Humans are killing the planet, and we seem unable to stop. But hey, nobody's perfect.
A recent report shows that since the 1970s our actions have caused the deaths of 60% of invertebrates. And the news is not good for insects, either.
Humanity is facing the most extreme challenges in 200,000 years, and no one seems worried enough to take any kind of meaningful and collective evasive action.
“We have known for many, many years that we are driving the planet to the very brink. This is not a doom and gloom story; it is reality.
Our day-to-day life, health and livelihoods depend on a healthy planet. There cannot be a healthy, happy and prosperous future for people on a planet with a destabilized climate, depleted oceans and rivers, degraded land and empty forests, all stripped of biodiversity, the web of life.”
- Marco Lambertini, director general of the WWF
The majority reaction is that "nobody's perfect", and that we will just have to ride this thing out and see what happens. Too bad about all the extinctions.
That is the all-too convenient truth, and it overrides all the inconvenient truths confronting us.
We are far from perfect, but approaching perfection is a goal we should continually strive toward. If we did, we could tackle all our challenges with creative, life-enhancing solutions. For a dumb species, we can be pretty smart when we want to, or when faced with imminent death.
We CAN do better, and we will have to. If we fail to act, and soon, before long it will be human populations crashing.
There is nothing convenient about that.
It's too inconvenient for most people to do anything to help stop this runaway climate issue from becoming an even bigger cluster f*ck than it already is. I'm stunned by how many deniers there are and even more concerned by those around me who have heard all the urgent findings recently and seem.... paralysed to help do anything about it. It's sad but ya know, business as usual. Gotta make a buck, keep the bills paid and take little Johnny to swimming lessons. The global warming issue can wait. I don't understand why the world can't just put aside other issues to actively address the one issue that's literally a matter of life and death for all of us (and future generations). It's easy to feel helpless and hard to make changes. Society has come together globally before though (think WW2 and rationing/dig for victory). Surely you'd think we could look at ito priorities and do something again?!
ReplyDeleteI think that cluster f*ck describes our situation perfectly. Humanity's reaction, I think, has less to do with intelligence and more to do with the intense propaganda that has been levelled at us unceasingly since the Industrial Revolution began. And probably even before that.
DeleteYou have to be a rebellious sort to come away from a lifetime of lies from the top, unscathed, and still be willing to fight for what you believe is right. I guess there aren't that many rebels around, or at least not enough. Yet.
It does appear that our numbers are growing (mostly among the younger set that aren't totally inculcated yet).
I celebrate all the rebels, such as yourself Karen, that drop by here and participate in helping others make more appropriate choices for these trouble times.
Thank you! You all give me hope.
I do what I can and I try to encourage others to reuse, restore and recycle.
ReplyDeleteJust think - when people are ready for change, you will be ready to help them. As Marla has said in this comment section before, "In times of trouble, look for the helpers. They are always around." That could be us!
Deletenice bro ny-notes.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHey, Eric. I enjoyed reading some of your notes. Thanks for the link.
DeleteI despair. I try not to, but I do.
ReplyDeleteThese are desperate times. But I do believe that humanity has what it takes to survive. People like yourself (and so many others that drop by here) will be ready to lead the way.
DeleteToday is Election Day . We can hope for a bit of change.
ReplyDeleteWe sincerely wish you all good luck with the outcome. What happens tonight will affect us all is one way or another.
DeleteIt's almost 5 pm here in Texas and we are about to see what the East Coast has going on in election results. A nail-biting time, to be sure!!
ReplyDeleteOur Democratic Senate candidate, Beto O'Rourke has a rock-solid message of communication, partnership, love, accountability, and CHANGE. And boy, do we all need that. So many of us have volunteered to knock on doors, call people, and get the word out. It has been a beautiful thing!
As a side note, I drive an older Prius sporting several progressive stickers on its bumper, including my "We All Live Downstream" bumpersticker, which sums things beautifully. And I have been repeatedly harassed and bullied by the drivers of large trucks while going to and fro. It doesn't bother me, as I don't think these people would be so aggressive and angry toward my message of peace and environmental protection if they didn't feel scared and threatened. So I keep putting my message out there. Yes, I am one person. But when many individuals speak truth and defend our precious biodiversity and the sanctity of all living creatures, it turns into a wave of sanity and change.
I am not one to pray for specific things, but I sure am praying for a Democratic wave tonight! And so many of my fellow-Texans feel the same way. We must show up, step up, and speak up for our planet and ourselves! Thanks for the opportunity to think more about all of this, Gregg and Linda. Peace.
Thanks for the real-time update. We are watching this closely as we will all be affected by the outcome. Love the bumper sticker. So true. Thanks for all your work.
DeleteI think everyone in the world is praying for a democratic victory Erin. I don't pretend to understand American politics but I know a lemon (or an orange) when I see one.
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, lemons abound!
DeleteOur Beto didn't win, but he was SO CLOSE!! And I live in the (formerly) most conservative county in the country. Guess what? We went BLUE last night!!! So while I am disappointed that Beto didn't win, I am heartened and thrilled that real change is happening.
