Planet Earth:

Resolutions for 2020

Here we are, starting a fresh year. What are your resolutions? Eat healthier? Use less plastic? Spend more time with your family? What if Planet Earth could make resolutions? What should they be? World peace? An environmental aboutface? What does Earth need to do to make 2020 better than 2019?

For years now, I’ve been waking up every morning, reading a half dozen news sites, checking out my Facebook feed and then sitting down for breakfast with a black cloud over my head. “What is happening? I mean, really – what is happening?” The news is so dire.

For starters, there’s the planet itself. In November, 11,000 scientists released a joint statement claiming the population of the world faces “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless there are major and immediate transformations to global society. Untold suffering? Gosh. That sounds bad. Really bad.

And you can see it, too – our Earth dying. Plastic oceans. Burning forests. Unbreathable air. If the planet were a patient, you’d be exploring experimental medicines since the traditional stuff isn’t working. Or maybe you’d even be discussing end-of-life treatments...

Then there’s the whole political climate. Brexit. The impeachment of Trump. Protests in Hong Kong. Somalia. South Sudan. Mounting US-China tension. North Korea’s launches. The conflict in Ukraine. Venezuela’s implosion. Attacks in New Zealand. Oh my gosh – the list goes on and on. If I wrote about them all, this magazine would be filled with nothing else.

The grim bit

In fact, according to a website called warsintheworld.com, there are – ready for this – 69 countries currently waging war and a staggering 827 militia/guerrilla/ terrorist/separatist/anarchist groups involved. That just seems impossible. Most of these are civil wars, but many are backed by super powers.

Of course, some conflicts are larger than others. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the world’s worst. After years of war and a Saudi-led siege, the UN estimates that 16 million Yeminis face “severe and acute food insecurity”. Half the population is starving.

The deadliest fighting is in Afghanistan, which has basically been at war since 1978. Sadly, it’s a way of life there, with a whole generation growing up knowing nothing else. Close to 4,000 people were killed in fighting in the country in 2018 alone – and that’s only the civilian count. Meanwhile, the Mexican Drug War is responsible for the second-highest number of global deaths currently and, of course, the civil war in Syria is also incredibly tragic with more than a half a million people killed in total and half the population homeless.

The United Nations publishes the Global Humanitarian Overview each year and the numbers seem to be worse every time. At a glance, 131.7 million people are currently in urgent need.

The thing is, these two things – the environmental climate and political climate – are actually tied together. The environmental impact of war has been documented over and over. When humans battle, animals also die and so do entire ecosystems. The anger and intolerance of our global population is killing not only each other’s enemy, but the planet, too.

The silver lining

Believe it or not, as conflicts go, the news is not as grim as it seems. Violence has actually always been a part of Earth’s history. And because of better protection, medicine and hygiene, there are far fewer people dying in war now. The planet’s worst conflict ever, WWII, saw 7,000 people dying a day. In fact, some very wise people actually claim that we are currently living in the most peaceful time in human history, partially fuelled by fear of weapons of mass destruction, which keeps the super powers in their place.

My very wise 11-year-old daughter said, “I think war is all about greed. People need to go back to kindergarten and learn to share.”

She’s so very right. Maybe it’s too late for the current generation. We’re all set in our ways. But wouldn’t it be cool to teach our kids to look at a whole situation and not have a knee-jerk reaction. Right now, the globe is like a bunch of bad breakups. Group A sees it one way. Group B sees it another. The truth of what happened with the relationship probably lies in the middle. The more we all turn inward and only see things our way, crying, “My way is best, yours is bad”, the more likely we are to end up in conflict.

Which really is about education, right? The more we understand each other, the more we tolerate each other. And that brings me to perhaps the best news of all: education has grown by leaps and bounds across the globe. Literacy rates are soaring (see below). We are educating our youth globally, giving them futures. Educated countries are more likely to have a democracy, and democracies are less likely to engage in war.

Where we fall short is teaching tolerance. Most people mimic their parents’ views towards others, often making hatred generational. These deeply-rooted beliefs are harder to change. This one, folks, will be an uphill battle. Education is still key.

But education also now includes an understanding of our Earth’s dire climate challenges. Today, people across the globe know we need to change our ways in order for Earth to survive. We get it. Now we just need to take action. We all need to work together to save our planet. And maybe, just maybe, this will be what at last brings us all together. Often a common enemy unites groups. Perhaps the common enemy is climate change. If we all want to live, we all have to fight the same fight.

What you can do

Depressed? Don’t be. Get busy. Do something – anything – to change your little corner of the planet. Change starts small and grows. Take a baby step. Stop using plastic bags. Make up with your neighbour. Vote.

And then stop to take a breath. Has somebody said something that makes you a bit mad? Don’t fly off the handle. Instead, address it. And remember, just because somebody doesn’t hold your opinion doesn’t mean you can’t love them still. Start in your own backyard and apply this to other things. Most conflicts come out of misunderstandings and a determination that there is only one right way, only one truth. There are often many truths. Don’t be mad if somebody’s is different than yours.

Model the behaviour you wish the globe had and perhaps slowly, but surely, the globe will do the same.

As for me, I’ve decided my resolution for this year is to not start my day with all the bad news, but to instead start with a gratitude list before I open my iPad and read the events of the day. I’m choosing to start with joy and then sprinkle in some reality. And I’m going to take care of my corner of Earth. It’s my job. It’s my responsibility. It’s my top resolution.

How about you? What will you do differently in 2020 to help Earth?