by Patricia Stewart

Created on: December 23, 2008

"Unstoppable," is a formidable word. That term also applies to our planet and its problems. It is very easy to gradually accelerate a car as we drive, but it is impossible to stop it on a dime, without some terrifying consequences. The same is true of "global warming," though I believe that this is a misnomer. We don't know exactly how the climate will shift. Not even Al Gore has been able to determine how the global ocean currents will be altered by the change in atmospheric temperature. These affect the global tradewinds, so some areas may shift from warm to cold. Does that mean global warming has changed, or been stopped? I don't think so.

However, since we can't "stop" the momentum which has our planet reeling in its climatic confusion, we can stop accelerating the "global car," and we can try to "guide the skid," as our planet finds its balancing point again. This is the only way we can affect change for this catatrophe which we, as a species, have brought to our home. I don't think we're going see "life go back to normal," in the lifetime of anyone on this planet right now. Not even the newborn elephant of 2009 will likely see a "natural planet," in its lifetime. So, in that way, as an individual, I see the problem as unstoppable.

That doesn't mean I've given up hope. Like the rest of nature, humans can adjust. We need to keep our eyes to the goal of a "natural planet prior to the Industrial Revolution," but the work to get us there is not going to be easy. Humans are creatures of adaptation, and we've adapted to comfort and ease of transportation and heat. There isn't likely to be a giant shift in the developed world to go back to wood-fired cooking and foot transportation, though that is a sustainable way of life. We need to find ways that we can minimize our impact on the Earth and still function in the world which we've created. It will mean shifting our priorities some, and recognizing work as a tool not as a detriment. It will mean shifting our focus from immediate gratification to celebrating efforts. It will mean "enjoying the moment," as much as enjoying the completion of that effort.

And in the same way we must learn to adapt to our changing climate, we must learn to enjoy the process. We can't give up, or the world will become uninhabitable much sooner. But we must not abdicate responsibility either. It is up to each of us to make the changes that we can, and steer business and government to do the same. This way, the "unstoppable change," can be guided safely to its new home, whenever, and where ever that may be.

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