Getting people emotionally involved with the issues is one thing--actually taking action is another. I've been marching and voting for environmental awareness for most of my life--my father was a preservationist. I've been recycling and composting for 20 years. I use my car as little as possible. However, it's made so little difference, I wonder why I do it.
I just read an article in TIME that showed the size of the polar ice cap in 2000 and now--it's lost nearly a QUARTER of it's size. That's when it hit me--it's already too late. The most negative futurists were right: the ship is going down for our children and young people. Global warming, and its attendant flooding, storms and droughts will continue to grow worse. Solutions of national size are what's needed, and they're far too slow. We keep diddling around here in the US; politicians are more interested in keeping their pork barrel projects alive than giving a flying fart about the environment. Do I sound frustrated and angry? I am. Sadly, I'm also powerless beyond my infinitely small contributions. The good news is that as a species, we're remarkably adaptable; we're starting the race late, but we can shore up some of the damage we've done through innovation. At least I hope so--we just have to keep on keeping on.
Joanne Miller
