Climate change is a powerful and destructive force that threatens our current lives and those who are yet to come. All talk of its presence centralizes itself around the idea that human suffering is inevitable, and all hope is lost. Each day, with each small failure echoing in a room filled with countless past failures, the threat of climate change seems impossible to stop.
That approach is loaded down with pessimism. It does not leave room to imagine our ideal future; one that could become reality so long as the world is working towards it. A reality shaped only by the pretense that failure is unavoidable and that we are past the point of no return will fulfill its own demise. To bring about the end of climate change, we must think towards the future, not dwell in the present.
That future begins with hope and care. Hope towards what humanity is capable of, in a constructive way, and care towards our fellow human beings. Just as humanity has exemplified that it is capable of horrible, treacherous things, we have also exemplified our ability to create, adapt, and create a better world for ourselves. So long as the focus for that better world transfers to human interest over economic interest, climate change can be eradicated. It is possible, and has been possible for some time, but it will only ever be realized once the basic structures of power that benefit from climate change are gone.
Climate change, violence, wealth, power, inequality, and war; they are all tied into the global identity of humanity. They are the impression we have already left on this planet throughout the history of our existence. But we are not doomed to repeat history, not when an understanding of the capacity for change exists.
It takes careful planning, a thoughtful consideration for the consequences of each and every action we take, and a constant goal to be better and make something that defies the mistakes of the past. Any who say this ideal future is impossible due to the current state of the world have accepted that the current state of the world is unable to be changed. A complete reestablishment of society as we know it is difficult and complicated, but doing so tackles the root trauma and identity that binds us to climate change. Treating the symptom accomplishes nothing until we have treated the cause.
In this time of rapid change and great understanding of climate change, action is necessary. We must all ask ourselves what it is we want out of this world, and who we are acting for. The good of the people must take priority in order for change to happen, and each person possesses unique qualities and interests that allow for that goodness to flourish. Act now, while there is still time. Our imagination of the best and brightest future is too hopeful to ignore.