Why I Worry about Global Climate Change

This Sunday evening I was playing with my two small children in the park. It suddenly hit me why I am so concerned about climate change.

I think as we get older and we slowly come to grips with leaving this world, our legacy for future generations becomes more urgent. I feel a deep need to ensure that the joys and treasures I have enjoyed in my lifetime should be available to future generations. As we sever the strands of the web of life one by one, the entire web is threatened. No one is truly certain about the magnitude and the meaning of the climate-related effects we are unleashing on our children's future.

And I think that my concern is not limited to the impacts upon humans. I think it is really important that there be frogs, that there be bees in the future. That there be polar bears and snail darters and Hemlock trees. It is my prayer that future generations live in a world that is as rich in life and in nature and in beauty as our own, hopefully more so.

It is my sorrow that we as a culture seem unwilling to awaken to this obligation. And so I also pray that future generations will be able to forgive us our shortsightedness, and find a way to live rich, fulfilling, and responsible lives, in whatever world they find themselves in.

Comments

kimc said…
I heard a guy on the radio who was talking about the worst case scenario of global warming (we usually hear the best case, not the average), and his prediction was that the population of the earth would be down to 1/2 billion by 2027.
However, there are great leaps forward in alternative energy on the horizon, that no one is taking into account.
December 05, 2011
Louis Merlin said…
So, I hate to ask, but what is the worst case?
December 05, 2011
kimc said…
Louis -- You don't think losing 6 1/2 billion people is bad enough? I assume that also included losing a lot of our ecosystem. Lots of plants and animals can't move north as fast as the heat is moving, and some can't make it even if they could because they also respond to day length.
December 28, 2011
Louis Merlin said…
kimc - what I mean is what would cause the population of the earth to go down so dramatically? Hurricanes? Flooding? Droughts? Mass extinctions? All of the above??
July 10, 2015
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Idea of "White Supremacy Culture" is Offensive

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of history and cultures knows that all cultures have both oppressive and liberatory aspects. Historically, it was quite typical to conquer, kill, and enslave neighboring groups or nations - just ask the Aztecs or the Mongols. Historically, European and American culture are rife with oppressive aspects, but not particularly more so than any other culture. Part of the joy of being an Unitarian Universalist for me has been its openly syncretic approach to finding wisdom; that is, we seek great wisdom from all cultures, and at least historically have been able to borrow and build upon such wisdom without apology. In my own personal experience, I have gained wisdom from European, Asian, African, and Native American cultures, among others; as well as Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Pagan beliefs. To pursue truth and wisdom wherever you find it has historically been one of our great blessings. With new walls being erected about certain traditional bel
Read more

Universalism and Color Translucency

 I believe in universalism. That is, I believe what connects us as human beings is more important than what divides us. The inherent worth and dignity of all persons. That all persons are entitled to dignity and respect. It's not a new belief. It's not an easy belief. Conceptually it's quite simple. And yet I don't think it needs revision. I don't think it needs an asterisk. I think universalism is a concept that can endure across time and across space. The love that I feel is not different than the love you feel. Nor is the pain or the suffering or the yearning. Nor is my flawed nature. My mortal nature. My limited nature. We are different in so many particulars, and yet we share so much in common as human beings. Put it another way. I think our common humanity is more important than our hyphenated humanity. We are different races, genders, sexualities, ages, and capabilities but none of this should divide us irreconcilably. It is possible to connect across these d
Read more

Two Types of Community Conversations

When I think about what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and how that might change, I think about two different ways of having conversations. If the first way, we start from the principle of universal human equality and human dignity. We start from the approach that the search for truth is grounded in love. This is based upon our current Seven Principles. Based upon these principles, all voices will be given equal weight and an equal chance to be heard. And those listening will endeavor to listen charitably, with an ear to acknowledging and empathizing with what each speaker says. Under such conditions the growth of mutual understanding is possible. While agreement will not always be reached, we can build community through this process of recognizing each other, including recognizing our very real differences. In the second way, we start from the assumption that all verbal interactions should be seen through the lens of unequal power. People of color, women, and LGBTQ people hav
Read more