What We’ve Done is Unforgivable
As someone who has lived through many changes and seen the world evolve over more than six decades, I feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility and fear about the world we’re leaving our children.
This isn’t the future I dreamed of when I first held my sons in 1990, 1993, and 1996.
The Alarming State of Our Planet
During my lifetime, I’ve witnessed dramatic and dangerous shifts in the Earth’s condition. We are now close to the limits of our planet’s capacities; the atmosphere is saturated with greenhouse gases, nature and wildlife are severely declining, and our oceans are reaching biological saturation.
It’s become clear that we have pushed the Earth to its breaking point and are likely out of time.
Earth’s climate, biodiversity, land, freshwater, nutrient pollution, and “novel” chemicals (human-made compounds like pollution, microplastics, and nuclear waste) are all out of alignment.
A Missed Wake-Up Call Almost 40 Years Ago
In 1987, a groundbreaking report, “Our Common Future,” laid out a concept of sustainable development that aimed to balance present needs with those of future generations. Yet here we are, years later, still jeopardizing a viable future. I can’t help but think of how we’ve failed to heed this crucial warning, and I’m afraid that my generation and the one that followed haven’t done enough to set things right.
Dangerous Tipping Points
We have transgressed safe operating levels in six of nine vital Earth systems, placing humanity at risk regarding water, food, health, and security. Further, suppose global temperatures increase by 1.5°C. In that case, we will face irreversible damage — melting ice sheets, dying coral reefs, and accelerated warming due to thawing permafrost. We are bequeathing future generations a world that will be unrecognizable.
Beyond Just Decarbonization
Reducing carbon emissions is crucial, but more is needed. We urgently need a comprehensive approach considering land use, biodiversity, water management, and pollution. The climate debates nowadays are skewed; offsetting carbon emissions by investing in natural solutions is not a substitute for phasing out fossil fuels.
The word “urgently” is a gross understatement.
Hundreds of thousands of synthetic chemicals have been produced and released into the environment. For many substances, the potentially significant and persistent effects on Earth’s system processes, particularly on biosphere integrity, are known to be disastrous, and yet their use is not well regulated.
Humanity has repeatedly been surprised by the unintended consequences of these releases, e.g., concerning the release of insecticides such as DDT and the effect of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) on the ozone layer.
No Time to Spare
We have almost exhausted the global carbon budget that would give us a modest chance of keeping warming below 1.5°C. At current rates, we have but 6–7 years before this budget is completely depleted. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach involving every country, business, and individual.
A Failing Safety Net
Our planet has exhausted its resilience, failing in its role as the buffer we desperately need. The Earth’s systems are convulsing under the cumulative pressure of our actions, making our situation increasingly precarious.
How the USA Will Become the Poster Child for Late-Stage Petrocapitalism
Earlier this year, the Biden Administration approved the Willow Project, a huge oil-drilling complex to be built in Alaska on thawing permafrost that may need to be mechanically refrozen before it can be drilled. Not surprisingly, Willow drew opposition — more than five million people, many of them young, signed petitions against the plan, and a million sent letters to the White House — which, the Times noted last month, could become “a wild card factor in next year’s presidential race.”
But the Willow field is not the only major fossil-fuel project in the works. Soon, you may also be hearing a good deal about C.P.2, or Calcasieu Pass 2, an enormous liquefied-natural-gas export terminal proposed for the Louisiana coast and which the Biden Administration is likely to approve or reject this fall. The project, the largest of at least twenty L.N.G. terminals proposed by a handful of companies to take gas mostly from the Southwest’s Permian Basin to overseas customers, is a poster child for late-stage petrocapitalism: it would help lock in the planet’s reliance on fossil fuels long past what scientists have identified as the breaking point for the climate system.
And it will bring to the fore one of the most crucial — and least-discussed — parts of the climate fight: America’s rapidly increasing oil and gas exports to the rest of the world. To give an idea of how big the battle at C.P.2 could be: according to the veteran energy analyst Jeremy Symons, the greenhouse-gas emissions associated with it would be twenty times larger than those from the oil drilling at Willow. Research and advocacy group Oil Change International, based in Washington, D.C., said this will make the United States the “Planet Wrecker in Chief.”
The Urgency of Transformative Action
Incremental changes will not suffice; radical transformations are needed. Innovations and solutions must align with sustainable principles and be implemented swiftly. Time is running out, and we can’t afford to lose our few options.
A Critical Time for Human Well-Being
With growing social and economic inequalities, sustainability must benefit everyone, not just a privileged few. This is not just an environmental issue; it’s a matter of justice and basic dignity for humanity.
Wealthy people do have a buffer, one that only they can afford.
I’m terrified for the future and deeply regret my generation’s role in creating this catastrophic situation.
People often say, “It’s not too late,” but the appalling reality is that it is too late.
Nothing will stop the Climate Catastrophe because economies, politicians, and private capital are addicted to Fossil Fuels.
The power of Capitalists is boundless and driven entirely by profit at any price.
Even the price of a failed Earth.
With sobering regret for the world we’ve shaped, this Baby Boomer acknowledges our generational debt to Earth and her inhabitants.
I won’t ask for forgiveness because what we’ve done is unforgivable.
About the author: Greg Twemlow, Founder of XperientialAI©.
Greg Twemlow: “Empowering future leaders and organizations by designing and delivering AI-integrated experiential learning programs that blend technology, ethics, and philosophy. Through consultancy, mentorship, innovation coaching, and thought leadership, I help CEOs, business leaders, and individuals ethically and efficiently implement AI solutions while fostering a culture of trust, integrity, and wisdom in an AI-driven world.” Contact Greg: greg@xperiential.ai
