In movies and TV shows, the human race colonizes space, finding inhabitable planets beyond our solar system or developing new technology that creates oxygen on once unlivable worlds. However, that is fiction; climate change is our reality.
Something that has really stuck with me the past few weeks is the sentence, “There is no Planet B.” We are nowhere near the Star Trek-like travel which will let us fly away from a ruined earth.
I heard this slogan when I attended an inter-faith rally in Durban, where Desmond Tutu spoke about how important the issue of climate change is today. The rally took place on November 27th, the day before the COP 17 talks began.
Desmond Tutu waving at one of my friends!
It was quite disheartening to see the low turnout for the rally. An estimated 4,000 people attended, leaving many empty seats in the giant stadium. Even though my friends and I knew of several instances where people wanted to come, but were prevented because of transportation issues, there was obviously also a general lack of interest – regardless of the fact that this is a topic that concerns everyone. The environment is one of the few things that we all share, no matter what our race, ethnicity, sex, or location on the planet. We are all at fault if things turn pear shaped and we destroy our home.
However, I can’t stay up on my high horse for too long. I mean, I’m the girl that spent less than 48 hours in a house before going out and buying another trash can, because one per household was just not enough. During college, there were many instances when I didn’t take the time to sort my garbage into the different recycling bins. I didn’t buy the more eco-friendly products, especially when there were cheaper alternatives. I shut lights off when I wasn’t using them, but I didn’t really think too hard about my energy consumption.
So what’s next? Should I erect a giant windmill in my backyard and install solar panels in my house? Perhaps not, but maybe I’ll be able to see things in a different light and make little changes here and there. It won’t change the world, but as the Checkers commercial says, maybe it will change the way we live in it.
Some of my fellow MUD4 volunteers and I pose in front of the stage at the rally.
