This is my attempt to make what difference I can against the horrendous environmental crises we are making, by sending out some food for contemplation and conversation. It began as a long letter sent out to a few dozen friends, out of the need to feel that I was at least doing something (beyond simply living my life as low-carbon as I can manage), and which I posted here as my first entry. The title of the blog comes from a story I once heard, which (as I have finally found) was adapted from an essay by the anthropologist and philosopher Loren Eiseley. The version I first heard goes like this: A father and child are walking on a beach that is covered as far as the eye can see with starfish washed ashore, dead and dying. When the child picks up a starfish to toss it back in the ocean, the father asks "Why? What difference can you possibly make, just you, with all these thousands and thousands of starfish dying?" And the child picks up another one, tosses it in the ocean, and says "It makes a difference to that one..."

Thursday, July 18, 2013

ignoring the truth

I recently heard an interview with Clive Hamilton, one of whose books is subtitled "Why We Resist the Truth About Climate Change" — and it occurred to me that I disagree with that on only one word: for most of the people I know, folks do not so much resist the truth about climate change as ignore it. Frustratingly, this applies to people who profess to be very concerned about global warming… but when it comes to deciding whether to get on an airplane for a weekend trip, it simply doesn't even enter their thinking.

After I sent my original missive out to friends and family, I got back a few beautiful and encouraging responses — "I, too, have nightmares about this"… "I will do all I can to support your ideas"… But then life goes on, including those flights around the world. My husband and I are literally (and yes, I do mean literally — the rampant misuse of that word is one of my pet peeves) the only people I know personally who will not set foot on an airplane because of the huge climate implications... I hardly even know anyone else who hangs clothes on a clothesline instead of throwing them into an electric dryer. Perhaps I'm expecting too much, but it seems as if even among those who profess to be concerned about global warming, so few are ready to make any serious changes in their own lives, much less take on any advocacy. It's as if everyone is waiting for our elected "leaders" to do something to fix the situation — once again, not realizing (or perhaps ignoring) the monumental scale of the emergency. As always, I feel we have to keep trying — we can't prevent catastrophe whatever we do, but maybe we can prevent catastrophe from being even worse… But it is hard not to give in to despair.

On another note — it's about time for me to start adding some detail to my original "big three" precepts (the three biggest things an individual can do)… so I will try to get to some specifics regarding air travel next week. Coming soon!
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