Global Warming and the Right Question

I am weary of the constant debate about global warming, the acrimonious argument around whether it is caused by human action or the result of normal cycles. Or even that global warming is real.
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Perhaps, as in the purported words of Yogi Berra “I don’t want to give the right answer to the wrong question,” it is time to change the question around global warming.

Rather than asking “Is global warming caused by man’s actions?” the question should be “What kind of world do we want to live in?”

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Do we want to live in a world where our lakes, rivers, and aquifers are so polluted our water is not safe to drink?

Do we want to live in a world in which our oceans can no longer support life?

Do we want to live in a world where the air we breathe is so filled with chemicals we must wear masks just to venture outside, where our children are not able to play on the playground?

A world where our soil is so depleted and contaminated that even the food we eat is not healthy?

Or do we want to live in a world where we can actually see the sun, shining in all its brilliance? Where the air is clear, rivers flow freely, our food is fresh and natural, and oceans are home to thousands of sea life, not floating islands of plastic trash. Where nature is valued and respected for what it offers us.

We need to change the narrative we have grown up with, that we are the superior conquerors of the Earth and all that it holds. It’s time to recognize that all is connected, animal, vegetable and mineral. That all relies on the others to not only be sustained but flourish.

What kind of world do we want to live in? is the question we should ask. Only then will we be able to come up with the right answers. Only then will it be possible to create a world that is nurturing and supportive of all life.

What kind of world do you want to live in?