03 Jul Every Action Counts
Sometimes it may feel like you are not able to impact the inevitable. But as the attached poster reminds us
Every Action Counts
Watching the Climate Crisis conversations and research is a bit like watching a car crash happening in slow motion.
This past week’s high-temperature alert in Europe, the delayed monsoons that are now causing flooding as they hit the baked hard earth in India, the news that Antarctica is melting faster are all news items that might make us feel that we can do little to delay or impact the rapidly impending disaster.
It’s like watching a car crash in slo-mo
A few years ago I got rear-ended. I remember the entire event to this day, playing it frame by frame in slow-motion in my head.
I was turning onto the highway when the car in front of me came to a very abrupt halt. In response, I hit my brakes hard. But behind me was a distracted driver. I could not catch their eye in my rear-view mirror to grab their attention. I honked my horn as loudly as I could, as I pushed that brake pedal right down to the metal.
It was useless. I heard the crunch, first from behind.
Then as their momentum sent me forward, I hit the car in front of me too.
I was so frustrated. I felt helpless at that moment.
My sense of physical security was more dinged than my car. The fact that I was an inadvertent victim who would have safely evaded the incident, had it not been for that oblivious driver behind me, did not escape my notice.
Apart from the physical hurt to myself and my car, they had severely damaged my personal sense of security.
Braking had protected me
It turns out that hitting that brake pedal hard had actually saved me.
It protected the driver in front (their back bumper did not get damaged, even though my front headlight was busted).
My back bumper was torn up, but I had been able to contain the scope of the damage to my car and the one behind.
All by breaking hard, and hitting that horn to alert everyone around me. Turns out that I had been able to make a difference through
awareness and action
Bringing it back to the climate crisis
I am faced with that same sense of immobility today – that feeling of being ineffectual in the headlights of such inevitable disaster.
But awareness and action …
What one thing could I do, today? Because every action counts.
K.I.S.S.
Little actions. In need of ideas? Take this survey, created by our local environmental collective:
https://bit.ly/2J8LPp0
Discover, as I did, that you have already been doing so much that is positive!
Discover, too, from the survey, some other simple ideas that you can implement.
Start following my podcast Tilt the Future to learn how regular people can make everyday decisions. You can subscribe on any of your favourite listening channels:
If you liked this post, here is the podcast. When you have completed the survey, send back a comment on what action you have already taken, and which one is next on your list to try out.
TODAY’S PODCAST EPISODE:
The aim is to raise enough awareness that we sense the urgency of the situation and begin to take daily actions.
What action have you decided to take today?
Let’s hit the brakes on the Climate Crisis – Every Action Counts!
CREDIT & THANKS; DEFINITIONS & RESOURCES:
-
- Inspiration & Motivation: The survey published by the Halton Environmental Network
- Climate mobilization website
- TILT the Future – my new podcast discusses how little ideas, small shifts and minute moments can result in monumental changes in our lives https://karenadesouza.com/blog/
- Find a version of this thought for today article on LinkedIn and Instagram
- Photo, audio & video credits: Headliner app, Canva, Simplecast, creator Karena de Souza
- Poster – Halton Climate Collective with permission
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