Devon had a very scientific mind, and asked questions about everything. He wanted to know the why and the how, and I was his information source. He knew I would always tell him the truth, and that I would always find him an answer if I could. This made for a few awkward moments, because he always double checked other peoples’ answers with me, even if they were sitting right there listening. And I never expected to have to answer questions about where babies come from again. I fielded those questions with my own kids, and it didn’t seem fair that I had to do it again with grands.
Still, I think he would want me to address this. He was a fixer. I am a fixer. I was the only other member of his “Smart Club”, so that kind of puts the responsibility on my shoulders. So, deep breath, because Devon would expect me to…About Climate Change.
This isn’t a conspiracy or whatever you wish to call it. The world is getting warmer. Fact. The seas are becoming more acidic and coral reefs are dying. Fact. We are pushing other species into a mass extinction. Fact. Some have argued with me that some scientists say it doesn’t exist, but there will always be naysayers that can be found if you look hard enough. Just as there were scientists who claimed a Neanderthal was just a man suffering from rickets who was in so much pain that his skull formed a permanent brow ridge. Just as there were those who insisted that the Earth was flat.
The consensus among scientists is pretty widespread. The current epoch has been called the Anthropocene Era. It starts when humans first started having a big impact on the environment around us. When we started changing things by planting seeds where they hadn’t been before or domesticating animals for our use. If we want to live comfortably in the future, it is in our best interests to try to slow down climate change if we can. I don’t care if it’s something that has happened many times in the past. I don’t care if it’s just the Earth going through another cycle. If it happens in the near future, it is going to cause terrible misery, world wide. I don’t want humankind to suffer, when when there may be things that we can do to help. The Earth is getting hotter. The seas are rising. My state is in a terrible drought and is a raging fire. Why would anyone not want to do something about that if we can? Let’s stop arguing about the political or religious or economic ramifications, or about how and why these changes are happening. Let’s just try to make things better, if not for the sake of the globe, then at least to make life a little easier for our own progeny. Monkey.
Grief's Journey and Garden Wars 