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Jim Fabiano is a retired teacher and writer living in York.
There is absolutely no doubt to me that we as baby boomers screwed up. Our West Coast is not only drying up but is also on fire. A lengthening and strengthening hurricane season is once again beating down the East Coast. The interior of our nation is either drying up or drowning in floods no one can control.
I’m just talking about our nation. The world is feeling the effect of the heating of our planet by forcing mass migrations, starvation, wars and things most of us thought impossible.
As a grandfather of two remarkably beautiful grandchildren, I have to do something. My life has been a blessed one. I want my daughter and her children to enjoy the same. My generation was based on living a good life. My daughter’s generation is still based on the same premise. A good life to both of us is one of prosperity and success. Rarely did we ever think that what we were doing to succeed would affect everyone and everything around us.
My grandchildren do not have this opportunity because their futures will be based on a planet that has become angry at what has been done to it. There is no politics here. Just reality.
So, what does one do? I sincerely believe my generation has to ally up with the generation that will define the future in order to preserve it for my grandchildren. The question is, how does one do this?
I guess we could join different marches and organizations that are pleading to our leaders to take climate science seriously. I fear this doesn’t work, because it appears all our leaders seem to be interested in is accumulating enough money to stay in power. We’ve marched in the streets as we watched our planet change to a point where it may not be able to support life, as we know it.
I am now imploring all of my fellow baby boomers that were given wonderful lives to unite with their grandchildren who we want to have wonderful lives in a world we all want to be wonderful. In other words, what grandparent does not love their grandchildren? The problem is I don’t know how to do this, but I do know it could be effective. It has to be.