A real reason
to attend march
My 2-year old granddaughter's name is Cecilia. She is the strongest reason my husband and I signed on to board a bus headed for the People's Climate March on Sept. 21 in New York City. The march will precede a United Nations conference of world leaders on climate change.
I try to think of the world Cecilia will inherit.
Will she be hungry? If not my granddaughter, what about the other Cecilias all over the world? Worldwide food production was down 3 percent last year likely in part due to climate change. The most recent report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the effects on food production will be more extensive and experienced far sooner than previously thought. The report predicts an increased level of global hunger in the next 20 to 30 years. Climate change will increase malnutrition in children under 5 by 20 percent, or about 25 million children, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute. That is the equivalent of all the children under 5 in the United States and Canada.
Will she be safe? Climate change is already exacerbating the conflicts and violence tearing the world apart. According to the UN, desertification of drylands has led to millions having to leave their homes due to scarcity of resources. Add to that the millions who will be displaced due to the rise of sea level in low-lying areas. These people suffering from hunger and poverty will be migrating to places already straining to accommodate changing conditions.
Will she be discouraged and angry? Will she lose faith in her ancestors and family? Will she look at the magnitude of the problem left to her and throw up her hands? Will she be angry wanting to know how much we knew, when we knew it, and what did we do about it?
Nancy Brown
Bella Vista
Editorial on 09/17/2014