The courage of Paine, the intelligence of Darwin

Transitioning to renewable energy, dropping coal and nuclear power, will not be easy. Thomas Paine, in the times of the American Revolution, spoke of the sunshine patriot, who is a patriot only when it doesn’t derail his comfortable lifestyle; for himself, seeing the hard times ahead, he said, “If there must be a revolution, let it be in my lifetime, so that our children may have peace.”

For Charles Darwin, our survival is a question of our ability to adapt, to abandon an established way of life according to the needs of an evolving environment. He pointed to those in the natural world who simulated the patterns of their neighbors who were survivors, and in this imitation, they too survived. We have neighbors, many, who have successfully transitioned to renewable energy — much of Scandinavia, the entire European Union, will be entirely renewable by 2050.

That the fossil fuel industry sustains the New Mexican economy is a myth; its failure is reflected in our illiteracy, in our poverty and in the despair of our youth.

These same youth point to the sun and the wind; they say they are ready: They will learn the skills to foster a source of energy that does not harm. It is not fair to keep on generating spent fuel rods and pass on the nuclear waste to future generations.

We need the courage today of Paine and the intelligence of Darwin: Fossils are failures; the secret to our survival is in our willingness to change — now — and spare those who will walk on this Earth from the hardship we know lies ahead.