It's Not Just About Us ...

Chris Weston

I'll admit that as a Canadian, I've struggled from time to time with some anti-American sentiment. You can imagine how I'm having to talk to myself these days, eh? That's because this president-elect isn't just going to destroy the US, he's going to destroy the rest of the world. I've written about that before, here. And when I say "the rest" I mean everything else.

Here's the thing. We all know (well, everyone who isn't American knows) that Americans are rather (and I'm generalizing here, for which I'll apologize now), um, insular. Their geographic ignorance is legendary and world-renowned! (Do they know that? I wonder.)

But it's their ecological ignorance that is so dangerous right now. Another study just revealed that "climate-related local extinctions are already widespread among plant and animal species."

Yet, Mr. I-Can't-Bring-Myself-to-Utter-His-Name-on-My-Blog-Anymore is going after the names of anyone in the US Department of Energy who has worked on climate change. Talk about trying to chill US progress on climate change mitigation. [Update: The questionnaire was "not authorized" and has therefore been withdrawn. Nice play, transition team. Way to accidentally on purpose ensure the chill and then get away with it with a simple "oops." Watch for a lot more of this kind of slime.] 

So as the world actually experiences worse and worse impacts of climate disruption, "that man" and his cronies are going deeper and deeper into pignorant (pretend ignorant) denial. 

It's as if he doesn't (I'm sure he does, but he pretends he doesn't — greed can do that to you) understand that we are completely reliant on the Earth, the earth, the biodiversity of this precious planet, and all of Nature's gifts. He acts as though he is a man unto himself, as though he's never breathed a molecule of air he didn't make, never eaten a calorie of food he didn't grow, never drunk a drop of water he didn't magically bring into existence. 

So while he's going about business-as-worse-than-usual, his plan is to make the biosphere uninhabitable. And not just for humanity, but for MOST OTHER SPECIES, too. 

If they could, I think all the other species would revolt in a stampede that would trample a certain red-headed president-elect.

*******

A friend wrote to say that she couldn't get her comment to publish, so I thought I would post it here: 

"Even though you apologize, you discount many, many Americans who are very aware of climate change, want to make changes, but simply can’t with the political voting structure in place, just as we have our problems with our voting system, and we had problems with [Prime Minister] Harper. So, you end up alienating some of the very people who might agree with you and are fighting for change. It just seems strange to see it in writing from you on your blog. Yes, I agree that Trump is going to wreck the world for us, including many, many Americans who didn’t vote for him, and the Americans who did vote for him. We are all in trouble."




To my friend: The last bit of your comment explains why I don't care about the first bit (except that I don't see that I'm discounting anyone). The Americans (and some of them are my friends) who are working on climate change and trying to create change in the US know that ecological ignorance is killing us. And they — and I — know that we have no time left to worry about hurt feelings. Those who know me well will now know how serious the threat is if I'm not worried about being nice anymore.  

A Tribute to Dogs in the Year of the Horse

Well, in the Chinese lunar calendar, it's now the Year of the Horse. Apparently we're in for lots of upheaval this year. I wonder if we can direct that upheaval in the right direction. (You know, upheave the fossil fuel industries and keep the renewable energy industries growing strongly.)

Meanwhile, my 2014 isn't quite going as planned. (I broke my ankle again last weekend, while helping a friend during a traumatic time — double whammy.)

Duelling laptop and lapdog

Well, I burst into tears the other day, overwhelmed by all there is to do in the world (and, frankly, just to keep my own life in order). My dog was sitting on my lap, and when she heard me crying, she sat up, put her paws on my shoulders, and looked me right in the eyes. "I don't know what to do," I whispered to her, tears streaming down my cheeks. 

Who can resist a dog that grins?

I heard a little chihuahua sigh come from her. "Ah, take a deep breath?" So I did. I immediately settled down. Then she gave herself a good shudder. "You're suggesting I shake it off?" So I did. And now, mini-crisis averted, she settled back down in my lap as I wiped the day's tears from my face. I know they'll come again soon — that's what happens when you're sensitive — but Lita will be there for me, to put a paw on my shoulder, lick my face and calm me down.

Not only do my husband and I find ourselves laughing several times a day at some dog antic or other, but we sometimes employ her as our symbol of the mammals everywhere that we're working hard to safeguard.

So in this Year of the Horse, let your pets, your totem animals or your local wildlife remind you that you're doing this good work for the children — of all species.