The International Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C was "formally approved by the world’s governments in 2018 – the year of IPCC’s 30th anniversary celebrations.” In the foreword of this document is the following (with bolding added):
“This Special Report confirms that climate change is already affecting people, ecosystems and livelihoods all around the world. It shows that limiting warming to 1.5ºC is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics but would require unprecedented transitions in all aspects of society. It finds that there are clear benefits to keeping warming to 1.5ºC rather than 2ºC or higher. Every bit of warming matters. And it shows that limiting warming to 1.5ºC can go hand in hand with achieving other global goals such as the Sustainable Development Agenda. Every year matters and every choice matters.”
When we set out to accomplish anything that is difficult - raising a child, recovering from a serious illness or injury, or learning something new and challenging - we do not, as much as we might wish it, expect that we will simply snap our fingers and achieve our end goal. We know that there will be setbacks along the way - when it feels as if we are no longer moving forward and are perhaps moving backwards. This is when hope can come in.
Katharine Hayhoe - at 40:00 in this video - speaks compellingly about hope and what it is and isn’t and how we can use it personally as well as at a broader level in our neighborhoods and communities.
What does hope look like for you personally? Are there people in your community working on climate change that bring you hope? Can you join them? Support their efforts? Emulate what those who you admire from a distance are doing in their communities? Why not share the section of hope in Hayhoe’s video with friends and family and discuss what it inspires in you?