A Writer with No Words

As many of you know, I recently campaigned and raised over seven hundred dollars to help send me to Miami, Florida to attend what soon became a life-changing event. I’m infinitely grateful to those who supported this venture.
 
On September 28, 29 and 30, I and over 1,100 other people from 87 different countries learned from and were inspired by outstanding panelists, expert scientists, the Climate Reality Project team, and of course, former Vice President, Mr. Al Gore.

I returned in the wee hours of the morning on October 1. Back to Denver. Goodbye humidity, hello elevation. And ever since then, this girl – this writer – has felt rather short of words.
 
How to describe this experience? What words could possibly convey the true sense of overwhelming urgency, the immediate need for action, the sadness and despair, the loss, and yet………… the prevailing hope? I guess those are words, sure. But they’re just not good enough! Describing this must be like trying to describe the unconditional love a mother has for her new baby; like conveying the beauty of a most majestic sunset to a blind man; like the magic of a first kiss. Indescribable.
 
Here’s what I can tell you though. The science and facts of climate change are undeniable; the evidence is clear and our earth is warming. The changes to our home are unprecedented – quite scary at times. And we got to this point because a lot of people (myself included) want to go far, go fast, do more, and do more with less of our own energy input.

Enter: Fossil fuels. These compressed beds of ancient life coupled with the incredible ingenuity and innovation of the human mind have allowed us to travel far and wide, and not to mention, travel fast! Planes, trains, and automobiles, yo! So not only can we go places faster, we get to see places that have been constructed and manipulated to perfectly capitulate this human dynasty; we see concrete cities where one millionaire mogul trumps the next by erecting yet another high rise building.
 
So we did this fossil fuel thing for over a hundred years. And we do it today. And remarkably, in less than two centuries, our human "ingenuity" has changed our world more than any other species to every walk, swim, fly or squirm the earth. 

• Today. The energy trapped by man-made global warming pollution is now “…equivalent to exploding 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs per day 365 days per year.” - James Hansen, Former Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. 
• Today. We have lost more than half of the animals on our planet in the last 40 years – WWF, Living Planet Report 2014.
• Today, the most ill prepared and disproportionately affected human victims of climate change are those in developing countries and impoverished nations. And these are the folks who have contributed the least to their devastating future.
• Tomorrow. Up to 50% of all species could be lost this century – Nicholas Stern, The Economics of Climate Change.
• Tomorrow. We will endure a global average temperature increase of two degrees Celsius (a modest projection).
• Tomorrow. We will experience increased heat waves, intensified storms, increased drought, and increased flooding.

 
Earlier I mentioned two factors relating to how we got into this sticky situation: (1) the ingenuity of the human mind and (2) fossil fuels. But I’d like to add one more important factor. And this is called anthropocentrism. This is the belief that human beings are pretty much the bee’s freaking knees, man! In other words, it's the believe that we are the most important species on the planet.
 
But the idea that we can use, abuse and trash this earth – our home – without the slightest sense that this home is equally gifted to millions of other species is………… pretty ridiculous!  It's absurd!  And damn selfish. 

Genesis 6:19, “Keep them alive with thee.”

Many of us are 'lucky' enough to live in cushy-comfortable middle to upper class bubbles that keep us from feeling climate change in a real way. If you are one, know this. I walk passed you on the street. I read your Facebook posts. I meet you at parties. I’ve known you for years. Some of you I call you my coworkers, my friends, my family. And it is you – yes YOU – whom I urge to get informed. Because, GUYS!! Education is key in this. Education. Is. Vital! And better yet, information is power. And when you combine that information with people working together there’s just no telling what we can do!
 
The time is now. It is time for each of you and our leaders to pledge to keep our home healthy so that life can exist on it. If I were to be brutally honest, the time is not now—it was years ago. But! As they say (especially as my family likes to say), tis better late than never. Here’s one thing you can do right now. Add your voice.

Please add your voice to a growing list of people from all over the world who are demanding their leaders sign a strong agreement this December in Paris. We need our world leaders to commit to curbing climate change in real ways at the 21st United Nations Conference of Parties (COP-21).

Please. Take a moment, and add your voice.
 
And, hey! If nothing else, your voice provides figurative medicine to this girl’s writer’s block ;-) 
 
Thank you!!

Thank you!

Thank you.