What if we actually succeed in addressing the climate crisis, and emerge into a new, more bountiful, more prosperous future? While there’s plenty of bad news to go around, it’s not unreasonable to imagine that enduring progress is within reach. Practically every day, there are encouraging new signs that after decades of dithering, the world is finally getting more serious about tackling climate change. There are developments — large and small, from governments and the private sector — that together will determine just how hot our planet becomes. They are also developments that animate the work of Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist based in Maine, who is attempting to shift the narrative around the fate of our planet. “When we look at climate media, it’s often really apocalyptic,” she said. “That can be overwhelming, depressing and — most concerning to me — demotivating. It can feel like, ‘We’re screwed, so why bother?’” But as Johnson told me, “There’s a very big reason to bother.” Johnson closed off to the possibility that a climate catastrophe might be averted with the right combination of collective action, technological innovation, conservation, smart policymaking and systemic change. “The opportunity is to do things that you love and that are part of the climate solutions we need,” she said.
By David Gelles. New York Times. November 21, 2023.
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