"Dear Anna and Alex" – A Letter to My Grandchildren

[Our State Coordinator, John Gibson, wrote this letter to his Grandchildren for his #366DaysOfClimate day of action]

Dear Anna and Alex:

At ages 21 and 17, the two of you stand on the brink of a precarious future. No other generation before you has faced so much potential chaos or so much potential bliss. For your sake and the sake of our planet home, I am committing my remaining days to doing everything I can to make your future happy and healthy.

The Paris Climate Agreement has been signed. It is an unprecedented convergence of global intention. It is not an automatic touchdown in that emission targets are voluntary. Yet, it moves the ball down field and puts us closer to the goal of 1.5 degrees centigrade.

Many people in advanced industrial countries look at the proposed fossil-free economy and see it as a threat to their comfort and abundance. Yes, it will change the way we live but most of these changes are for the better and when compared to the devastation assured by not reducing greenhouse gases these changes seem a small price to pay.

For example, we all want clean air, safe and sufficient water, tasty and nutritious food. With smart conservation practices and localized organic agriculture these basics are within reach.

We all want to preserve the awesome trees, flowers, birds, wild beasts, marine life and essential life services that pollinator bees and butterflys provide. All these are currently threatened by reckless, profit driven extraction, clear cutting, habitat destruction, poaching, chemical-based industrial agriculture and massive consumption. Yet, with long range comprehensive planning and supportive public policy we can slow and reverse the mass extinction now underway.

So, the way I see it is that my generation and yours need to team up, big time, to reverse the negative trends and usher in a beautiful and more sustainable future. It's always challenging when you are in the red zone on third down to call the touchdown plays. I still have hope we can win this because as Yogi said, “it ain't over till it's over.”

Let me know what you think.

With love,

Grandpa