RARE EARTH CAN STILL BE SAVED

Upon reading "Relax. Game over” (Nov. 5 letter), I admit I was quite discouraged. But after reading “Enjoy oblivion ride” (Nov. 16 letter) — which also promoted environmental fatalism — I had to write in. When the Titanic was sinking into the icy depths, with the end in sight, enjoying a few more drinks at the bar was likely as good an option as running around the deck in a state of panic.

What makes the climate crisis different from the sinking of the Titanic is that we know how to change course and have the power to do so. But even if, as many claim, we are doomed to founder, we nonetheless have a duty to apply our ingenuity and collective will to stall the engines and steer in a new direction — at the very least to reduce the impact and prolong life.

A second difference is that there is no rescue. In their book Rare Earth, authors Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee postulate that complex life arose on Earth due to a unique set of circumstances and freak accidents. Such things as the Earth's tilt, mass, sun, orbit, position in the galaxy, gravitational and magnetic fields, the moon, neighbouring planets, ocean, atmosphere, continental drift, prolonged glaciations, and even the meteor which wiped out the dinosaurs all contributed to our planet's biodiversity.

No matter your perspective, the Earth is a miracle of creation and it is deeply immoral to knowingly destroy it.

Third, while weaning off our fossil fuel addiction is a daunting task, there are new technologies being developed every day to aid in the transition. If we did nothing else but stop subsidizing the oil and gas industry and instead invested in renewable energy and green solutions, we could accomplish much. We have the lifeboats. We just need to use them.

Finally, unlike the sinking of the Titanic, the climate crisis is no accident. To argue that we should “enjoy our time” and just “relax” disregards the role we have all played in causing it and the responsibility we all have to take action. Don't know how? Start by plugging into the Climate Action Network (CANET) and join any of a dozen regional organizations working to combat climate change in Nova Scotia: 350.org, the Sierra Club, the Ecology Action Centre, Clean Nova Scotia, KAIROS, and Fridays for Future — to name a few. Begin local. Work with others. Celebrate small successes. And know that within the decade we will all be “tree-huggers.” Why not start now?

Barbara Silburt, Halifax