Where the Grass Is Greener Still

this past week, we have witnessed the effects of climate change on people not far from us.  devastating flooding has occurred in neighboring states, as torrential downpours that are unusual during our usually dry summers have fallen.  drought plagues the american west, resulting in immense suffering and uncontrollable wildfires.  the pacific northwest, where summer temperatures are usually mild, is enduring life-threatening heat.  our news media show us the rapid melting of glacial ice in greenland, which endangers coastal areas all over the world.  severe long-term drought in the horn of africa has caused mass starvation and malnutrition.

in the face of this indisputable evidence, we seem incapable of taking action to slow the devastation we see around us.  in a democratic society, it is difficult to know what to prioritize when we are faced with choices at the polls.  many are trapped in the money crunch resulting from inflation, and electing candidates who purport to have solutions to this problem and voting against the party in power takes precedence over all other considerations.  others among us are most concerned about the supreme court's ruling against a national right to abortion and support candidates who promise legislative action to guarantee women's rights to control their own bodies.  there are a host of other issues, including marriage equality, gay and trans rights, and the right to contraception, that are concerns of the electorate.

so many things need action by the federal government.  it is hard to determine which among them is most important.  yet as we look at the present devastation and consider what the future holds, nothing seems more important than acting to prevent further climate change and to reverse its current progress in so far as it is possible.  democrats in the senate have put forth a bill that includes large amounts of funding to address the issue.  i pray that this legislation is enacted and that the public realizes how necessary it is for us to take immediate action.  it is a weakness in our system that one person has the power to stop this bill's adoption, and i hope that will not happen.  that a breakthrough in funding for climate policy can be thwarted when it is so close to becoming law is unthinkable.

may each of us make stopping the degradation of our planet a priority in our lives.  may we have reverence for the earth that has sustained our species and millions of others for so many eons.  may our greed not do further damage to the planet and its systems that nourish life.  may we put aside our selfish desires for things and work together to care for life on this lovely ball floating in space.  may we realize the dangers of climate change and confront our culpability in causing it.  shalom.