It’s been a few crazy weeks my friends. Searing heat waves in the East. Fires in the Southwest. Historic flooding in the upper midwest. The partial failure of a dam here in Minnesota. Hurricane Beryl ripping through the Caribbean and causing death and destruction in Texas. And some frightening Supreme Court decisions, particularly the overturning of Chevron Deference. Our heads are spinning.
A couple of weeks ago, while my father lay in Trauma ICU, his home in Spencer, Iowa was flooded, as was most of the small city. The Little Sioux River crested at 2 feet above the highwater mark of a previous historic flood in 1954. Two feet. Five days later, when he came out of surgery and off the respirator we told him about the flood. He was shocked, of course. As we shared photos and stories he remarked, rolling his eyes in disgust, “but there is no climate change.” He knows that all of this is the result of human behavior – the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. He just happens to live in an area full of climate change deniers.
We absolutely must overcome rampant disinformation about climate change. We will not be able to create and implement solutions in a public that denies its existence. Education — classroom and community based — is the answer. Education is how we prepare our children and communities to create solutions and to adapt. Climate justice education is critical, and climate justice education is at risk now as climate change deniers ban books, restrict curricula, and threaten teachers.
We will transition to a post-petroleum world, that is certain. We get to choose whether that is through system collapse or through effective community driven change grounded in equity.
The years ahead of us will be hard. We at Climate Generation will continue to build community and power with all of you. We will continue to lift up, support and promote climate justice education. Will you join us in overcoming disinformation and increasing access to climate justice education? Become a partner and make a gift to support this work.
Susan Phillips
Executive Director
