Lost Time in the War on Climate Change (Part 1)

It's longer than you probably think

Not actually a photo of Joe Manchin with his Maserati—just an AI generated image that came up after I typed in “Joe Machin leaning on a gray Maserati.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Wayyyy back in 1977 the oil company, Exxon, knew about Climate Change and said nothing. Worse yet, they spent decades saying nothing about, doing nothing to stop, and even spending millions of dollars spreading misinformation about, Climate Change.

1977 was 46 years ago.

That’s a lot of time wasted—during which the United States Government let giant fossil fuel companies financially convince them that Climate Change was not a thing and that humans weren’t slowly killing the natural system that supports our very lives. Just think about the potential advances that could have been made in 46 years. Consider the problems we are now facing and how we might not be facing them if only Exxon had spoken up or, ten years later, when Climate Change entered the mainstream, our leaders hadn’t let themselves be bought and paid for my lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry.

We needed to move then, in 1977 or at least in 1987, but we didn’t because of the power of money and it’s ability to corrupt.

This is the system we have—it’s not a capitalist system—it’s a corruptionist system. I’ve talked about it many times over the years. If given the choice between doing the right thing, and potentially losing their job, or taking money that will allow them pay for their next campaign AND buy a Maserati, far too many politicians will go for the Maserati option.

In a way, it corrupts all of us. We all want that raise, to get that promotion, to feel more valid in life. But if you do what you need to do to get ahead at your boring office job, you’re probably not damning potentially millions or even billions of humans to a Climate Change-related death in the process. Our elected leaders will do exactly that if they don’t, RIGHT NOW, take this threat to humanity seriously.

Wait, HOW much time have we wasted?

We’ve lost 46 years of progress on solving the problem of Climate Change. We’re now living in the reality of that wasted time. Whether you are Biden, or AOC, or some Republican, you all need to do more than you’ve ever done to fight Climate Change RIGHT NOW.

If you continue to take half measures and continue to cling to the idea that we can negotiate with reality on this, you will be damning those humans I mentioned to death. Just as inaction for 46 years has already damned far too many lives around the world.

Because of Climate Change, our world is going to adapt to what we’ve done to it. We MUST adapt with it or many more will die.

But hey, who likes change? Letting most of humanity DIE OFF is WAY EASIER THAN SWITCHING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS, AM I RIGHT? Especially after you’ve been putting it off for 46 years.

Thanks for reading! Part 2 of this essay is coming in just 7 days!

What are YOUR thoughts on all of this? Let me know in the comments!

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