"I have to fight for your future," the author writes. "There's no other reasonable choice, for me or any adult." (Photo: Katariina Jarvinen/flickr/cc)
A Letter to My Child on a Changing Planet
Lots of big stuff is at stake as the climate changes. But so are everyday pleasures we take for granted — like hikes in the woods, days on the beach, and lazy summer days.
To my five-year-old son:
By the time you're my age, the year will be 2051. I don't know what the planet will look like. And that scares me.
Today, it's obvious that nature is changing too fast, too much. Of course, nature's not the culprit. We are. Humans. Your parents, your grandparents, and so many generations who came before us.
We've been selfish and careless. We've forgotten to think about the future. We've screwed up the environment with our plastic water bottles and our massive landfills, and most of all, our fossil fuels.
If we don't make real changes, and soon, our Earth in 2051 may look very different from our Earth in 2018. I have to fight for your future. There's no other reasonable choice, for me or any adult.
What am I fighting for? I want you to share these four moments with your own kids, in 2051.
1. Hikes in the woods, among the trees and the bluebells, deer peeking out at you through the brush, birdsong floating all around us. I want you and your kids to love to explore the woods. Climate change causes droughts and forest fires. It threatens our whole ecosystem in countless ways, endangering too many species, particularly bees and butterflies and other pollinators (which are vital to our eco-system). I will fight for your future forests.
2. Fun at the beach. The beach is my favorite thing in the world, other than you and your dad. I'm in awe of the vastness of the ocean. As I dig my toes into the sand, I feel connected to the Earth. Like I belong. I want you to have those long, lazy summer days at the beach, swimming and body surfing, stretching out on a towel to read a book, and building sandcastle after sandcastle. But climate change threatens beaches, with tides rising and coastlines eroding, whole cities disappearing. I will fight for your future beach days.
3. Snow. I remember taking you out in the snow for the first time. It was magical. I want you to experience that same magic with your children. But as temperatures soar, winters in many parts of the world will be under siege. Winter freezes could shrink or disappear. I will fight for your future snowball fights.
4. Lazy summer days. I want you to love summer as much as I do. It's my favorite season. I love to lie outside in the sun, to feel the sunlight soaking into my skin. I love that warmth. Summer is your favorite too. You say, "I like it hot." But if we do nothing, your favorite season could become miserable, oppressive. You might not want to run around in the sprinklers with your kids. I will fight for your future long days of summer.
The good news is that it's not too late. We can change our ways. We can give you a wonderful future.
We can demand clean energy. We can conserve energy. And recycle. And compost. And clean up litter. And eat less meat. And use public transportation. And drive cars that pollute less.
All these big and little choices make a difference. If we all do our parts to help -- and if our governments do theirs -- we can give you a beautiful, healthy planet in 2051. Along the way, we can teach our children how to make good choices, how to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
You and me kid, we can save the world. We have to try.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
To my five-year-old son:
By the time you're my age, the year will be 2051. I don't know what the planet will look like. And that scares me.
Today, it's obvious that nature is changing too fast, too much. Of course, nature's not the culprit. We are. Humans. Your parents, your grandparents, and so many generations who came before us.
We've been selfish and careless. We've forgotten to think about the future. We've screwed up the environment with our plastic water bottles and our massive landfills, and most of all, our fossil fuels.
If we don't make real changes, and soon, our Earth in 2051 may look very different from our Earth in 2018. I have to fight for your future. There's no other reasonable choice, for me or any adult.
What am I fighting for? I want you to share these four moments with your own kids, in 2051.
1. Hikes in the woods, among the trees and the bluebells, deer peeking out at you through the brush, birdsong floating all around us. I want you and your kids to love to explore the woods. Climate change causes droughts and forest fires. It threatens our whole ecosystem in countless ways, endangering too many species, particularly bees and butterflies and other pollinators (which are vital to our eco-system). I will fight for your future forests.
