Get Involved in the Fight for a Livable Future

(You can find your local 350.org climate-action strategy session by clicking here)

by Will Greene

An Illinois farmer this July. 2012 was the hottest year ever recorded in the US.

So many crucially important political dramas face our state and nation.  A significant segment of our population lives in fear of arrest and deportation as the immigration debate rages on.  In the civil rights struggle of our time, LGBT citizens face injustice and persecution.  American men and women are still dying in Afghanistan, along with an untold number of innocents around the world thanks to America’s ongoing drone war.  Our nation struggles to comprehend how we can help avert tragedies like Newtown, Connecticut.  America’s debt spirals out of control, with future generations most likely to be left holding the bag.

These are urgent problems that call for decisive action.  But in a few short decades they will all be mere afterthoughts if we don’t address a climate crisis that is unraveling the very livability of our planet.

The overwhelming judgment of science has determined that a status-quo climate emmissions scenario means, in my generation’s lifetime, we risk creating the following:

• The hottest temperatures earth has seen in 30 million years.
• Sea level rise of 3-6 feet.
• Drought over 40% of inhabited land.
• Hundreds of millions of refugees.
• Half of all known species extinct. 

And that is just this century.  According to a recent paper by 2300, half of the earth’s currently inhabited land could become simply too hot to survive on.  They are not referring to agriculture failing or coastal flooding threatening communities; they mean if you step outside, you die of heat.

How will we be able to fight for justice in our immigration system, marriage equality, gun safety reform, or economic solvency under these conditions?  Our nation needs to prioritize its focus, and the ability of our planet to maintain civilization should be at the top of the list - as a prerequisite for addressing other social injustices.

That is why you should attend a 350.org climate-action strategy session this Sunday, March 10^th.  Find a meeting near you by entering your zip code at this link.  350.org is a national grassroots group spearheading our nation’s burgeoning climate movement.  This movement needs all hands on deck from people of all backgrounds and influences.

I’m not suggesting climate change is the only social crisis that deserves your attention.  Justice for immigrants and gays, peace in the Middle East, safer communities, and a stable economy – tackling these challenges will mean a healthier society, better prepared to confront climate challenge.  We can move our society forward by addressing these issues cumulatively.  But the nearly incomprehensible ramifications of climate change call for an unprecedented social movement in response.  Citizen involvement in the climate fight has not yet reached that level.  It’s time to organize.