If not us, then who?
If not now, then when?
July the 10th, 2023. You are on twitter(bad idea). You see that the european heatwave last summer killed 61000 people. Unofficial data shows global temperatures last week were the highest ever recorded. UN says the climate crisis is "out of control"
That's bad. But then you see that in the same week on July the 6th, it was the busiest commercial aviation day ever. And you also see that fossil fuel subsidies worldwide reached more than 1 trillion USD.
What the fuck are we doing? The earth is dying, we reach the highest temperatures ever, we see the consequences of it already every day. And it will get worse, much worse, more than I can comprehend now. And we are still continuing, no, expanding, like nothing is happening?
I am afraid of my future. I am afraid what will happen. What point is there in getting a nice job at some yuppie company doing something with AI delivered advertisements or whatever buzzword is popular now? What is there to look forward to when the world, our only home, is getting harsher to live in every day? I feel alienated. The world needs to do something!
Days like these, more than anything, is why I started participating in climate activism earlier this year. I try very hard, although aside from the smaller wins, I am not sure if it will help. But at least I feel some kind of connection with other people who are concerned and feel like me. And it provides hope, and reduces my climate anxiety. And doing nothing won't help for sure.
I acknowledge that being a climate activist you have some kind of privilege. I am very lucky that the laws in the Netherlands are relatively good, in the UK it already becomes worse not to mention other countries where environmentalists get murdered. Also because I grew up with parents who had a good degree and a high socioeconomic status, had access to education, and I can afford to spend time going to protests and such.
I completely understand people not doing it because they don't know, or just have to make their ends meet, or even just wanting to live their lives, the world is crazy enough as it is. I do not blame you. But not for me. I can and want to do something, and I feel like it is my duty as a human to try to protect nature and other humans.
Honestly, and I don't know why, I sometimes find climate activism cringy. But look at my website - I am cringe as well, so who cares. I find it uncomfortable to say that I do stuff like this, even though I find it of great importance. I am practicing this though.
I am not sure what the future will hold, if I am forever going to be a climate activist. But one thing is certain. The disastrous consequences of climate change are not cringe nor political, but are very real. That will never change and I will always find this an important topic.
So this is what I am going to do. I am going to be annoying for the government and polluters and unfortunately people. And I am going to hope that it'll do something, I'll demand change, with so many other people.
We're going to miss the 1.5 degrees. They used to think there would be an beyond apocalyptic >4°C future. But now IPCC thinks 3.2 °C(IPCC AR6 SYR, A.4.4). Instead of dooming, I'm going to put my rage into work(and still doom but less). Let's get that figure down.
I understand if you think this goes too far. If you agree with the message, but not the form, I'll take that as a win. But let's not forget. The truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels.
Also keep in mind, the government themselves promised they would do something about it, by signing the Paris agreement. They promised they were going to protect us, and they aren't. Therefore, we're not asking something new, we're holding them accountable, by being really annoying by it.
In the future I might make an article on how I got to this point, and share my experiences going to actions and such. And if you live in the Netherlands, come to the A12 blockade coming September the 9th and demand a stop on fossil subsidies! It will be worth the hassle, and it's a profound experience.
If you feel like me but you don't live in the Netherlands, consider joining a local group if your personal, social, economical, and juridical situation allows it.
So this is my post for the 7th anniversary of this website. My life has changed a lot the past 7 years. Remember fidget spinners? That was also 7 years ago.
I am not sure what to do with my website. Since I changed over time, some of the stuff here has gotten really embarrassing, or painful. Perhaps that has also a beautiful thing of it, to see how things were and how I thought about things.
I am also worried that people who know me find out about this website. This is a worry, because my website started out as low-effort trash where anything was possible. Now there is a voice which keeps whispering me "What if people find out?"
But thank you all for these 7 years, my dear web surfers. I hope you have had a nice journey across the internet and my website.