With very little time left to prevent the most hideous effects of climate change, Americans elected a president and a Congress whose policies will cost the planet four years of progress and send us backward at the same time. In this crisis, the greatest risk we face is the temptation to surrender to helplessness. For people who care about preserving life on Earth, the stakes are too high to do nothing, but it is all too easy to believe there is nothing we can do.
With any question of justice, the big picture can feel overwhelming. At those times, I have almost always found it helpful to zoom in, to focus on the same problem at a smaller, more manageable scale. I may not be able to save the zebras and the leopards, but I can help save the zebra swallowtail butterflies and the giant leopard moths. I can do that, at least in my own small yard, by nurturing the host plants they need to reproduce. Making a discernible, measurable difference to my wild neighbors is an act of resistance, too...
No comments:
Post a Comment