We are framing the upcoming climate summit in Paris (#COP21) as "humanity's last chance of redemption". Given that the UN is allowing fossil fuels companies into the summit while France bans planned climate marches and extra-judiciously arrests climate activists, it is likely we will be sorely disappointed if all we do is reduce this historical moment to a hashtag (#EarthToParis) and then tune out.
The stakes have never been higher, but people's awareness about the issues at hand and how our decisions today will impact future generations are also at an all-time high. As Bill McKibben points out in his Letter to the Future, if history is made in Paris this December, it will not be inside conference rooms, but out on the streets and beyond:
“By the time the great Paris climate conference of 2015 rolled around, many of us were inclined to cynicism. And our cynicism was well-taken. The delegates to that convention, representing governments that were still unwilling to take more than baby steps, didn’t really grasp the nettle. They looked for easy, around-the-edges fixes, ones that wouldn’t unduly alarm their patrons in the fossil fuel industry. But so many others seized the moment that Paris offered to do the truly important thing: Organize. There were meetings and marches, disruptions and disobedience. And we came out of it more committed than ever to taking on the real power that be.”
Echoing the mission of this section, people are engaging into intergenerational politics in epistolary form. Add your voice! Write a letter to the future and it will be delivered at the Paris climate talks.
Our current system sacrifices humans and their environment, which has led the planet to its present state of social and environmental crises. This is not just about energy being generated from dirty and non-renewable sources. This is not just about how our daily lives are entrenched in a mindless "buy-use-discard" model. This is not just about polluting our air, water, and soil beyond repair. This is not just about how those who have contributed the least to the problem (the poor and future generations) will feel the consequences the most. This is not just about how economic and political power is concentrated in the hands of the few. It is the interaction of these and many other elements that have imperilled the planet and its capacity to support human life.
However, a global movement is underfoot. One that is rooted on taking care of each other and our planet. These are the white blood cells that are fighting for the health of the planet and it's people. We are Earth's immune system. And like your own immune system, it is always fighting on many fronts: from rethinking our consumption patterns, to redistributing our current resources more equitably, to remediating environmental destruction, to reconnecting with basic humanitarian and ecological principles, to restructuring our institutions and infrastructure to give power to the people. All these are signs of healing of for a currently sick planet.
Whether you like it or not, our generation(s) have been set on a crux in the evolution of our planet. Will we choose apathy and destruction? Or will we choose love and life? NOW is the time to make your voice heard. NOW is the time to become informed and involved. NOW is the time to seize the evolutionary ROLE OF OUR GENERATION. However you want to do it, NOW is the time (#OurGenerationOurChoice).
To become involved, find a march near you and join the #GlobalClimateMarch. You can also tell the UN to kick fossil fuel companies out of the climate talks. Alternatively, you can also write a letter to the future and have it delivered to the Paris climate summit. These are just a few ways to become involved, click the buttons below to get started.