63 Days - When Will Our Carbon Emissions Become Embarrassing?

I was reading my alumni newsletter yesterday when I stumbled upon a small note explaining that one of the professors had spent a lovely summer vacation in Paris and then cruising around the Mediterranean with her family.

I'm now at the point where my first reaction was not "Wow, how lovely." My first thought was, "They shouldn't be printing that here — advertising it as though it's something benign." (I live in Canada so it's no small feat to get to France.)

I had the same sort of reaction when a colleague told me that her toddler daughter was happy to go to a doctor who had the same name as her favourite character in her favourite movie: Cars. "Yikes," I thought to myself. "I wouldn't even allow my kids to watch a movie called Cars in this day and age."

And when, a few weeks ago, I was having to drive back and forth to the hospital each day due to complications with my broken ankle, I was embarrassed to be seen driving our son's (automatic) car because it's an SUV. But then I realized that no one else was looking at me with sanctioning eyes.

So, when are our carbon emissions going to start being frowned upon? Considered socially unacceptable? Gone the way of smoking? Looked upon with scorn? A source of embarrassment? Against social norms? Necessitating a good excuse?

We need to get to zero carbon emissions. The age of burning is over. When are we going to get over it?