By Taylor Francis
April 20, 2007
San Mateo Daily Journal Op-ED
As a young person, the climate crisis is going to define the world I live in. My generation — the youth of today and the leaders of tomorrow — will inherit this planet, and what type of planet it will be is dependent on this issue.
For the last hundred years, mankind burned enormous amounts of fossil fuels for energy. That dumps carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which thickens it, and traps more heat on the planet.
But what’s wrong with a warmer world? From ecosystems to economies, our planet is a huge collection of complex systems held together in a fragile balance dependent on climate remaining constant. When we alter the world’s climate, we undermine this fragile equilibrium, and every element of the planet and our lives is affected. Our weather, health, food, water and communities are at stake.
This crisis is compelling because it is not just an environmental issue. It transcends every aspect of civilization because it disrupts the very building blocks of society.
It’s a social justice issue. Wealthy, advanced Americans caused global warming with our addiction to luxuries like electricity and automobiles; yet the poor will be the worst impacted, stricken by drought, flooding and conflict.
It’s a geopolitical issue. When critical natural resources like food and water are redistributed and tens of millions of refugees lose their homes to sea level rise, conflicts and struggles proliferate and international stability is undermined. What’s more, our oil consumption puts money in the hands of terrorists and hostile regimes.
It’s an economic issue. Today, we are warming the world because we failed to innovate and develop new technology to suit our needs. Innovation is the answer to this problem, and innovation is at the heart of our economy.
It’s a health issue. Warmer temperatures change the way the Earth’s ecology works, and opens up niches filled by organisms like mosquitoes, vectors for infectious disease. Climate change will open the floodgates for disease to areas never before affected.
Climate change encompasses a vast array of sub-conflicts and social issues because it cuts to the core of the very planet on which we depend. This crisis is about more than our climate: it’s about who we are as a society.
Global warming is not just doom and gloom. The steps to solve this problem represent a monumental opportunity. Sixteen trillion dollars is to be invested in energy in the next 20 years, so it’s a \$16 trillion question.
We could spend that money on finite resources like oil, old technologies produced by dangerous foreign governments. Sixty percent of the world’s oil resources lie in the Middle East. As former CIA Director James Woolsey said, “We are funding the rope for the hanging of ourselves.”
Or we could choose to innovate and invest in new technology that free our country from those dangerous governments’ shackles. And green technology is going to be nothing short of a revolution in the 21st century. Much like the advent of industrialization in the 19th century and computing in the 20th century, abundant and renewable energy sources will lead to prosperity, new jobs and a flourishing economy. The United States — and Silicon Valley — can be at the forefront of what promises to be one of the biggest growth industries in our lifetime. Fortune Magazine called the greening of corporate America “the business story of the century.” It makes sense to innovate, and it will pay economic dividends for those leading the way.
Americans are starting to recognize solving global warming makes sense. From schools to celebrities to companies to state legislatures, there is a groundswell of grassroots action, of people who won’t wait for the White House.
The stage has been set for what promises to be the year of green. This will be the year public opinion about global warming reaches a tipping point and we begin to reverse course. It will be the year climate crisis solutions go mainstream. This will be a revolution, and when future generations look back on our time they will see a people who woke up and led the world in an historic effort to preserve the planet and advance society.
For me, the stakes could not be higher: the future of my generation hangs in the balance. As individuals, as a community and as a nation, we cannot afford to wait for others to solve this problem. So let’s lead the charge. Let’s take our own future into our own hands.