As I grieve the horrifying catastrophe in Tibet, I am moved to write through my tears of anguish, anger, pain and trauma, and fierce caring and love.
What I witness here today, and again and again over time, are the ongoing devastating impacts of the greed, ignorance, and delusions of those in positions of power who have long been reacting to the human caused climate crisis by spreading denial, doubt, distraction, and deadly disinformation.
We also cannot blame a lack of action related to the climate crisis on any one political party. Republicans and Democrats alike have long been denying that there is a crisis and failing to act. No administration has officially stepped up to declare a climate emergency and enact the radical policy changes long urgently need to transition off of fossil fuels and onto renewables.
Consequently, we did not arrive overnight to this reality of the climate disasters that are unfolding daily across our nation and world. And it infuriates me that they are referred to as "natural disasters" or "Mother Nature" rather than climate disasters! This criminal misinformation, inaction, and deafening silence and denial has been occurring over decades. And these voices of politicians and "experts" in the mainstream media have been sustaining their deadly lies even though what is at stake is a habitable planet.
Which makes them the greatest criminals of our time and all times. There is no injustice, no evil more immense than putting at risk all of life on Earth. And now the evidence is overwhelming that we are on a suicidal trajectory which imperials humans and all of our planetary sisters and brother across the planet.
***
There are also tragically many Americans who dismiss the burning of fossil fuels as the greatest cause of the climate changes we see. They believe that there have always been these cycles of devastation on Earth, spreading the belief that humans are not the root cause of the emergency we face today. Or some will say that it is all God's will. Or the disasters are happening because the Earth is angry. Of course, all that those perspectives do is let us off the hook of needing to act to save ourselves because of the belief that (1) global warming is a hoax, (2) God is in control, not man, or (3) it's too late and there's nothing we can do.
A friend accurately responded to one comment by someone justifying inaction or any need for accountability and radical changes — because of their belief that Earth's "natural cycles" that have always happened and are not manmade ones — this way: "Current glacier thinning is unprecedented in human history and heavily driven by human activity. While Earth has experienced natural heating and cooling cycles over millions of years (primarily due to slow shifts in its orbit known as Milankovitch cycles), the modern trajectory departs from these cycles entirely. Scientists prove human culpability by identifying specific chemical "fingerprints," and distinct geological anomalies in the atmosphere, oceans, and ice that natural forces simply cannot replicate... Furthermore, communities absolutely can and do what they can to prepare for the damage caused by thinning glaciers. Engineering and disaster management teams worldwide actively mitigate the risks of thinning glaciers. But there is no preparing or future-proofing for catastrophes like this without also doing all we can to mitigate human-caused CO2 levels rising and contributing to climate change."
***
There is so much that is connected with and fueling the climate crisis. Today we are witnessing endless resource wars and deadly greed, the unstoppable winds and wildfires, droughts and floods, tornadoes and tropical storms and hurricanes, bitter cold and the heat domes, starvation and desperation of millions, melting glaciers and rising seas and dying coral reefs, the sixth major extinction and the loss of so many planetary beings who will never be seen again, excruciating poverty and millions of climate refugees, and all of the many faces of suffering and devastation and death related to the human caused and ever accelerating climate catastrophe. And now the apocalyptic horror in Tibet.
Life on Earth is all connected and no one is left untouched by this emergency that we collectively face. It is absolutely essential that everyone who is able — who aren't struggling to simply stay alive and survive — take responsibility for informing ourselves about the climate crisis. There is an urgent need for more and more voices of truth illuminating where we are at and the urgent need for radical changes. We must transition off of fossil fuels and onto renewable resources! Our children and grandchildren and all of the children of all of the species are depending on us to do the right thing. The eyes of the children are watching.
— Molly
No comments:
Post a Comment