It would be nice to say Earth Day was inspiring. In fact, I wish I could ramble on right now about the blooming trees dressing pretty for Arbor Day. Or even how recent children’s books about loving all the weird, mysterious, and interesting parts of the Earth.
But no. Now I’m stuck on a thought train prompted by a climate change course that I’m trying to finish. Because the reality is that things are a lot darker than we admit them to be. Man it took me forever to find the right pages of the Paris Agreement and the US INDCs, but after several hours, I got there. But that is not where my pain lies.
Reality
While I had a lot of difficulty to find the right page for the USA’s contribution to INDCs, or other targets, the research would have led me to a particular depressing truth: America, at the top most level, is just not investing in any mitigation and adaptation strategies. In fact, we seem to be dismantling crucial elements for regional communities survival. We have kneecapped NOAH, and accurate meteorology reports; therefore greatly reducing early warning systems in areas, such as our Tornado Valley. Even small public broadcasting systems, which are the best source for local weather and warning systems, are being gutted and underfunded. Grants have been pulled, researches are dependent on relationships, and previous contracts have been terminated, with the pretty windmills shipped back. To say our nation has fallen behind on climate response is a severe understatement. The best course at this moment is local and state projects. Dependent on the state, this can vary, as we cover a couple biomes. But the heart of American climate mitigation and adaptation lies within what is most wounded: our communities. If people can agree to protect each other and build for a future worth fighting for, then maybe. Just maybe, Americans could charge forward again into building hope and resilience in the fight against climate change.
While the rest of the world is still coordinated, working towards some sense of prevention and mitigation, the USA is actively dismantling the very items that will protect Americans. It is literally insane how perfectly good and stable science is being toppled just because of the bonkers “Devil’s Advocate” contrarian mindset!
“Oh but 1 in 10 scientists-“
I’m sorry, the term is literally called devil’s advocate. The devil doesn’t need you to speak to him! He is happy that you even decide to listen to him in the first place! And that, is how you get that cruel indifference in your ear. It’s not in the facts and evidence; it’s not for building towards a stronger goal or wider audience. The cruel indifference comes from the active choice to become a debater.
Or worse: a contrarian.
What good can be done if one actively chooses to simply argue everyone’s point? Are they adding to the conversation? Or are they purposefully trying to distract you from getting to active collaboration? When can we cover outlier opinions in a way that does not detract from the overall agreed science?
There is a time and place for discussing these details. But when there is a larger movement to disable a large scale response to growing disasters, the details don’t seem to matter. Playing the devil’s advocate when glacial melts are increasing, fires still blazing, and algal blooms keep looming… well at that point it sounds like you’re just paving the way for him.
Community at Heart
However this mad ramble has highlighted where I find most of my faith. I believe in the local community – those you see at church, run into at the post office, wait together on line for the grocery store. Our goodly human business, is for humankind. If we cannot look another living person in the eyes, consider their reality as we reconcile ours, then are we truly considering the best interests of humanity with our circular debates?
I have no clue what the end of the month will look like. But if this energy can be shared somehow, then maybe I’ll at least believe that we will make this mad journey together. If we are to live and love fully, then we must remember what it means to sit and listen to each other. And not the listen to get to your opinion, I mean really freaking listen.
Put down the device, pick your head up, and actually listen. Someone is talking. Sometimes it’s the birds talking. Sometimes it’s the vessels in trees talking.
This is the Earth trying to send you signals that you keep missing. So what is it, that it’s trying to tell you?