I understand. Truly I do. Why, with all that is happening in the world, are you bringing up climate change right now? A dictator with a bad case of “small man syndrome” is threatening to blow up Europe; the world is still suffering the effects of a 2 year pandemic with billions infected and millions dead; American politics may be on the verge of splitting this country permanently (not really “politics” but Republicans, lets be honest); and, well, Trump. Of course, I am as dismayed as any of you by those problems, but, here’s the unassailable truth: what’s coming from climate change will be much worse than all of those problems combined. Most people have no idea. Obviously, most people have no idea because we have done nothing to ameliorate the consequences of a warming globe. In fact, in the last 3 decades, man has greatly exacerbated the problem and the consequences.

Earlier this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their Sixth Climate Change Report. The IPCC reports are essentially a review and assessment of all of the published literature and other available scientific data on the process and impacts of climate change on the world and its population. As you can imagine, the reports are lengthy and technical. The Summary for Policy Makers is a bit more digestible, but still heavy reading. I am not recommending that you read the report, but be aware that the data, study results, and conclusions are extremely dire. I will quote directly from the report:

“It is unequivocal that climate change has already disrupted human and natural systems. Climate change is a threat to human well being and planetary health. Any further delay . . . on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.”

It is gut wrenching to realize that the scientists that have researched in great detail what is happening to our world are now referring to a “rapidly closing window” for a “livable future”. How many of you think that these governments are going to react to this warning with alacrity? Yeah, that’s what I thought. No one. No government of one of the problem nations has responded yet and none will.

Those of you who have read my previous essays on this subject, know that I got deeply involved in climate change back in 1999 when I was co-lead for the Health Sector of the first US Report on Climate Change. I followed the science, the reports, and the publications closely since then. I will state categorically that our situation has only worsened in those 23 years. Over 2 decades of staring into the abyss and we have not mustered one once of political will to address the problem, even slightly. There are a myriad of reasons for our inaction, but as each year passes our reasons matter less and less. We are so screwed.

Unfortunately, there’s not that much that an individual can do to mitigate climate change beyond the vote and political and social activism. We are all at least part of the problem and some are, of course, more problematic than others.

You can assess you own lifestyle and your impact on the environment by applying a relatively simple and very general method to your activity. I call it the “gradation of degradation” (Where else are you going to get clever phrasing like that? Gotta admit, that’s pretty neat.”) Using transportation as an example: in going from Point A to Point B, a human being walking in their completely natural state had no negative impact on the environment. Any deviation from that scenario has an environmental cost. Riding a bicycle has some negative environmental effects (frame, tires, paint, solvents, etc.), but they are minimal and not particularly deleterious. Going from A to B by car begins to change the equation with the larger and more luxurious cars and trucks doing the greater damage. Flying is even worse. Private jet? Do you even have to ask?

So you can see that there exists a continuum of environmental damage that exists depending on your transportation preferences. The same principle can be applied to all of you lifestyle decisions – food, shelter, family size, entertainment, and leisure. By doing your own simple assessment of your existence on this earth, you can easily discover how much or how little your existence plays in the climate change problem. One last point on this subject – there’s a special circle of hell for the fat American laying on a chaise lounge on a gigantic cruise ship guzzling water from small plastic bottles. Just dump them overboard from your environmental disaster ship. Christ.

I am not recommending that we turn our back on all of the technical and scientific advances that we currently enjoy. Lord knows, I don’t want to see all Americans walking around in their “natural state”. (I think I’d really rather have climate change.) We can, I believe, keep much of the best aspects of our comfortable existence while mitigating and adapting to reduce the impact of the coming apocalypse. Much of the technology already exists, but the political will and, most importantly, the political and corporate leadership does not. In this battle, as in so many previously, the US must take the lead for the entire world.

We are so screwed.