I don’t know about you, but the more I read about climate change, the more freaked out I get. It’s hard not to just curl up in a ball about it, but of course, that’s not what we moms do, right? That’s never an option for us – we soldier on in the face of adversity, meltdowns, blown out diapers, etc., and I think it needs to be the same with climate change.
And once we decide not to panic, there’s a lot we can do – from simple changes at home, to quick daily actions advocating for the climate, to larger commitments that I’ll provide links for below.
As moms, we have so much to lose if our children’s lives are affected the way they could be if climate change spins out of control, and we’re dangerously close to having that happen. Let me explain.
So, it’s all about some pretty simple math. Right now, we have 415 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Scientists agree that 350 ppm is the lowest safe level. In fact, for most of the earth’s history, 275 was the norm. So we’re already above the limit and we need to go down, not up.
“If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from [current levels] to at most 350 ppm.”
-Dr. James Hansen, former head of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and one of the most respected climatologists in the world.
At 400 ppm, we have already raised the temperature on earth by 1 degree celsius. Scientists agree that we cannot go above 2 degrees c without catastrophic results. If we do not start reversing this trend soon, they say we will reach a tipping point from which there is no return. The climate will then spiral out of control and there will be no stopping it.
That’s why it was so exciting when all the governments from the largest carbon emitting countries in the world got together last year and committed to keeping it below 2 degrees at the Paris Climate Convention. Yay, problem solved! Right?
Well, we have a few small problems – one looks like an overgrown Cheeto who wants to back out of the Paris Agreement, and another one is… well, more math.
You see, even if we want to keep it below 2 degrees, unfortunately the big fossil fuel companies (Exxon and Russia’s Lukoil for example) have already committed and paid in advance for drilling rights to extract enough crude oil to emit 2,795 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This will net them trillions of dollars and they’ve staked the future of their companies on that money coming in.
But the problem is that scientists agree we can only put 565 gigatons into the atmosphere before we get to 2 degrees. So the oil companies will be producing five times more than we need to get to 2 degrees in order to keep their companies profitable, and they are going to fight tooth and nail to be allowed to do that. So if I do that math, to me, that means we’re toast. Literally.
The effects of just 1 degree of warming are already being seen as the arctic ice melts, oceans acidify, species are rapidly being lost and superstorms are becoming the norm. All of these things are already causing instability for entire populations, and if left unchecked, will lead to further climate refugee problems, resource scarcity, extreme weather and eventually, the demise of humanity. Sounds like hyperbole, but it’s not.
In fact, scientists are now seeing that these shifts are happening faster than they originally thought. We don’t have a moment to lose.
If you’d like to read more about the math, and the issue in general, my favorite place is 350.org. Bill McKibben, the founder of this incredible organization, has done more to spread climate awareness than anyone except maybe Al Gore. Read his chilling Rolling Stone article that started his movement and inspired this post: Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math
So where does that leave us moms? We’re the people with the least time to deal with this issue, but we’re also warriors in every sense of the word, so I think we’re best suited to the fight.
I think that if there’s one issue you want to advocate for and do something about, this is it. This is the only issue. Because if our planet can’t sustain a livable climate, all the other very important issues, like terrorism, nuclear arms, refugee crises and world hunger, are irrelevant. We can’t help humanity without a functioning climate.
I think it’s easy to feel helpless when faced with this enormous problem, but I also think it’s just like motherhood. We don’t always know what to do, and we’re never sure if we’re doing the right thing, but any action is usually better than none, and we push forward in faith that we’re doing the best we can. Same with climate change. We all need to do our part and have faith that any action we take will help the greater cause.
There are two places to start making a difference in this issue. First, we can make changes at home. Check out my post listing the basic things you can do to make a difference at home – and stay tuned for future posts about further actions like getting involved with solar, geothermal and wind.
Second, we can advocate. That can look like a lot of different things, but there are some basic ways to get involved and make a difference. Click here to go my post about basic advocacy steps, and stay tuned for further posts about actions we can take to stand up for our climate. I will also post on twitter when I know about rallies downtown that we can take part in, and office visits to our senators and congresspeople.
The big takeaway here is that we climate warrior moms can get involved and change the world for the better for our kids. Let’s not lose hope, let’s fight!
Follow me on twitter for updates about rallies and other actions we can take locally.
