Climate column: Environmental action isn’t a ‘side job’
NATASHA JULIANA
FOR THE ARGUS-COURIER
August 17, 2023, 5:00AM
When people ask me what I do and I say I work for Cool Petaluma, a community climate action organization, it’s not uncommon for them to then ask, “What’s your real job.”
I get it. Maybe I need to come up with a better job description. I’m sure many people who work in the nonprofit sector get this same reaction.
I am here to tell you that climate action is not a side project. At this point in history, it should be the most common job description out there. But my seventh grade English teacher would say “show, don’t tell” so let me show you what I mean.
I just took a trip with my husband and daughter to visit the in-laws on the east coast. (I'll talk about the problem with air travel at a later time.) Sadly, there is no vacation from climate change...
One family member we visited works making robots that dive into the seas taking temperature, salinity, and various other readings that help scientists better understand what is happening to our oceans in this unprecedented time of global warming. I asked her about the water temperature in Florida, which is now at hot tub levels. She said, "I don't understand why people aren't running into the streets screaming and freaking out." That's how bad it is. I asked her about the future of global fisheries. She told me they expect in the future that all fish we eat will be farmed in nets and moved around in attempts to keep them in habitable waters. I asked her about the potential failure of the ocean currents and the collapse of the AMOC. She got a very concerned look on her face, and confirmed that is truly a fear.
The last night we were there, as the sun was setting we noticed that all too familiar red glow and smell of smoke in the air, probably a result of the still raging wildfires across Canada.
And then, we were at a pub for dinner and there was a television on in the background. We couldn't believe the headlines: Maui Is On Fire!?!?!
Was it the volcano, we thought. Nope. With scenes eerily reminiscent of Coffey Park, Paradise, and so many other fires we know all too well, a bad combination of dry fuel, low humidity, and high winds set the place ablaze and a firestorm ripped through the historic town of Lahaina, sending adults and children fleeing into the ocean to save their lives. The death toll goes up every day. As I am writing this, 93 people are confirmed dead and more than 1,000 people are still missing, making it the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.
With all corners of our country and our planet suffering, we cannot pretend that climate action is a side project.
Gov. Jay Inslee famously said, "We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change and we are the last generation that can do something about it."
We have an extraordinary opportunity to be the heroes of our own story. It is not too late to change the course of history, but we cannot procrastinate any longer! This is the final exam. Will we pass or will we fail?
If you are looking for ways to help humanity pass the test, check out Cool Petaluma (coolpetaluma.org). If you are not already part of a Cool Block, join one of our fall trainings, the first of which is Sunday, September 17, hosted by Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley.
The Cool Petaluma program not only connects people with ideas and resources, but most importantly, with each other. Our peers can be our biggest influencers and advisors when it comes to making big societal shifts. And, our neighbors are the ones we need to know and help when all hell breaks loose, like it did in Coffey Park and Lahaina.
Natasha Juliana is the Campaign Director for Cool Petaluma. She can be reached at natashaj@coolpetaluma.org For information on how to get involved, visit coolpetaluma.org