No "Despair Stupor" Allowed

More Change Is Required

“Hot enough for you?” It’s a friendly, summertime greeting. This summer, however, it’s also a searing question, double meaning intended. If the world is NOT hot enough for you, you’re not paying attention, perhaps thinking you can’t do anything about it. My point today: we MUST do something about it.

A few heat-related factoids I encountered.   

--Heat extremes are increasingly likely, due in large measure to accelerating global warming.

--Extreme temperatures are killing people now and will continue doing so.

--More Americans are killed by extreme heat than by any other weather hazard (drought, flood, various storms, etc.). 

--Extreme heat is most dangerous for older people and those with heart conditions (and we all know people in these categories).

--Lest we think we’ve escaped by NOT being in these categories, extreme heat can kill anyone. It’s often the tragic outcome of wrong place, wrong time.

--Last week, there were places in the world where the heat index (heat and humidity) was literally off the charts. The current index was designed for 136 degrees maximum, however, the Middle East attained an astounding 152 degrees. Simply stated, we’ve reached unprecedented heat numbers.  

--Unfortunately, this isn’t just a far-away problem. This week, almost 100 million Americans were under “heat alerts” (although NOT our geographic region, not this time).

 --Frequency, intensity, size, and duration of heat extremes are VERY strongly linked to human-caused climate change (emphasis mine).

--The climate change toll is not from average temperatures, but rather from extreme heat, which can extend for many days, as is happening now throughout the world, including in the U.S.

Photo by Matt Palmer on Unsplash

Given this reality, it’s easy to fall into despair stupor… to shrug our shoulders and conclude the situation is hopeless. But it’s NOT! What we cannot do is disengage, waiting for a heroic solution that magically solves our overwhelming problem. We already know the solution, at least the basis for a solution: we must ALL do our part. True, some can do more than others; ideally, they will. Also, some will not comply and will continue contributing to sustained heat waves, due to ignorance, carelessness, selfishness, and probably another dozen excuses.

But this doesn’t let us off the hook. Collectively, we can and must adapt, as we’ve already attempted for maybe a quarter of a century or longer. Adjusting thermostats. Buying fuel-efficient vehicles. Driving less. Being more conscious of and informed about our carbon “footprint”. Making essential modifications when we can, and so on. Many are already doing their part, but let me share two observations.

First, most lives have not been negatively affected by small changes we might have implemented. In many cases, our lives have actually been enhanced. Second, it’s time for another significant round of thoughtful “dial-backs,” “give-ups,” and “live-withouts,” accompanied by a fresh batch of “positive offsets,” “green-ups,” and “sustainable practices” -- simultaneously minimizing the bad while launching the good, admittedly vague terms. (I’ll resist telling you specifically what to do… for ideas, I encourage you to google “reducing your carbon footprint” or some such.) 

It starts today, with a fresh commitment to do SOMETHING, perhaps small, seemingly insignificant step(s). So, let’s get going. We can’t say we didn’t know. We can’t say we’ve done enough. And we can’t just give up. We must all think creatively and constructively about fresh ways to do our part, starting by conversing about this challenge with a spouse and/or family members, friends, and neighbors. It’s time we develop plans and -- of vital importance -- to begin implementation.

“Yes, frankly, it’s plenty hot enough for me.” Let’s be honest: our world is not on a sustainable course. And change, which must happen throughout the globe, starts with you and me. I’ll share my journey on the new course I’m going to embark upon, a modest attempt to support you on your journey. How about you? Are you going to come along?

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