Most people don’t realize how serious it is. We’ve only got 50 years worth of resources left, if we keep going the way we are, and honestly, that’s optimistic. Aside from that, we’ve already gone over the calculated “point of no return”, so even if we immediately start sucking gasses out of the atmosphere and stop all transport and agriculture, we’re going to see oceans rise, sea life die, we’re going to be crammed into smaller land areas, places like Melbourne will be underwater, and the fallout will probably send us into an ice age anyway (long story, but basically the ice melts, cold water sinks, the ocean flow responsible for thermoregulation of the planet is interrupted, cue ice age).

I can already see it now. Forget the hurricanes for a moment:

-Hay isn’t growing at the right time. Last year, no one got good hay where I live, because the weather (which has been in the same pattern during hay season for as long as I’ve been alive) was whacked out.

-None of my animals grew coats correctly, because the weather is just all wrong, and they don’t know what season they’re in.

-We’re getting new temperature records globally; basically, all weather is starting to change already

-Where I live, there are always two weeks where we see echidnas everywhere, and then we don’t see them the rest of the year. that is, until last year, when we barely saw them, spaced throughout several months. 

-Let me reiterate, the animals cannot tell what season it is because climate change is altering weather patterns that have been here for as long as anyone can remember

-We also have more acidic rain due to all the gasses, which is why we’ve got so many statues and whatnot corroding even though they haven’t changed for thousands of years

-We had a tornado start to form in Melbourne. That’s unheard of.

We have the technology to slow down climate change. If we want to survive for more than 50 years, we need to act now. NOW. We need to put in place all the technologies we have, and pour money into more scientific research.

And why haven’t we? Because politicians earn money from oil companies and don’t care about the future of the planet, because they’re not going to be here in 50 years anyway.

https://www.skepticalscience.com/ is a great website that debunks common myths about climate change! check it out! it has a wealth of information that’s super easy to understand and even comes in different levels in terms of learning. 

i just recently sat in a climate change presentation and the physicist who gave the presentation talked about how if in the next 30 years we (not just Americans, but humans all over the world) do not cut down on carbon emissions (and this honestly boils down to policy changes that MUST be made amongst industrialists in “developed countries” but that’s a whole other conversation) climate change will ultimately become irreversible. 

30 years y’all. that’s within all of our life times. and these effects are going to be pretty much the end of human civilization as we know it. 

It’s time for people who will not live to see the consequences of their actions to give way to those of us who will. It’s time for those of us born in the shadow of climate change to stand up and start demanding our stake in the future be recognized as larger and more important than the greedy old men who don’t expect to be around that long.

There are groups working towards positive changes. 

Corporate groups organizing for their financial interests are how and why we have so little regulation, ineffective carbon exchange projects (where they exist), and no carbon taxes, despite the overwhelming evidence that they are one of the fastest ways to overhaul the system because it actually penalizes what needs to be penalized. 

The current system is not an accident - it is entirely intentional, and shaped by those who profit the most from it.

The best way to fight back is to organize, just like the companies have done, to join and form groups to defend the planet and fight these corporations. We’re strong as individuals, but we’re even more powerful when we join groups and work together.

Do you have any extra time, a few extra pennies, or some skills to donate to help? 5 minutes a week? a half hour? Groups need everything from artists and graphic designers to people who are good at organizing things/working with spreedsheets to fundraising help for bail funds. Musicians to write inspirational music and chants. Lawyers to help write legislation. Charismatic extroverts to meet people, shake hands and help get legislation passed. Writers to send in ‘letters to the editor’ in the local newspaper to reach the most active voting group of all - the elderly. Anyone good with google maps to figure out where to hang large banners on overpasses where they’ll be seen by the most people before they’re taken down. Anyone who can figure out how to attach those banners so they’ll stay up as long as possible. Anyone willing to hang them. Influencers and anyone with a large social media following to help spread these ideas, spread knowledge and activities of these groups and to support them anyway they can.

Here’s a small list to get you started:

350.org - an extremely effective organization, currently going after companies with their divestment campaign (getting large and wealthy groups like universities to stop investing in fossil fuel companies, starving them of $$$)

Sunshine Movement - a relatively young and new group, they’ve already marched and occupied offices in Washington DC. They offer training.

Sierra Club (they vary from chapter to chapter, some are more active and/or radical than others)

Rainforest Trust and Rainforest Foundation - these are some of the most effective groups out there, in terms of money donated to how much good they accomplish.

Extinction Rebellion - a very new and young group, not afraid to go out there and protest on the streets

Climate Offensive - another very new and young group, they just had a very successful fundraiser for Rainforest Trust mentioned above

Earth Strike - another very new and young group. Small local chapters are forming around the world. 

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One thing to know is that if you are in the USA, you may not know just how much young people and environmentalists in other parts of the world have been consistently protesting and agitating, including massive marches on the streets. 

Belgium - “ 12,500 young people came to Brussels this morning for the second demonstration for a more ambitious climate policy, reports the police. Last week, there were 3,000. The organizers (and demonstrators) are enthusiastic about the turnout. They want to be there again next week. - January 17, 2019 “

Teenagers Emerge as a Force in Climate Protests Across Europe - NYT

 “BRUSSELS — Tens of thousands of children skipped school in Belgium on Thursday to join demonstrations for action against climate change, part of a broader environmental protest movement across Europe that has gathered force over the past several weeks.

In Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland and elsewhere, activists have come together on social media to gather in large numbers and without much apparent preparation, the protests taking a different shape in each country.

In Germany, students have protested on Fridays, communicating mainly through the messaging app WhatsApp; in Belgium, they organize on Facebook and have skipped school by the thousands on four consecutive Thursdays.

Last Sunday, climate protests in Brussels swelled to an estimated 100,000 people of all ages. That same day, an estimated 80,000 took part in cities across France — more than turned out for the “Yellow Vest” protests the day before. 

In Berlin, about 10,000 climate activists with signs like “It’s our future you are playing with” and “Climate S.O.S.” demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Economics and Technology, joined by the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei.

“We tell people, dress warmly, because we are only getting started,” said Luisa Neubauer, 22, a university student who helps organize the Berlin protests. - January 31, 2019”