Climate Action: Stop the Burn, Fuel the Hope

We should have seen it coming.

Fear, uncertainty, resignation—these alone won’t spur action to combat climate change. If we haven’t learned that from COVID, we should have learned it decades ago. But a dash of simplicity and a sprinkle of focused hope go a long way.

Red Sky at Night. West Dennis, Mass.

Climate change is scary. But recall also the fear and resignation spawned by the “energy crisis” of the 1970s, and how the practical “just-wear-a-cardigan” only multiplied those emotions.  We peddled diminished hope and lowered expectations amidst a shortage of fuel to burn, and nobody bought the message.

Now let’s tackle uncertainty:  the core science is clear, compelling, and well over a century old. Climate change is real, and it’s the burn that’s to blame. Long ago, scientists established that burning releases gases that retain heat at different rates—but they lacked satellites and supercomputers to prove global atmospheric impact. We have those now, and the data is clear. Case closed. There is no debate among scientists. It’s really that simple.

In the meantime, we’ve burned at industrial scale. Every bit of our prosperity and civilization—from cave dwellers cooking meat to modern planes, trains, and iPhones—has been singularly built upon the discovery of fire, whose colossal exploitation now threatens our survival. Yet even with the time for solutions fast running out, we still can’t sell dreaming Americans—and the non-cardigan crowd—on diminished expectations. 

So now, a sprinkle of hope:  we can promise a better tomorrow—we just can’t build it on fire! We don’t need privation, only an alternative energy.

Though it won’t be easy or cheap, we already have all the technology we need for renewable prosperity—we just need to deploy it before it’s too late! From affordable solar energy to nuclear power to electric Hummers, we have all of the accoutrements (and gadgets) for the cardigan clad (and the rest of us) to embrace sustainable living.

If we keep the science simple, and add a dollop of hope, we can acknowledge the fear and still sell solutions. But we’d best close the sale before we run down the clock.