A typical school day took an unexpected turn when our educator announced an upcoming video presentation, followed by a statement I shall forever retain.
“There is absolutely no prerequisite for anyone to experience disquiet or apprehension regarding this matter,” she addressed the assembled young learners as she positioned the television and VCR.
At that juncture, my posture likely shifted forward. Such pronouncements were uncharacteristic of our teachers. What content might this visual narrative contain?
We proceeded to view the program. It was an instructional piece, presumably crafted specifically for educational institutions, focusing on the subject of climatic shifts.
Naturally, the terminology employed differed from contemporary usage, given the temporal context of the late 1980s. The presentation delved into concepts such as atmospheric gases that trap heat, the resultant greenhouse phenomenon, and the overarching trend of global temperature elevation.
The subject matter conveyed a palpable sense of gravity.
Upon completion of the video, the teacher reiterated her efforts to assuage any nascent anxieties, asserting that there was no genuine cause for concern, even if the information presented proved entirely accurate.
As a child, these assurances proved effective. A distinct impression formed within me: these challenges would inevitably be surmounted.
My reasoning led me to believe that adults would manage these issues. It seemed logical, considering the seriousness warranted by an entire television production dedicated to the subject, which was then shared with us.
The primary reflection that remains with me is the notion that vehicular transportation would likely cease. Automobiles, without question, appeared to be detrimental.
I surmised that such vehicles would likely be discontinued in the future, given the exhaust emissions and fumes they produced. Similarly, manufacturing facilities and other large-scale industrial complexes also seemed to present complications.
That occasion, marking my initial exposure to the concept of climate change, transpired approximately three decades ago, with some slight variance. What transformations have occurred since that pivotal day? Everything. Nothing.
Automobiles persist.
Remarkably, despite the passage of entire decades since schoolchildren were educated on the underlying causes of human-induced global warming, vehicles propelled by combustion engines and reliant on fossil fuels remain ubiquitous on our streets.
They were prevalent then, and they are prevalent now. My spouse and I are proprietors of two such vehicles. One is a pre-owned diesel SUV, which is undeniably problematic.
The other is also a pre-owned model, a Volkswagen. (Determining the precise extent of their detriment can be challenging.)
However, in this contemporary era, numerous aspects appear concerning – a reality that, thirty years hence, fails to evoke a sense of progress or novelty.
For instance, individuals continue to travel by air extensively. Last year, we undertook a journey to Hawaii with our young daughters, who were then approximately four and one year old. It was a highly enjoyable excursion.
We managed to secure economical flight arrangements, despite my internal acknowledgment that truly “cheap” flights are a misnomer. The environmental toll of aviation is substantial.
Considering this significant impact, my younger self would struggle to comprehend why my adult counterpart and other adults continue to traverse the skies with such apparent nonchalance.
No scale of aerial travel can be genuinely sustained, justified, or considered equitable for future human societies, nor for contemporary populations residing on low-lying islands, which are progressively succumbing to the encroaching sea level rise attributed to climate change.
The reality is, my child-self would find much about the current world and our unrectified, indulgent behaviors incomprehensible, given the unfortunate state of affairs.
He would not grasp our dietary habits, our utilization of land and water resources, our manufacturing processes, our disposal methods, or our treatment of fauna, insects, and flora.
All of these practices would strike my child-self as profoundly detrimental. Surely, adults were meant to address these matters? And he would be entirely correct. Each of these aspects is unequivocally problematic, harmful, and unsustainable. Children possess remarkable discernment.
However, the most significant and immediate sustainability challenge confronting us today remains the very one introduced to me via that video thirty years ago: greenhouse gases. Like a multitude of other issues, they too have persisted.
As a species, our consumption of energy has reached unprecedented levels, with elevated emissions from coal-powered generating stations contributing to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, which are at their highest point in human history.
Global temperatures are exhibiting a correlative response, as are receding ice masses worldwide, thereby precipitating sea-level increases that threaten to dramatically alter the planet’s topographical features.
There are indeed positive developments. We have achieved commendable progress in the adoption of clean energy sources.
Nevertheless, these substantial advancements have proven insufficient to counteract the damage inflicted by our reluctance to relinquish fossil fuels and the numerous conveniences they afford our daily existence.
For every new solar installation or wind farm, it appears a new mining concession or recently operational coal-fired power station emerges. These antiquated and illogically conceived infrastructure projects frequently receive substantial financial backing, often financed by you, the taxpayer.
My child-self would seek to inquire: why do we persist with this course of inaction, this trajectory toward increasingly severe environmental degradation, knowing all that we now comprehend and have known for decades?
There may be no readily available, comprehensive answer to this query. It appears that despite the diligent efforts of scientists and environmental advocates to capture our collective attention, we have allowed ourselves to be diverted, denying the truth and deferring action.
How could such a scenario unfold? Well, numerous situations have been permitted to develop.
Consider the “leader of the free world.” His perspectives on climate change are hardly a clandestine matter. This situation echoes the sentiment famously expressed by Harrison Ford: “Stop giving power to people who don’t believe in science.”
Regardless, the world is currently in a peculiar, unsettled state, caught in a transitional phase between a climate crisis and an inertia crisis.
Consequently, it feels as though we are proceeding at a glacial pace, or perhaps not progressing at all, ensnared in what may very well be the most significant, dire example of the bystander effect humanity has ever encountered.
This condition cannot endure indefinitely.
Today, a multitude of individuals across the globe – ideally, millions – are participating in strikes to declare that enough is enough. This must cease. We demand decisive action on climate change; we insist that our voices be heard.
My child-self was mistaken. Adults never addressed this, never resolved these issues. Governmental bodies currently fall far short of implementing sufficient measures to confront these challenges, which are now both more thoroughly understood and more acutely pressing than ever before.
It is evident that any semblance of adequate or responsible leadership concerning climate matters has not emanated from those in authority. Therefore, it must arise from within the populace.
Today’s strike is a source of inspiration, stemming from the courage and resolve of students, youth movements, prominent figures such as Greta Thunberg, organizations like Extinction Rebellion, and all the researchers and activists who paved the way.
This is their moment; we must attend to their pronouncements. Unlike many adults, they have consistently heeded scientific counsel. They are fully aware of our trajectory and recognize the imperative for a change in our behaviors.
I now comprehend why, in the distant past, a compassionate educator opted not to burden a classroom of children with worry and alarm as they viewed a disquieting video.
Presently, as the father of two cherished young daughters who have not yet reached school age, nothing causes me greater distress than the foreknowledge of the world I am bequeathing them.
In truth, I have never experienced such a profound sense of sorrow as when I contemplate their futures on a planet confronting the realities of climate change. However, succumbing to despair is not an option.
To offer a mild counterpoint to my teacher’s sentiment, given the available information, it is permissible to feel upset. Furthermore, experiencing apprehension is entirely understandable.
But most critically, we must dedicate all our efforts to combatting this crisis, and we must commence this endeavor immediately.
This article is featured as part of ScienceAlert’s dedicated climate edition, published in solidarity with the global #ClimateStrike on September 20, 2019.
