We need to change the way we speak about the climate crisis. I know that many of us are generally aware of the situation but my experience over the last few years shows that people in general don’t have any idea.
Admittedly, many of us know something is wrong and that the planet is warming because of greenhouse gases, but we really don’t know the full consequences of that. We are not aware of the major scientific indicators like our allowable carbon emissions budget reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) www.ipcc.ch/2025/ . But then, how could we know? We have not been told, particularly by the right people who need to deliver the message.
Let me tell you about the reality our scientists are reporting: our carbon budget is nearly exhausted, and global emissions are still rising. Have you heard this from any of our leaders or politicians who are supposed to be protecting us? Avoiding a climate catastrophe will require a new approach; we must begin by knowing and facing the hard facts.
The moment we start to do something about the crisis we’re in; we can do anything. If we only start reacting to the science and start behaving as if we were in an emergency, we can avoid an ecological catastrophe. People are very adaptable: we can still fix this. But the opportunity to do so will not last for long. We must start today!
Call or write your senators and state representatives, let them know the messaging must change, tell them to unite behind the science. The bigger your platform, the bigger your moral duty. Make the best available science the heart of our democracy.
Daniel Burgard
Perrysburg
