’ renewable energy business is worth 3 trillion dollars. Anyone want to cash in?
Next, please explain to that cousin who thinks that global warming is a hoax, that Climate Change doesn’t mean that you can’t form a snowball, it means that the global temperature is rising.
Finally, vote! I cannot stress this enough, we all need to vote! And vote for someone who is taking the climate crisis seriously enough to talk about it at length and make a concrete action plan! Because it doesn’t really matter how many plastic bottles we recycle, or compost bins we start if someone in the capitol or the white house is actively screwing us over! 31% of millennials voted in the midterms, and that was a record breaking turnout! We can do better than this!
Because in some places, people are already taking the initiative to put convert their ideas into actions. Bikers make up 40% of commuters in Copenhagen, and streets in Pontevedra, Spain, have been designed for pedestrians. Vertical gardens are commonplace in Singaporean cities, and in Portland, Oregon, public transport is mostly free! In Amsterdam, their multi-level parking garages are not for cars, they’re for bikes. And every day they are full to the brim. Not to mention, pretty much every 1st world country but the United States has high speed rail.
This could be like the moon race; countries racing to be the first to prove the extent of their technological innovation. Climate Change will be the struggle that defines every generation alive today. While the “greatest generation” had to stand up and tackle two world wars head on, we now have no other choice but to bear the burden of the cards we have been dealt, and fight for our futures. So I invite you to imagine a better future.
Look at this from a patriotic standpoint, and do your part for our country. Do your part for our world. I want you to join the US Climate Protection Movement.
