where the end begins
“Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” - Carl Sagan
listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTpdKTuDxNg
[Our visit to Jökulsárlón, the ice lagoon on the southeast corner of Iceland, was, for me, the most riveting travel experience of my life. As we drove the camper slowly over the bridge that crests the lagoon, I stopped the vehicle and stumbled out, dazed and awe struck at the sight of it all. We watched on as two massive glacier islands crashed wildly into another, tumbling on their journey to the black-sand shores just off in the distance. Here they would settle and ultimately melt. And that would be that.
Witnessing the implicit, tragic beauty of this place sent shock waves through the innermost corners of my spirit. My understanding of climate change and our very human impact on the planet culminated in this eerily serene setting. Pristine islands of ice floated still and somber on the mirror-like water, and looking at it, I understood more deeply than I ever had before. That we had done this. We, humans, had done and continue to do it. That I was doing it. That everyone was and is.
This Icelandic glacier will be gone in fifty short years. In those fifty years, we will continue to witness undeniable change in our planet. It is terrifying, but there are steps we all can take. And each of us knows this on a deep and fundamental level. We've backed ourselves into a corner, and now we must face things as they are. Together, we can.
Start here, if you're looking at quick tips on things you can do right now: www3.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/
And this is wonderful for keeping abreast of current planetary conditions and top-notch research under way regarding climate change: climate.nasa.gov/ ]
where the end begins
“Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” - Carl Sagan
listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTpdKTuDxNg
[Our visit to Jökulsárlón, the ice lagoon on the southeast corner of Iceland, was, for me, the most riveting travel experience of my life. As we drove the camper slowly over the bridge that crests the lagoon, I stopped the vehicle and stumbled out, dazed and awe struck at the sight of it all. We watched on as two massive glacier islands crashed wildly into another, tumbling on their journey to the black-sand shores just off in the distance. Here they would settle and ultimately melt. And that would be that.
Witnessing the implicit, tragic beauty of this place sent shock waves through the innermost corners of my spirit. My understanding of climate change and our very human impact on the planet culminated in this eerily serene setting. Pristine islands of ice floated still and somber on the mirror-like water, and looking at it, I understood more deeply than I ever had before. That we had done this. We, humans, had done and continue to do it. That I was doing it. That everyone was and is.
This Icelandic glacier will be gone in fifty short years. In those fifty years, we will continue to witness undeniable change in our planet. It is terrifying, but there are steps we all can take. And each of us knows this on a deep and fundamental level. We've backed ourselves into a corner, and now we must face things as they are. Together, we can.
Start here, if you're looking at quick tips on things you can do right now: www3.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/
And this is wonderful for keeping abreast of current planetary conditions and top-notch research under way regarding climate change: climate.nasa.gov/ ]