On the day I sat down to write this My Turn, the weather at noon was 90 degrees with high humidity. I had just come back from my daily walk. My breathing is labored. Yes, global warming is hard on this aging body. However, I barely noticed the stress, walking a path edged with wild growth in full bloom. I also passed small cultivated beds of colonized vegetables and flowers, tended by a human touch attempting to improve upon the wild: brilliant blossoms, sweet tomatoes, crisp green beans and yellow summer squash. Yet, upon reflection, I’m overwhelmed with wonder that both the wild and the domestic plants take nourishment from the soil and energy from the sun to transform them into food and beauty for animals, birds and humans. I also contemplate with reverence, that at the end of their time, both the wild and the domestic floras return to the earth, enriching the soil with more humus for the next generation. Considering how the life forces of Earth and sun freely come together, meeting in the flourishing of nature’s flora, is awe-inspiring.
However, there is an underside to this story of life-giving energy exchange: the clogging of the atmosphere. The Union of Concerned Scientists write, “much of what we take for granted today — from productive agricultural land and reliable growing seasons, to coastlines and coral reefs — (is) changing dramatically.” As human beings, we have failed to keep clear the medium through which the energy of life must travel. Waste from fossil fuels in the atmosphere is inhibiting the flow of heat energy between the Earth and the sun. Plant life along my walking path is threatened. Parts of the Earth are facing a barren existence. The Union of Concerned Scientists write, “The consensus couldn’t be clearer. Climate change is happening. It’s caused primarily by the burning of oil, gas, and coal. If we do nothing, the world will become significantly less habitable … Without immediate emissions reductions, these impacts will worsen. Globally, food and water shortages could displace hundreds of millions of people, increasing conflict and war. Entire regions of the world may become uninhabitable … Much will be lost.”
Danilo Garrido, legal counsel at Greenpeace International, writes concerning the International Court of Justice recent advisory opinion, “The message of the court is clear: The production, consumption, and granting of licenses and subsidies for fossil fuels could be breaches of international law.” Garrido added, “Polluters must stop emitting and must pay for the harms they have caused.” He also points out, the ICJ opinion comes as the Trump administration in the U.S. — historically the world’s largest emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gases — works to expand fossil fuel drilling, withdraws from cooperative global efforts to fight the climate crisis, and rolls back green energy investments. The underside of the story leaves me gasping for breath. The danger is very real.
The good news is the underside of the story does not have to be the end of the story. The Union of Concerned Scientists assures us, “Fortunately, we have clean energy and clean vehicle technologies today. We have scientific consensus. We know what needs doing. We only need to act.” The ICJ decisively connects climate change to international human rights law. (I would add, the rights of mother nature to thrive). It affirms that the escalating impacts of climate change such as rising seas, deadly heat, water scarcity and food insecurity, pose direct threats to a range of fundamental rights including the rights to life, health, housing, food and water. The opinion of the ICJ is that countries have a legal obligation to take cooperative action against the climate crisis.
Therefore, we must support the obligation of the United States Congress to override the president’s passion for fossil fuel and resolve to join with other nations to adhere to international human rights law and acknowledge the scientific community’s warnings that the climate crisis is a worldwide reality. Actions to reverse the climate crisis will be a giant breath of fresh air for the nations of the world seeking peace with justice. Also, facing up to the climate crisis will be a victory for those of us who seek to celebrate the extraordinary exchanges of energy that sustain us and the beauty of the magnificent creation of which we are a part. It will be a gift to our daily walks.
John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com