Hope is evident across the Anthropocene. I strongly believe that people do not act unless they are hopeful. For example, one of the main reasons I am studying at Duke rather than at my local state school for a much lower price is because I hope my education will help me get a better job and put me in a better position to succeed when I graduate. I believe that everyone has hope in their lives and has the ability to pursue passions as well.
There has also been tangible hope across the Anthropocene. Rebecca Solnit mentions in “Grounds For Hope” that Denmark has produced a surplus of renewable energy, which it has sold it off to neighboring countries, and that Iowa is getting 28 percent of its electricity from wind nowadays as well. These are just a few examples of initiatives being taken around the globe by nations and states to reduce their carbon impact. It is examples like these that create hope throughout the world because people can actually see the path that leads to the vision and if an entire nation can rely on renewable energy, other nations around the world can do the same.
While Solnit provided reasons for hope in her article, her example about Hurricane Katrina concerned me. Solnit mentioned that in times of great struggle, everyone can come together and help regardless of race or class. However, by the time climate change gets to that level in which lives are in danger, it will be too late. Rather, humans need to realize that single-degree temperature rises are as detrimental to our society as these hurricanes. If we do not act now much of the world will be underwater in fifty years and we’ll be asking why we had not acted sooner. Thus, the hope exists in humans, but the sense of urgency to act now has not yet been realized by many.
Solnit, Rebecca. “Grounds For Hope.” Tikkun, Winter 2017, pp. 31-39.
