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Ann Marie Mershon Photo courtesy of Ann Marie Mershon
I’ve always been confused about the phrase “hope against hope.” I know it’s just an expression, but does it mean you hope people don’t hope? That’s sad. I prefer to think it means that though everyone has lost hope, you still hope. I hope so.
I recently listened to a radio interview of Katharine Hayhoe, the Chief Scientist of the Nature Conservancy as well as the author of Saving us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. Her comments gave me hope.
I’ve been discouraged about the number of people denying climate change, and even more frustrated that it’s become a political issue (like COVID), but she brought out an interesting statistic. According to a Yale University survey, more than 80 percent of people agree that it makes sense to invest in renewable energy. Now THAT’s hopeful. In fact, she pointed out that only seven percent of the population actually believe climate change is a hoax. That, too, is hopeful. (They’re just being noisy about it.) Many still feel uncertain, but the facts speak for themselves.
According to Heyhoe’s article in the Winter 2021 issue of Nature Conservancy, “Throughout the history of human civilization, the average temperature of the Earth has varied by no more than a few tenths of a degree.” Sadly, though, “human emissions have increased the average temperature of the planet by 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees F), and that rise is accelerated. It’s expected to hit 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees F) over the next two decades.” (UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) That’s by 2040, and most of us will still be around. Hayhoe added, “The Earth is now running a fever.” That’s enough for all of us to lose hope, especially after this year’s drought in the midwest, the fires in the west, and the melting glaciers. Did you know that July 2021 was the hottest month on record— worldwide?
I learned that the use of coal, gas and oil are responsible for 75 percent of the emissions, and the other 25 percent are due to methane produced by livestock, a growing industry.
Hmmm…so what can we do?
Well, we can hope. And hopefully that hope will spring us to action.
We can eat less meat— maybe one less meat meal a week.
We can waste less food—plan carefully to reduce our waste. Misfits is an online grocer that sells odd organic produce rather than discarding it. Check them out.
We can reduce our electric use, turning off lights and turning the thermostat down a degree in winter and up a degree in summer.
We can travel less— even one less trip a year.
We can make our next vehicle a hybrid or electric one—and Hip, Hip, Hooray for car manufacturers increasing their electric vehicle production!
Another note in Heyhoe’s article brings hope: “More than 90 percent of new electricity sources installed around the world in 2020 were clean energy, including solar and wind.”
We can encourage our local, state, and national governments to invest in clean energy, whether through construction, laws, or promotions. Whatever works!
Little changes will make a big difference, especially if we make them together.
Let’s hope against hope.
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