A recent article from Willamette Week made a strong claim — the most important quality for parents today is bravery. This comes following a press release on August 9 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which showed that, in essence, things are only going to get worse.
The tone of the report was one of a calm, collected, “We warned you.” Not something one ever wants to hear from a panel of highly educated scientists specializing in climate change. While the release clarifies that there are things that can be done to stem the worsening of our planet’s condition, things aren’t looking good:
“Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, and some of the changes already set in motion—such as continued sea level rise—are irreversible over hundreds to thousands of years.”
Yet, the report notes, not all is lost. According to the release, “Strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases would limit climate change.”
While the effects of these reductions might not be seen immediately, air quality would improve quickly. However, it might take 20 to 30 years for global temperatures to stabilize. This is where parental bravery comes in.
Consider this situation briefly; regardless of whether you personally believe in climate change, it is here. And no, you might not live to experience the worst of it — but what about your children? Or your grandchildren?
To raise healthy children, one needs a healthy environment. And, as much as some parents may hate to admit it, the current global environment is neither healthy nor safe. It takes bravery to raise children properly in an unsafe environment — bravery which will ideally encourage stronger children in the future.
The effects of climate change have been witnessed first-hand by Oregonians for the past several years; the famously rainy and verdant state has become parched and ablaze, with some of the largest fires in the country being too close to home for the past year. Add in multiple extreme heat waves that are expected to only worsen with time, and things aren’t looking great.
Perhaps you don’t agree with global warming. It may seem as though it’s a simple concept that’s been pushed as a political agenda for years. Yet now climate change preparation is something entirely different – a mandate; a requirement for healthy future generations.
And the IPCC has been warning the global community for years of this. Yet now they’ve warned that we may have waited too long, and that action must be taken now.
“This report is a reality check,” said IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte. “We now have a much clearer picture of the past, present and future climate, which is essential for understanding where we are headed, what can be done, and how we can prepare.”
And yes, Oregon has been taking steps to prepare recently, such as passing House Bill 2021, which requires energy providers statewide to cut carbon emissions entirely by 2040. But that’s simply not enough. To be able to raise healthy children, more decisive action is needed.
If Corvallis wants to see its children thrive, even after their parents have left them behind, it’s vital that climate change is taken more seriously. Listen to the professionals who have dedicated their careers to this field. Their report shows that “human actions still have the potential to determine the future course of the climate.”
So maybe, just maybe – teach the next generation the importance of their actions, so that they can live as long as the generations that came before them.
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