Guest Thinkers — August 4, 2010

Tough Solutions to Climate Change

"Making nice doesn't work. It was worth a try, but it didn't work. So we'd better try something else." A Methodist Sunday school teacher proposes standing up to inaction over climate change.

bigthinkeditor

“Making nice doesn’t work. It was worth a try, but it didn’t work. So we’d better try something else.” A Methodist Sunday school teacher proposes standing up to inaction over climate change: “We’re not going to get the Senate to act next week, or maybe even next year. It took a decade after the Montgomery bus boycott to get the Voting Rights Act. But if there hadn’t been a movement, then the Voting Rights Act would have passed in—never. We may need to get arrested. We definitely will need disciplined, nonviolent but very real anger. Mostly, we need to tell the truth, resolutely and constantly. Fossil fuel is wrecking the one Earth we’ve got. It’s not going to go away because we ask politely. If we want a world that works, we’re going to have to raise our voices.”

A book titled "Cultures of Growth" by Mary C. Murphy lying on a dark blue fabric surface.

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Abstract monochrome sketch of two figures, one with head bowed and the other looking downward, conveying a contemplative or somber mood, suggestive of the Chiron effect.

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Two women in vintage clothing, wearing bows in their hair, engaging in a tend-and-befriend moment on a grassy field, lying facing each other, smiling and talking.

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Black and white image of a stone statue depicting an elderly man in thoughtful pose, positioned against geometric building lines, symbolizing generous leaders.

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