There's something happening here

After the post yesterday, I want to follow up with positive, constructive commentary.

Let me clear something up front.  We have done nothing regarding climate change, which is now better described as a climate emergency, not because we have not known about it--we, here in the US, have publicly debated this for more than 30 years.  Further, it is not that we have not wanted to initiate policies and actions to address it. 

We have been unable to do anything because of one and only one reason: The Republican Party.

It is simply beyond me to understand what drives Republicans to deny climate change and to oppose policies to address it.  After all, they breathe the same air that the rest of us do, and rely on the same water that the rest of us do, and ...

But, this post will not be about them.  It will not be about the obstructionist know-nothings.

Instead, it will be about what is being done.

Now, from afar, we talk up countries like Denmark or even Uruguay for how they seem to be doing the right things.  Denmark has a population of 5.8 million.  Uruguay has 3.74 million people.  Oregon's population is in that zone, and Washington is larger at 7.5 million.  California is even bigger with 40 million people.  About one out of eight Americans is a Californian.  And some of us are ex-Californians.

Imagine California, Oregon, and Washington coming together along the west coast of the US in order to pursue policies and initiatives of their own without violating the federal constitution.  It adds to significant population along with an economic muscle, right?  Now, add to this Canada's province of British Columbia.  Those things are happening, like recently:

West Coast Strong 💪🏼— it is a privilege to stand alongside @CAgovernor, @GovInslee, and Premier @jjhorgan to continue fighting the climate crisis.
The West Coast is united as we lead the way towards a clean energy future that will help our entire region and economies thrive. pic.twitter.com/rpN8K6avPh

— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) October 8, 2022

Slowly, the Pacific Coast Collaborative has been working together on the common issues that can be addressed by these entities:

The Pacific Coast of North America represents the world’s fifth-largest economy, a thriving region of 55 million people with a combined GDP of $3 trillion. Through the Pacific Coast Collaborative, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and the cities of Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles are working together to build the low carbon economy of the future. We share ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at least 80 percent by 2050.

All the words in that quoted paragraph are Republican nightmares.  But, this post is not about those obstructionist deniers.

Working on climate issues requires us to think beyond our selfish interests.  We need to think about our communities, the state, and the entire world.  It requires us to be responsible and informed citizens.  California is moving ahead on that issue too.

“In a democracy, the most important office is it’s citizen… you don’t have to BE something to DO something” — @CAgovernor #CaliforniansForAll pic.twitter.com/9lVriXASm5

— California Volunteers (@CalVolunteers) October 7, 2022

Yesterday was the official swearing in/launch of the full-fledged College Corps program.  And there is a separate Climate Action Corps.  Such volunteer programs, like the Peace Corps and the old Civilian Conservation Corps, provide wonderfully structured opportunities for people to make a better tomorrow for their communities and the world.

It is unfortunate that bad news gets a lot more media coverage than such constructive actions do.  It is the nature of the business.  It is also how uninformed and selfish "citizens" react, which is why anytime an election nears, the Republican Party begins to hammer on various crises, which are mostly manufactured.  As Bill Clinton recently observed, Republicans "find some new way to scare the living daylights out of swing voters about something."  But, this post is not about the obstructionist deniers.

Yes, a lot more could be done if there were a greater sense of citizenship that views the challenges faced by global humanity as high priorities.  But, we have to work with the world as it is and not with an idealized world.  Vaclav Smil made an important point that requiring people to make sacrifices so that their grandchildren will be better off is asking for a lot because thinking about such voluntary sacrifices is not how we animals are wired. "You have to redo the basic human wiring in the brain to change this risk analysis and say, I value 2055 or 2060 as much as I value tomorrow. None of us is wired to think that way."

It is hard work to overcome our reptilian brains.  But, it can be done.  At our homes, many of us are doing the best that we can, and our local and state governments are doing some things well.  We will continue to march on.