A common theme from this past week’s discussions and readings was the idea of hope. In the context of climate change, “hope” is usually not the first word to come to mind. Often, scientists and civilians alike, associate climate change with words and phrases like “catastrophic,” “we’re doomed,” or “If we don’t act now, we’re all screwed.” While yes, climate change is arguably the most pressing matter our world faces today, it is good to look at it through a lens of hope. In the words of China Miéville from his piece “The Limits of Utopia,” “we need hope as without an alternative how can we make change?” I think that’s a great line because its true, if we are looking at our issues like they are set in stone, how can we expect to fix them? That applies to almost everything in life, whether it be climate change, your job, relationship, you name it.
Another thing that stood out to me from Miéville’s piece was the idea that many people believe we have to pick between either a climate catastrophe or another financial catastrophe. Unfortunately, many people would rather see the world self-destruct right in front of them instead of watching their wage drop. Impractical, but unfortunately that’s the way the world runs today. As an economics and environmental science major, I inspire and feel like it is my job to prevent both from happening. And yes, contrary to popular belief, I do believe that is attainable. There is plenty of hope in a world full of environmental wrongdoers. For example, the idea of “Conservation funds” and “Sustainable investments” are becoming more and more popular by the day. Goldman Sachs, arguably the worlds largest financial influencer, opened up a sector dedicated entirely to environmental and socially conscious investments. The list goes on and on. I guess if you were to get anything from this post is that the idea of “hope” that we preached these past couple of days is something you should actually have, not think you have. While its easy to look at all of our issues with a frustrated and cynical mindset, it’s better to take a deep breath and do what you can knowing that its all going to be ok.
