Paradise Burns
Our climate crisis aches for action
Another dateline of destruction.
Another lament for lives lost.
Another calculation of our climate’s crisis.
The images and stories out of Hawaii represent the latest horror in a summer when it has become increasingly clear there is little that can be considered normal about our aching planet — other than that increasing chaos is our new normal.
Hawaii has been hit by drought that scientists say is exacerbated by a warming planet. The islands’ forests are not accustomed to fire. They evolved amid a period of relative climatic stability. That is fast disappearing.
And that makes them especially vulnerable, just like us.
We have no choice but to face a threat that is pervasive and elusive. Weather always fluctuates, but higher global temperatures exacerbate these atmospheric conditions. We and our planet get pushed into new extremes.
The science is clear: Earth is warming, and our species is much to blame. People are suffering and dying as a result. Legions of plants and animals hurtle toward or have already tipped into extinction. And this process is accelerating.
What is less clear is how bad it will get, how quickly and how resilient we can become. Part of this uncertainty reflects the complexity of natural forces that we struggle to model. But the best available evidence shouts that the kind of world our descendants inherit is up to us.
Will we mend our ways? Will we innovate? Will we better understand?
Unfortunately, we are unprepared, not only in what we know and our ability to adapt but also in our tragic lack of will. History has shown that humans tend to react more decisively to immediate danger than to long-term challenges. We frequently tend to be selfish, short-sighted, and obstinate. We need to cultivate a spirit of collaboration and coordination among peoples and nations. Such efforts have too often proven illusive.
Our challenges would be daunting even without those who deny reality. Those who would do nothing, who bury their heads in the sand even as the sea levels rise, should be treated with the same seriousness as those who believe the many conspiracy theories rocketing around the internet. Both are a threat to our health and security. And with climate change, the danger will accelerate across the generations to come.
In Hawaii, we see charred memories and devastated families where there was previously abundant life. A historic town is burned to the ground; our past goes up in smoke as we catapult into a wavering future.
We don’t know what lies over the horizon, but perhaps we can take some lessons from the ancient Polynesian voyagers who were the first to inhabit this isolated volcanic archipelago. They understood the rhythms of nature and used them as a guide across thousands of miles of open ocean. They found ways to live in harmony with the limited resources an island had to offer. They understood that change is itself a constant.
If you have ever had the good fortune of visiting Hawaii, you know the resourcefulness of the people and their strong sense of community and family. They are already vowing to rebuild and reimagine. But this is a journey we have no choice but to join in together. There are no islands when it comes to global climate — just one small, precious, precarious planet.
Wisdom urges us to be guided by our better nature, by our intellect, and by a love for our Earth — and each other.
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This quote comes to mind:
“I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change.
I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong.
The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation.”
— James Gustave Speth
I've told my children and grandchildren anyone who will listen that the climate crisis is not "coming" it is here. The weather patterns are not a fluke, this is how it's going to be from now on. We, my generation, and those before me have allowed corrupt politicians and capitalists to destroy our planet. Willful ignorance and neglect have brought us here. The CO2 in our atmosphere will not dissipate, even if we stopped CO2 emissions entirely. Our only hope is to not make it worse. I am old, and unfortunately, I will not see any change in my lifetime. My eyes tear up when I think of what I've left to my great-grandchildren. We have an entire political party (anti-science, anti-history) that pushes willful ignorance for political gain while pocketing the 30 pieces of silver from their corporate overlords. Shame on us, Shame on us!