WE BELIEVE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSONAL PRONOUN IS 'I'
As Global Warming continues to accelerate, students want to know:
How are you joining me in protecting the future?
A BATHTUB ANALOGY & WHY THIS SITE WAS DEVELOPED
COVID-19 & CLIMATE CHANGE: THE INSTRUCTIVE PARALLELS
COVID-19 & CLIMATE CHANGE: THE INSTRUCTIVE PARALLELS
Background
Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, no country has emitted more global warming pollution than the United States. And now with both yearly (and cumulative) worldwide global warming pollution forecast to increase until at least 2030, an imperative for Americans to begin to change FOR climate is all the more important (not less important).
Bathtub Analogy
The increase in global warming pollution (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions) is analogous to water filling a bathtub, with the floor outside the tub representing our climate where we live at ground-level, and the water representing greenhouse gas emissions. The water (i.e., emissions) now filling the tub is increasing at an accelerating rate (i.e., the faucet is being opened wider) and is continuing to add to the total cumulative amount of water in the tub. Eventually the tub will fill with water and start to spill onto the floor - creating a climate crisis.
Thus, the term ‘existential’ climate crisis is somewhat misleading; the crisis hasn't yet arrived, but however it is approaching at an accelerating rate. So that’s why it is so important - and still worth it - to change for climate now, so that we're not compelled to change because of climate later.
Validation of the Narrative That Climate Change Is A Hoax (Or At Least, Not Worth Acting For)
It is hard to convince people of a negative and impending change in climate (caused by individual and institutional behavior) if the government doesn’t directly ask individuals to change any behaviors for the benefit of climate.
Beyond that, if it were really true that there was a negative and impending change in climate (avoidable in part by changing individual behavior) then we as Americans should expect our government to ask us to change for climate - yet this is not happening.
The lack of solicitation from government to personally act for climate only serves to foster and validate an apathetic or skeptical public on climate, which then even further disincentivizes American legislators (interested in re-election) to act as needed for climate, in a continuous cycle that to this point has had no end.
Our website, and hashtags #changeFORclimate, or #ichange4climate, aim to end this cycle.
COVID-19 & CLIMATE CHANGE: THE INSTRUCTIVE PARALLELS
COVID-19 & CLIMATE CHANGE: THE INSTRUCTIVE PARALLELS
COVID-19 & CLIMATE CHANGE: THE INSTRUCTIVE PARALLELS
Not Everyone, But Enough Did
It is fair to say that during the COVID-19 pandemic, during the times people have been wearing masks, the majority of those were doing so because they were asked to by their government to in order to stave off the worst possible impacts of COVID-19. Upon being asked, most people – specifically, enough people - listened to their government and did mask-up (and physically distance).
The government asking people to mask-up and physically distance may turn out to be what was the difference (to this point) in buying us enough time to beat the pandemic (through warding off more chances of further virulent excess mutations) before the vaccines became widely available.
But if people had not been asked en masse by their government to mask-up and physically distance when vaccines were unavailable, the outcome from the pandemic to this point may have been quite different.
In a similar way, asking people to change for climate now could turn out to be the difference in buying us enough time to stave off the worst impacts of climate change until greener technology becomes more widely available and in use.
Universal Hashtags Have Power
As we’ve seen in recent US history, hashtags have contributing power to bring social and institutional change (e.g., #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo).
A universal hashtag that anybody can do (e.g., #changeFORclimate or similar construct) could make a difference in bringing broad social and institutional change for climate.
Because change for climate now may very well make the difference in staving off the worst impacts of climate change before green technology is fully online, isn’t changing for and communicating these changes for climate to others (including those in government, social media influencers and otherwise) something we should all be doing to help normalize change for climate?
If you agree, join us and select at least four changes for climate in your own life. Once you’ve made these changes in your life, pronounce them to remind & empower others that change FOR climate is something we should be doing.