Action Over Despair: A Climate Resolution for 2020

We are the cause of, and solution to, climate change

Source: Simon Migaj/Pexels

Throughout history, there have been people telling us that the world is about to end, often through floods, fires, or divine retribution. But the predicted apocalypse has never come to pass.

Each generation convinces itself that this time it's different, that previous doom merchants were primitive and wrong, current predictions are more scientific, and human civilisation really will come crashing down this time.

Today, we are told again that previous predictions were crude and superstitious, the science is now reliable, and the end is not only close, but has already begun. Climate change is upon us and we must act. Now.

In spite of the long tradition of such predictions, we have no choice but to believe our generation’s chosen science, just as previous generations heeded their own predictors. And, to be fair to all involved, the world did not end on any of those occasions. Human civilisation survived and, unlike our planet, thrived.

And now we, too, need to recognise the urgency of our generation’s truth, embedded in climate science. We need to recognise the practical and existential challenge that climate change poses. We are coming to terms with this new reality at a very late stage, so we must move with urgency and see what we can salvage. Maybe everything?

The key problem with the level of action required by climate change is that our political class seems paralysed by an array of other self-created crises. The US president is being impeached. The UK has spent several years almost leaving the European Union. And many countries, such as India, are living through periods of deepening political division.

Looking at these developments, it is easy to feel anger and despair. But even in the face of such uncertainty, meaningful change is not only possible: it is essential.

Anger can be a motivating emotion once it is righteous anger rather than the self-righteous fury that so often poisons our minds.

Buddhist teachings can help with despair. Buddhism holds that both we and the world are reborn every moment, so there is always the possibility of positive change.

And if the magnitude of climate change seems too immense to contemplate, it is useful to remember that there are two key tasks in Buddhism. First, we must change ourselves and, second, we must change the world. If everyone did the first task, there would be no need for the second.

How can we start? When despair is everywhere, hope is hard to sustain. But in many situations, hope is not the best solution. Action is.

When problems like climate change and political dysfunction threaten to flood our world and our minds, and hope proves elusive, we can commit to small actions that help to change ourselves. A little more exercise, a little less TV. A little more vegetarian food, a little less sugar. A little more good humour, a little less anger.

We can change our world as we change ourselves. A little less buying, a little more sharing. Fewer single-use plastics, more re-usable containers. A little less garbage, a little more recycling. And these changes grow organically with time.

Looking to the bigger picture, making these small adjustments in our lives provides a much better platform from which to change the world more generally, through education, collective action, and judicious political involvement. Voting in elections is an excellent start.

We must not despair about climate change. The clue is in the name. We can change the climate. So far, this power has been a curse. But, by changing ourselves, we can turn it into a blessing.

In the case of climate change, we are the problem. But our scientists tell us that we are also the solution. We should listen, reflect, and act—in 2020, and beyond.