3 Things You Can Do to Save Our Precarious Planet

Precarious Planet

My nephew-in-law ruined my world and now I have to change...again. He sent me this video - see below. Watch it and see what I mean. DO NOT watch this unless you are prepared for the consequences:  disbelief and either despair or a conviction to change.

So for a few months now, I've been walking around, doing the same things I have always done and living with a gnawing ache, despair, that the planet, our home, is rapidly running out of time and that it is our fault. Frankly, it  is depressing to visualize the planet as it will be in less than 150 years and know that I can't change it.

However, this week I ran across an article by Bill McKibben that gave me some hope. Bill has offered some hope and leadership. You can find a nice article on his work and ideas here at Sojourners.

In short he offers three simple, although not necessarily easy, things we can DO about the problem we have created.


Here's the plan, as documented  by Rose Marie Berger  :

1. Divest or get active regarding all stockholdings in these six corporations: ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Peabody, Arch, and BP. These are the primary oil, natural gas, and coal companies operating in or through the United States that top the charts as carbon polluters.

2. Push for carbon "fee-and-dividend" laws on corporate carbon emitters at the local, state, and federal level. No more free rides for oil, gas, and coal companies. You pay taxes to have your garbage hauled away. Why shouldn't they?

3. Take personal responsibility. Everyone can continue to limit energy consumption, use renewable energy sources, and build out a sustainable footprint for our homes and churches. But we also need people to step up and put their bodies on the line...

Read the entire article here and more about Mr. McKibben's work over at BillMcKibben.com.