Get out and vote!
This one will be short, but hopefully include some information that we all should take to heart.
Forgive me if this offends, but I have — for a very long time — been a fan of Bill Nye (The Science Guy). I’ve spent much of my life trying to simplify the earth’s processes so all of us can understand the majesty and balance of our planet, and this is what he has always been able to do. If I could be anyone else, I’d like to be Bill!
Anyway, I just saw an interview with him about Climate Change, and his vision of what may be facing us… and our kids.
Without going into the specifics, I’d like to summarize what I took as his overarching message:
The climate is changing, and — while the climate is always changing — human technology is surely speeding up the process… and the changes that are already written into the earth’s biosphere are definitely NOT anything that we’re gonna want to have to adapt to. (Click here for an index of earlier posts that touch on this.)
To continue (and rounding off the numbers): Mr. Nye put up a graphic of a poll that said 90% of Democrats, 70% of Independents, and a whopping 50% of Republicans agree that Climate Change is an issue, and that the United States really needs to start doing something to mitigate the long-term effects.
So what to do? This is always the important question (and the one that never seems to have an answer that our polarized nation can unify behind).
As expected, Mr. Nye didn’t propose any sort of silver bullet that would fix this overnight. What he did say was that there are two things that we can all do: 1) Talk about the issue so we at least recognize that this is something that should be addressed; and 2) Get off your couch and VOTE!
He indicated that there are two sides to this: one block of voters that says we need to deal with the changing climate; with a second that denies the whole thing, spouting the ever-popular mantra “Drill, baby, drill”. (This sounds like a quote I just heard yesterday from one of the top presidential candidates for the 2024 election. It’s funny that Mr. Nye used the same phrase — I suspect he listened to the same interview that I did, and came to a similar conclusion.)
The short version seems obvious: long-term societal consciousness; or economics and self-interest win again, and to hell with future generations.
I leave it to you to make up your own mind (I think my opinion is obvious and has been alluded to many times in previous postings), but… while it’s not my mandate to tell you what to do or how to vote, PLEASE take what The Science Guy suggests, do your homework/research with an open mind, and then cast your ballot for someone who shares your values.
It might actually be important!
Mike! Mike! Mike! Thanks for the nostalgic, poignant reminder. Unfortunately, policy wise BOTH major blocs (NOT parties!😉) engage in unhealthy actions for our climate lot. That seems to leave the option of voting for a lesser evil, or (gasp) ‘throwing one’s vote away’. The correct action lies in one’s heart I suppose. Thanks for the nostalgic reminder.
PS I like the current link action of your blog that fully displays the images. Happy Holidays!
No doubt. We ALL use the same fossil fuels that may (or may not) be at the crux of the issue. Saw a fun bumper sticker once on the back of a rabid gas-guzzler: “Frack you, you fracking fracker”. Said vehicle was parked at a gathering of like-minded consumers (and they had probably all driven there — didn’t see a single bike or horse anywhere in the lot). While I may (or may not) support the sentiment, the hypocrisy (on all sides) drives me crazy (especially my own, but that’s for another post).
A second nostalgic memory, from 1979: I was mapping a chromite deposit and was literally parked on the Pacific Crest Trail (in the early days they used whatever they could find to complete the trail connecting Mexico and Canada).
Anyway, here comes a guy who was frothing-at-the-mouth pissed that I had MY truck parked on HIS trail. Bear in mind that this was in late summer, and he was decked out in all the goodies that the fine salespersons at REI had told him he’d need to make the journey. I couldn’t help myself, and started pointing out all the metallic objects he had (including an ice-ax, for God’s sake), and how they ALL had chrome in them. His eyes crossed and he informed me that they were NOT metals, but alloys. I bid him a safe trip and got back to work.