I have been so overwhelmed by some of the natural disasters affecting communities in New York, around the United States, and throughout the world. The floods, the fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and more, all seem to be more frequent and more severe each year. I am genuinely curious what it will take for some people to take climate change seriously and act.
At the beginning of the year, my dear friend lost his home in the Altadena fires. The aftermath of those fires was among the most destructive I had seen firsthand when I visited California in March. I could not believe communities all over California had been dealing with the effects of fires for years. I thought about the lives lost and historic communities destroyed. So much history was lost in an instant, and some factors contributing to the deadly fires stem from climate change that has worsened with each passing year.
I also cannot stop thinking about the recent floods in Texas. I think about all of the people still missing and their loved ones who do not have closure. I think about flash floods that took people’s lives in the blink of an eye and how places like Maryland, D.C., and even New York are experiencing the same aggressive patterns with increasing speed. I think about all of the little girls at camp who are still missing and those who are back home and will forever be traumatized by these events. All because we as a nation refuse to take the changes to our climate seriously.
It makes no sense that we have warm and balmy weather in November and freezing rain in late May. Flowers don’t know when to bloom. Birds are getting confused as to when to begin their migration journeys. Ocean waters are warming and killing fish and ocean life at rates that are not sustainable. And forests are burning to the ground, reducing the trees we need for survival and clean air.
Even though things are dire, we must still work toward making changes. We must pressure our elected officials to work on legislation that will protect the planet for us and those who will come after us. The polar ice caps (aka the world’s air conditioner) are melting and creating the adverse effects we are experiencing today. The problems are massive, but the solutions can start on a minor level. We can be the change we hope to see. We must recycle, reduce our electrical consumption, and educate ourselves about the way increased AI usage affects our communities and resources. Most importantly, we must remember that we absolutely can make a difference.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.