Climate change is in the air, literally and figuratively, in people’s marches across the country, at the United Nations, and in cars with diplomatic plates all over New York City.
So what is the literary crowd thinking?
The New York Times posed the questions:
“What is your greatest worry about climate change? What gives you hope?”
Along with his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Cali Gov Jerry Brown, Michael Bloomberg, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, authors, scientists, and other world and national figures responded.
Elizabeth Colbert, The Sixth Extinction said in part:
‘There are 7.2 billion people on the planet right now, and we all need to eat.
Hopefulness or a lack of it is really not the issue here. We’ve already caused a lot of damage … We’re capable of causing a great deal more damage, and we’re also capable of limiting that damage. That’s the choice at this point, and we need to face up to that.’
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle author Barbara Kingsolver’s comments included:
‘My fear: Catastrophic extinction.
My hope: We in the United States finally seem to be coming to the table after decades of either denial or argument.’
Margaret Atwood, who brought us The Year of the Flood, flowed toward faith in humankind:
‘The most worrisome thing is the potential death of the ocean. If it dies, we die.
What gives me hope is that more and more people are aware of the dangers we face, and many smart people are at work on solutions. Our smart brains got us into this. Let’s see if they can get us out.’
Going global, Gloria Steinem cited everyone’s role:
‘Like millions of others in public opinion polls, I’m willing to lower my standard of living to help create a turning point. We’re waiting for a practical, coordinated, understandable set of instructions that counters the Kochs, the deniers, the profiteers.’
And closed embracing the women’s movement:
‘Everything we know says that when women can decide whether and when to have children, growth slows down to a little over replacement level. And that would be the single biggest long-term relief for the environment.’
And now, GalleyCats, it’s in our hands …