• Latest

What is the Climate Change Story We Tell Our Children?

July 9, 2019
Enough Ministries Youth Volunteer

Enough Ministries Youth Volunteer

July 5, 2022

Kinney Drugs Opens COVID-19 Vaccination Appointments for Ages 3-4

July 5, 2022
Fish with a Warden Sessions Offered

Fish with a Warden Sessions Offered

July 5, 2022
Montpelier Aims to Bring Clothespins Back to Their Historic Home

Montpelier Aims to Bring Clothespins Back to Their Historic Home

July 5, 2022
African Queen (1951)

Psycho (1960)

July 5, 2022
East Montpelier Student Lands Opportunity at Tech Company

East Montpelier Student Lands Opportunity at Tech Company

June 28, 2022

U.S. Supreme Court Reversal of Roe vs. Wade is a Devastating Blow to Reproductive Rights

June 28, 2022
Just Some Thoughts

I Hate Painting!

June 28, 2022
African Queen (1951)

The Conversation (1974)

June 28, 2022

Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) Offers Special Memorable Times Online and Ageless Grace/Memory Café Reunion in July 

June 28, 2022

Upper Valley Everyone Eats Returns to Gifford in June

June 21, 2022

Vermont’s COVID-19 State-Run Testing Sites to Close June 25

June 21, 2022
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Thursday, July 7, 2022
The World Online
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

What is the Climate Change Story We Tell Our Children?

vt-world by vt-world
July 9, 2019
in Letters & opinions, Local News
0

I’ve been wrestling with a sentence that typifies the mission of our times, and have come to this: “We need to end the fundamental threat that climate change presents to our ability to provide for our children.”

We can accomplish this by engaging two of the most wonderful features of common humanity: Our creativity and our neighborliness―our care for one another.  These Vermont attributes seem like a strong foundation for our collective commitment for mutuality in decision-making and action, and hence to our democracy.  Creativity, plus neighborliness, plus democracy, equals power.

Some say we are too small to make a difference:  Any carbon reductions we make as individuals, towns, or the State of Vermont are meaningless. There are two answers to that:  First, game theory — If we act and others don’t, we are sacrificing in vain.  If everyone thinks that way, everyone loses.  But in democracy, we all have a responsibility to do our part, and in doing so, we have the ability to build buy-in and partnership from others on the local, state, national, and international scale; and collectively our actions will make a difference. Taking action to combat climate change is not in a zero-sum game.

The second answer is that carbon reduction is not just a penalty or a sacrifice — it’s an opportunity for economic reinvention in the face of a global pattern of change that is already occurring.  It’s a path to prosperity, to clean air and water, to healthier lives.

The economy is the interface between humanity and the environment.  Entrepreneurs in the economy are paid to provide services and creatively solve problems.  The fundamental challenge of climate change is not going to go away; it is a massive fulcrum for the economy of the future.

Mumbai, Silicon Valley, and Cambridge, MA, are not just looking to lead in microchips and digital development; they are looking to capture market share in the clean energy, smart grid, green building, transportation revolution.  Let’s capture some of that market share here in Vermont.

Answering climate change doesn’t undermine the economy; it renews it.  According to some of the leading investors in the global economy, creativity in answering climate change is the greatest economic opportunity in history.

Clean energy development in Vermont produces 19,000 jobs today.  We are already in a process of reinvention.

Casella Waste Systems has a business vision where there is no waste and innovates to make money on what we now throw away.  They don’t plan to grow as a trash hauler, but as an inventor.

Beta Technologies at the Burlington airport is competing with Boeing and international corporations to build the first electric plane and fly it across the country. Meanwhile, LED Dynamics is trying to create the most efficient light in the world, and Northern Reliability, Dynastar, VELCO and our utilities are innovating with a smarter grid, storage, efficiency and resilience in our energy systems, right here and now.

The Climate Economy is the economy of the future, and it’s the innovation edge today. Businesses are building solutions.  Cities and towns are ahead of the states, which are ahead of the federal government.

In a community process recently, we heard a school leader describe the growing epidemic of anxiety disorders in children. Kids are being overwhelmed by talk of catastrophe, social media blitzing, and apocalyptic images in movies, TV, books, and video games.  Later, I was at a party where adults were talking in an ironic way about the end of the world as we know it in 20 years because of climate change disruptions and environmental collapse – with children listening.

This needs to end.  We need to be the adults in the room.  We need to recognize the challenge ahead, but show our kids that we are building the answers to climate change, right here and right now, and that we will do what it takes to advance a sustainable clean energy future.  We need to act in confidence and take the personal leadership that democracy requires of us.  We need to build and drive a narrative of success.

We need to act together at a transformational level — in communities, in our legislature, and in the executive branch — to build platforms of action at the scale required by this challenge. We need to get over politics, hesitation, and weakness.  We need to take courage and put creativity, neighborliness, and democracy into gear in collective action, today, for the common good and for generations to come.  And we will win the day for our children… there is no other choice.

Paul Costello

Previous Post

Yesterday

Next Post

Local HAMS Participate In Field Day

Next Post

Local HAMS Participate In Field Day

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Summer Guide
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In