“Yes, the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment in time we created a lot of value for shareholders!”

Photo post by @EconSociology.

This made me chuckle because I often feel rather hopeless towards environmental matters. Environmental issues are on an irreversible timeline, if it were 10-20 years ago, many of the initiatives being proposed today would be more helpful. Unfortunately human activity has disrupted the once balancing feedback loops in the environment and onset many reinforcing feedback loops in environmental systems that will continue warming the earth despite any action taken.

For example, the amount of carbon emitted in the atmosphere from industrial activity far surpasses the natural regulators for carbon dioxide emissions from volcanoes. Carbon dioxide controls earth’s temperature, rising carbon concentrations result the earth’s temperature increasing. As temperature increases the the uptake and storage of carbon by land and ocean sinks decreases, releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. With the naturally balancing regulators working at much slower rates than the rate at which human activity emits carbon dioxide, we have onset a reinforcing feedback loop with no current solution for regulation.

That is not to say that we shouldn’t be actively working to prevent future degradation and onset more negatively impacting feedback loops in the environment. The other day on a podcast, ‘Selling Fear Instead of Facts’ by The Green Majority, a comment was made that should ring true or be a good reminder for environmental activists,

“If you’re not campaigning, quit complaining!”

Get involved. Get other people involved. Be an example, an inspiration, and if there is any time to be unrelenting it is now. A majority of the progress made for environmental integrity in Canada has been facilitated through activism and social movements. Another important point was discussed on this episode with reference to the recent election and change in political power; now is not the time to become complacent, environmental activism must be present and bold.

So let’s reflect on this comic, despite the cynical humor, it reminds us of an important message; future generations are relying on us, as stated throughout the podcast discussed above,

“We might want to go down swinging on this one.”