“The climate needs critics,” journalist Mats Edman writes in a column in the Swedish magazine Fokus. One part of me gets a little happy with the headline, hopes that he may have thought one step further and demands the reader to wake up, meet a challenge. Unfortunately, the column had nothing to do with neither challenge nor steps. On the contrary; it was just another toneless entry into the (thankfully) increasingly tired chorus of people arguing that we don’t need to be in such a hurry.
The climate does not need critics. The climate needs nothing. It is humans, animals and the planet that need something, and this something has very little to do with Mats Edman. We need more people who realize what’s happening, who are furious and who are doing something about it, we need companies that review their impact and act where it makes the biggest difference, we need governments that demand action, we need owners , banks and investors who demand transparency and measures, we need more curves that go down, not up. That’s what we need.
There is no lack of insights, facts or stories from reality. I just read a report by Tamma Carleton, a researcher at the University of California, published in the scientific journal PNAS. She describes that 59,300 suicides among farmers in India over the past 30 years can be linked to climate change. What an incredibly clear picture of how closely the environment, economy and health are connected.
And there are many such stories. I am reading Åtta steg mot avgrunden (Eight steps to the abyss) by Jonathan Jeppsson where there are plenty of stories from all around the world. It’s no uplifting reading, but it definitely cures all thoughts that we might not be in a hurry.
What a cheerful blog post this did not become… But as I said, the tones from the tired chorus of people who think we can wait with action are getting weaker. Countries, governments, banks, investors, owners and entrepreneurs have begun to act forcefully. We meet committed company owners, business leaders and employees every day who want to work for real change, who understand that it is urgent.
That’s hopeful.
