Gina McCarthy
Scott Pruitt is the Donald Trump appointee who has been given the task of dismantling much of the good work of the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States. I would call Administrator Pruitt a wolf in sheep's clothing, but that would dishonor wolves, which he would likely shoot anyway.
Gina McCarthy headed up the EPA during the Obama administration and she was a thoughtful and dedicated person. In 2016 she spoke from a personal standpoint at National Press Club luncheon in Washington. McCarthy, who was born the same year I was described her delight in the news that she and her husband would be grandparents for the first time. She realized that in the year 2050 her grandchild would be 32, — the year when science tells us we must be well on our way to a zero-carbon future, if we hope to keep carbon pollution to levels that avoid the most destructive impacts of climate change. She could have also mentioned that 2050 is the estimated year when plastic will outweigh fish in our oceans, a grim prediction.
I realized that in 2050 our three grandchildren will be roughly the ages our children are now, all of them in their thirties. Our kids will be in their sixties and we will likely be pushing up the proverbial daisies -- although Ruth may well be a spry nonagenarian. I feel that we Baby-boomers have messed up, and much of it has to do with the deadly sin of greed. Never has one generation been so blessed materially yet acted with such disregard for those who will follow us on this planet. We can point fingers at the miserable Trump administration yet we have dirty digits ourselves, and not in a good way. I am deeply disillusioned by the actions of our Canadian government in recent days.
McCarthy encouraged the attendees to "get personal" in their response to the challenges of caring for the planet. She quoted President Obama who stated in 2015, “We are the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change and the last to be able to do something about it.” She went on to say that too many of us still view climate change as a distant threat, not the most significant threat to our communities, our families and our children. She finished by saying "When I think climate change, I see the face of my future grandson. Who is your face of a changing climate?"
Wise and challenging words I know whose faces I see. How about you?
I know whose faces I see. How about you?
I realized that in 2050 our three grandchildren will be roughly the ages our children are now, all of them in their thirties. Our kids will be in their sixties and we will likely be pushing up the proverbial daisies -- although Ruth may well be a spry nonagenarian. I feel that we Baby-boomers have messed up, and much of it has to do with the deadly sin of greed. Never has one generation been so blessed materially yet acted with such disregard for those who will follow us on this planet. We can point fingers at the miserable Trump administration yet we have dirty digits ourselves, and not in a good way. I am deeply disillusioned by the actions of our Canadian government in recent days.
McCarthy encouraged the attendees to "get personal" in their response to the challenges of caring for the planet. She quoted President Obama who stated in 2015, “We are the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change and the last to be able to do something about it.” She went on to say that too many of us still view climate change as a distant threat, not the most significant threat to our communities, our families and our children. She finished by saying "When I think climate change, I see the face of my future grandson. Who is your face of a changing climate?"
Wise and challenging words I know whose faces I see. How about you?
I know whose faces I see. How about you?
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