via Hurricane Irma Shows Us 2050 is Now
Excerpt
By Paula Caballero
A version of this article was originally published on WRI.org
The reality of daily life is that we try to fix the problems that are staring us in the face. In many ways, the desire for short-term results defines the rhythm of both public and private life. So the idea that decisions today will define where we end up in a couple of decades is difficult to grasp, and may even appear outlandish.
Yet the unprecedented, deadly tropical cyclones in the Caribbean last week foreshadow a perilous tomorrow if we don’t tackle climate change now. We are at a historic crossroads that requires us to factor in the future. Because in a very real sense, 2050 is now.
Our decisions today will define where we end up tomorrow. The idea that unabated, incremental growth is the formula to eradicate poverty will leave us all ultimately poorer and make the pockets of desperate poverty more entrenched. Business, as usual, will lead to the world that is depleted, more unforgiving, more unequal.
21stC Thinking | Chas. Malloy 