Plus, we all think Beto will run for President, and we couldn't be more supportive of him. The courage and hard work of me and my fellow Texans make me proud. :)
And the rest of the country had really great Democratic gains - so that means more environmental protections in the Congress! Finally! Plus women, people of color, and LGBTQ candidates all rose up and won. We have a lot more work to do ahead, but Americans have spoken in this election and we are ready for CHANGE, sanity, and love. Period. Bring on 2020!
Yes I was following it all and thrilled to see the Democrats won the house. It was sort close for the Senate too by the look of it? It's a lot more complicated than our politics but you should be heartened. It's a really good start!
DeleteThanks, Karen! Yes our Senate is not a true democracy, so states with small populations like Idaho have the same amount of representation as do states with giant populations, like California or Texas. We didn't expect to take back the Senate, though that would have been like a dream. The important thing is that we have the House, which mean D.T. can't pass any legislation without the House Democats "okay." That is HUGE!! We finally can check his outrageous and dangerous actions.
DeleteAnd we have a lot of Democratic governors across the country now, so each state will become more progressive! This is a true "blue wave" and we must keep up our momentum going into the presidential race.
On a related note, I just read that California passed a law protecting farm (meat and egg) animals, and Florida is phasing out Greyhound racing. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/11/7/18071246/midterms-amendment-13-proposition-12-california-florida-animal-welfare
Now, everyone needs to get on the Climate Change action train, for real!! I know, I am preaching to the choir here. ;)
Erin,
DeleteThanks for sharing the good news. So many awesome things happened that raise my hope level substantially. Like Florida voting to restore voting rights to those convicted of a felony (like someone that releases helium balloons into the atmosphere - yup, a felony charge).
There is so much potential in your beautiful country. Would love to see all of that unleashed in a massive creative movement that transforms the way the world works. And tackles things like climate change at the same time.
I'm chiming in here very late but want to say how much I enjoyed reading these comments! Love hearing from so many in different countries!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing a Snoopy Happy Dance!
Erin, I too wanted Beto to win, I love the guy! A lot of us in South Carolina were watching him. Loved that he didn't take one single drop of money from the control freaks aka Super Pacs. I don't think we've seen the last of him. He will be back. I feel certain he would have won if it were not for Newt Gingrich's gerrymandering scheme to guarantee Republicans to win all over the place from local to states to U.S. seats. We've proven there are a lot of Dems, plenty to win half or a majority, it is gerrymandering that keeps them from winning. I know you know. I'm in strong support of independent district line drawing so we can have fair elections. Good on you, Erin for canvasing for Beto! And I like your bumper sticker too!
I worked at the county elections office for 3 weeks prior to Mid Term elections on Nov 6. Then I ran a precinct on election day. My precinct had a whopping 70% turn out! And my county had an overall average of 54% turn out. (Meaning 54% of the registered voters in the county came out to vote.) This was unprecedented! We were moving extremely fast to get that many voters through. Shocking how many people vote party line and are voting against their own best interest. Hopefully people will become more informed and take the time to research who they are voting for in the future.
I was DELIGHTED to see so many WOMEN win! And so many of various races win, African Americans, Native Americans, LGBTQ, etc and Latinos/Latina, Muslim, etc! And so many young people! So exciting to see!
And Erin back to you again, I saw a picture that had about 40 or 50 new judges elected in Texas. All of them in the photo were African American! I can't hardly believe that happened in Texas! (I'm uncertain if that was real news or Fake news. I hope it was real.) Not sure if I've mentioned this or not, but I used to live in TX (Eight years total. Waco, Stephenville, Pampa, and Killeen briefly, have been to way over 2/3 of counties in TX.) I have some family still living not far from you. And some former in laws near Wichita Falls.)
I heard a startling stat a couple of years ago. That since the Women's Movement, women elected to congress had steadily increased to 17 %. However, it was scary to hear that as of around late 90's and early 2000's, the number of women in congress had stagnated. We weren't losing seats, but we stopped gaining. I nearly choked when I saw the stats. Then we got orange and the Women's March and so many women formed Huddles and met and figured out we need to run for offices. I've seen quite a few women take local seats here and now here at Mid Term elections we see 116 women win seats in congress!!! More Happy Dancing! I'm crazy happy to see this! I marched in the streets for the women's movement the early 70's. So many have fought so hard for this moment. If the population is 51% women, then we should have 51% representation in congress.
The scariest thing of all to me is the Supreme Court. They sit for life. It is a long long time for the 2 that just got on because they are so young. It terrifies me. Then Ruth fell and broke ribs as I recall. Just after that I saw a meme that had a doll of Ruth Gingsburg. Her body wrapped in bubble wrap. Strong message of how fragile all this is and how much we need her healthy and on sitting on the Bench.
I'll shut up. I've carried on here quite a lot. Gregg, I hope this is not too political and feel free to delete it if it is not proper for the blog. Sorry to be so late!