2. Fun at the beach. The beach is my favorite thing in the world, other than you and your dad. I'm in awe of the vastness of the ocean. As I dig my toes into the sand, I feel connected to the Earth. Like I belong. I want you to have those long, lazy summer days at the beach, swimming and body surfing, stretching out on a towel to read a book, and building sandcastle after sandcastle. But climate change threatens beaches, with tides rising and coastlines eroding, whole cities disappearing. I will fight for your future beach days.
3. Snow. I remember taking you out in the snow for the first time. It was magical. I want you to experience that same magic with your children. But as temperatures soar, winters in many parts of the world will be under siege. Winter freezes could shrink or disappear. I will fight for your future snowball fights.
4. Lazy summer days. I want you to love summer as much as I do. It's my favorite season. I love to lie outside in the sun, to feel the sunlight soaking into my skin. I love that warmth. Summer is your favorite too. You say, "I like it hot." But if we do nothing, your favorite season could become miserable, oppressive. You might not want to run around in the sprinklers with your kids. I will fight for your future long days of summer.
The good news is that it's not too late. We can change our ways. We can give you a wonderful future.
We can demand clean energy. We can conserve energy. And recycle. And compost. And clean up litter. And eat less meat. And use public transportation. And drive cars that pollute less.
All these big and little choices make a difference. If we all do our parts to help -- and if our governments do theirs -- we can give you a beautiful, healthy planet in 2051. Along the way, we can teach our children how to make good choices, how to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
You and me kid, we can save the world. We have to try.
To my five-year-old son:
By the time you're my age, the year will be 2051. I don't know what the planet will look like. And that scares me.
Today, it's obvious that nature is changing too fast, too much. Of course, nature's not the culprit. We are. Humans. Your parents, your grandparents, and so many generations who came before us.
We've been selfish and careless. We've forgotten to think about the future. We've screwed up the environment with our plastic water bottles and our massive landfills, and most of all, our fossil fuels.
If we don't make real changes, and soon, our Earth in 2051 may look very different from our Earth in 2018. I have to fight for your future. There's no other reasonable choice, for me or any adult.
What am I fighting for? I want you to share these four moments with your own kids, in 2051.
1. Hikes in the woods, among the trees and the bluebells, deer peeking out at you through the brush, birdsong floating all around us. I want you and your kids to love to explore the woods. Climate change causes droughts and forest fires. It threatens our whole ecosystem in countless ways, endangering too many species, particularly bees and butterflies and other pollinators (which are vital to our eco-system). I will fight for your future forests.
2. Fun at the beach. The beach is my favorite thing in the world, other than you and your dad. I'm in awe of the vastness of the ocean. As I dig my toes into the sand, I feel connected to the Earth. Like I belong. I want you to have those long, lazy summer days at the beach, swimming and body surfing, stretching out on a towel to read a book, and building sandcastle after sandcastle. But climate change threatens beaches, with tides rising and coastlines eroding, whole cities disappearing. I will fight for your future beach days.
3. Snow. I remember taking you out in the snow for the first time. It was magical. I want you to experience that same magic with your children. But as temperatures soar, winters in many parts of the world will be under siege. Winter freezes could shrink or disappear. I will fight for your future snowball fights.
4. Lazy summer days. I want you to love summer as much as I do. It's my favorite season. I love to lie outside in the sun, to feel the sunlight soaking into my skin. I love that warmth. Summer is your favorite too. You say, "I like it hot." But if we do nothing, your favorite season could become miserable, oppressive. You might not want to run around in the sprinklers with your kids. I will fight for your future long days of summer.
The good news is that it's not too late. We can change our ways. We can give you a wonderful future.
We can demand clean energy. We can conserve energy. And recycle. And compost. And clean up litter. And eat less meat. And use public transportation. And drive cars that pollute less.
All these big and little choices make a difference. If we all do our parts to help -- and if our governments do theirs -- we can give you a beautiful, healthy planet in 2051. Along the way, we can teach our children how to make good choices, how to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
You and me kid, we can save the world. We have to try.