As a child in school, I experienced periodic fire drills. These aimed to instill coping skills to deploy in an emergency. We were taught it was very important not to panic.

In considering what runaway climate change will look like, it may be hard not to panic. I personally think I see some of this response in people’s saying we have to cut down our carbon sink trees to put up solar panels, and in climate leader Bill McKibben’s saying we have to sacrifice Nature in order to save it.

The late biologist E.O. Wilson can only speak to us now through his writings. In his book, “Half Earth,” Wilson said we must preserve half of the planet undisturbed in order for life as we know it to continue.

An effective response to our climate emergency requires participation, not only by small groups of activists, but by all. This mobilization of everyone can be hard to visualize, when folks I’ve talked with seemed to say “ew, gross” to the prospect of such a simple measure as donning long underwear in winter.

Before it became prohibitively expensive to do so, I would take the train across the country instead of going by plane. As it happened, Amtrak was the best means many people had to travel to the Bakken Oil Fields of North Dakota, to work. I did not want anyone to assist fossil fuel development anywhere anyhow, and this led to some interesting experiences when breaking bread together in the dining car. I knew enough to zip my lips, but, from body language, I understood the guy who had gotten a good income for the first time in his life sensed what my perspective was.

Bakken oil developers have burned a flare of natural gas that is visible from outer space. My guess is, the carbon emitted with that flare is considerable.

In the PBS Frontline film, “The Persuaders,” Clotaire Rapaille explained people need to drive SUVs; but he also referenced a difference between Americans and French people, in how we store cheese. Perhaps positive cultural change is possible.

Mary H. Hall

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