Here’s what to do about global warming.
First, cease paying attention to that noisy voice that says: “I’m overwhelmed. I can’t process any more tragedy. I’m powerless. What I could do wouldn’t matter.” That chatter is nothing but empty conditioning. It’s not you, it’s not real, and what it has to say is not true.
Second, stop suppressing that calm, patient, loving voice that shows itself when you’re relaxed and present. You know it… the voice that speaks through you, not to you. That voice is guidance. It’s empowerment. It emanates from the deepest part of who we are as beings, and it’s equally present in us all.
All it takes is a bit of courage. The more courageous you are, the more recognizable the voice is, and the easier it is to trust what it says. When it comes through me, I recognize it immediately and act upon it.
Next steps. In a recent TED talk, Luisa Neubauer, a 23-year old climate protection activist, offered four very specific steps that everyone… everyone… can take to defend and protect the environment.
Luisa Neubauer: “This is not a job for a single generation. This is a job for humanity. All eyes are on you. … We are all political beings, and we can all be part of this answer. We can all be something that many people call climate activists.
“Four first steps that are essential:
- We need to drastically re-frame our understanding of a climate activist. A climate activist… is everyone who wants to join a movement of those who intend to grow old on a planet that prioritizes protection of natural environments and happiness and health for the many over the destruction of the climate and the wrecking of the planet for the profits of the few.
- I need you to get out of that zone of convenience. Does the company that employs you or that sponsors you.. does your local parliamentarian… your best friend… know about this? Tell your bank you’re going to leave if they keep investing in fossil fuels.
- Leaving the zone of convenience works best when you join forces. The more you are [in number], the harder it is for people to justify a system that has no future. Power is not something that you either have or don’t have. Power is something you either take or leave to others, and it grows once you share it.
- I need you to start taking yourselves more seriously. The most powerful institutions of this world have no intention of changing the game they’re profiting from most. So, there is no point on further relying on them.”
“I dream of this world where geography classes teach about the climate crisis as this one greatest challenge that was won by people like you and me who had started acting in time. This is more than an invitation. Spread the word.”
All power resides in people, not in institutions. Institutions must respond to our will. It can be no other way. There is no stopping a critical mass of us who are activist in our own ways. Every action counts.
I’m willing to show up at an Oregon senator’s town hall meeting to ask when and how NASA scientists can be directed to engage immediately with residents in our cities to evaluate local effects of the climate crisis, and educate people on how to defend their communities.
What are you willing to do?
Use your voice.