10/10/10

Today is an international day of work and action to address climate change. The global event, dubbed 10/10/10, has been created and inspired by Bill McKibben’s organization 350.org. It comprises thousands of actions being taken in countries around the world to call attention to the warming of Earth’s atmosphere. My youngest son and I are heading to a rally beside the Mississippi river in downtown Minneapolis. I guess attending the rally will be my action, that and finally posting something on my blog, which has been dormant for nearly four months.

Have you seen the documentary called Everything’s Cool? It follows a few climate activists as they struggle to raise public concern about global warming. Bill McKibben is one of the featured activists. Called the “poet laureate” of climate change by the filmmakers, McKibben is a plain-spoken college prof and author who has been banging this drum for over 20 years. He’s a poster child for those of us who carry an acute awareness of our threatened planet. The hardest part of watching the film? The fact that it was made in 2007. Bush was in office, which at the time seemed to justify the great political inertia of the U.S. regarding climate change. Now, three years later, Obama is President and still there is no significant commitment from our government to regulate CO2 emissions. Midterm elections are pointing in the absolute wrong direction – toward Republican and Tea Party candidates who shall do their best to enable the public’s denial and ignorance.

I feel like we’re all aboard one giant Titanic and hardly anyone cares.

The antidote? Get busy. Act.