Don’t you find this time of year exciting? It’s time to start or go back to your studies at college or university. There is energy in the air! New faces, familiar faces, old faces. Enthusiasm! This is future-stuff - you are doing something now to help shape your future. And certainly, for most of you, the future is bright. We all hope that the future is bright.
Unfortunately, there is a problem with all of our futures. I wish to apologize for the mess we have you in. And it is a mess you will have to deal with, and hopefully can clean-up. When I say “we,” I mean my generation; I am much older than most of you. The “mess” to which I am referring has to do with our environment, all the different ecosystems, and climate change. Despite the warnings from scientists - and these warnings have been going on for decades - we still experience global warming, due to the increase in concentration of greenhouse gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels. You would think that the well-known root cause of the problem would have been corrected and dealt with by now. That can be very difficult to understand. Again, I am sorry.
It can be very discouraging to learn of what is happening NOW as the direct effects of climate change. Firstly, we have passed the 1.5° C recommended level of rise in global warming, and we are headed to 2°C and beyond. We are already experiencing the effects of climate change: drought, floods, the increase of vector-borne disease, heat domes, forest fires - think of all those smoke-filled days, even here in Brandon. The World Health Organization has declared that climate change is our biggest health concern, and that we should regard it as a health emergency! Also, the number of species (animals, insects, etc.) that have gone extinct is occurring at an alarming rate! This reflects how humans are not fitting in very well with the ecosystems around us - climate change is only part of that. Some wise people are saying that we are now in the midst of the 6th mass extinction. If we continue down this path, our very existence is at stake!
Once again, I’ll say I’m sorry. I can only hope that you can do better. And, yes, despite all the doom and gloom, there is hope. Hope will mean that all those concerned about climate change need to be energized and do something about it. Mother Earth has amazing healing power and potential - if we just give her a chance! Just watch the short film called “The Man Who Planted Trees” (1953) - a film about how one man’s efforts re-forested a huge area. Just learn from a production called “The Week,” to see how a lifeless, desolate strip mine in China flourished with the right attention. Vegetation came back, rivers ran again, birds came back. Remember during the pandemic, when the amount of vehicle traffic dropped off significantly, how clean the air became — you could “see the sun!” Look into all the ways of becoming more energy efficient - there are so many renewable energy possibilities. Be aware of the action of divestment from any financial association (e.g. sponsorship) with the fossil fuel industry.
So, there is hope, but we all need to acknowledge the urgency - time is running out. Most importantly, we need to let our leaders know to “end the harm” and end the use of fossil fuels - the leading cause of this Climate Change Crisis we find ourselves in.
You do have the energy, you do have the excitement, you do have the enthusiasm, and you deserve to look forward to a bright future! But, you need to speak up - louder and louder and LOUDER!!