Recharging by the sea as clouds gather in the west

I’m back by the sea. This is where I always go when I need to recharge and be at peace with myself. Watching the ripples on the water surface in the diminishing light from the setting sun, while listening to the blackbirds singing is a way of being present; effortless mindfulness. Tonight I treated myself with some fresh shrimps and a glass of wine as an extra luxury.

As I sat by the beach, I chose to ignore the buzzing from my phone and the “breaking news” signals. But dark clouds started to drift in from the west, as a telltale sign of bad news. This foreboding was correct, because when I picked up my phone as I walked back up to the house the message was clear: “Trump withdraws from the Paris climate accord”. 

The news did not really come as a surprise, more like a verification of the combined arrogance, egoism, ignorance and shortsightedness of the so called president Trump. This action fits well with his lack of empathy with anyone but himself:

"He is the spoiled child of an indulgent father who imagines that what he achieved via nepotism is rather attributable to his own superior qualities.”

He is also a man to always tries to take credit for others achievements and uses everyone else for his purposes. Tonight he claimed to love coalminers and bragged about being elected by the people in Pittsburgh not Paris. But the folks in Pittsburgh were neither pleased nor impressed. In the words of mayor Bill Peduto:

As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future

Climate change is already here and the negative effects are already clearly visible. Trump may be too old, too fat and too unhealthy to himself be able to experience the worst consequences of climate change. But I do wish him to live long enough to see his getaway spot in Mar-Del-Lago be flooded from the rising sea waters. 

For all of us that will be around a bit longer and especially for the children of today and tomorrow, the decision by Trump will be remembered as one man egoism winning over the planet. 

All this said we must remember that the Paris accord in itself would not have saved us, even with the participation of USA. A much more rapid shift away from fossil fuels is needed. But Trumps decision may slow the pace of the necessary transition and dilute our efforts when focus and action is what is needed. Still, there is a chance that we can shift direction in time to a clean energy society and thus a liveable planet, since the economic incitament for going green is becoming so strong. In that case, USA may be the biggest looser in this development:

A global shift to renewable energy is on. There’s no denying it or turning it around. It’s good for business. This is not fake news. It’s real life. And it’s happening with or without you.

Regrettably, ignorance and shortsightedness are not confined to Trump. Just this week in Sweden there was a decision to expand an airport adjacent to a ski resort; a location that has already had problems with lack of snow and mild winter temperatures. Also in Sweden, record sales of (mostly combustion engine) cars was reported. And on my Facebook feed I could see endless pictures posted by a group of acquaintances from their week of shopping spree in New York.

There is an enormous need of leadership if we are going to solve the climate challenge, especially now after the American abdication. Some reason for hope is that there are indications that the EU and China will step up to the plate. This could actually become a huge chance for Europe to find a common positive cause to fight for. Already, the French president Macron has invited scientists and entrepreneurs to move here if there is a lack of opportunities in the USA. 

But to have bold leaders, we as citizens also need to do our part. If we are not willing to abstain from anything there is not a chance that we can transition to a low emission future in time to stabilise the climate. What we must learn as grown ups, in contrast to the toddler attitude of Trump, is that you have to make an effort and sometimes a sacrifice to succeed. As I have written before, the valiant quest is not a simple journey.