By Lucien Crowder, December 21, 2017
It’s tough—caring about the climate. You get dispirited by starving polar bears, dying coral reefs, diabolical wildfires, and gleeful vandalism passing as policy.
But just when you’re ready to give up—well, my wife hates the cold, so at least there’s that—you run into an article by Joe Romm of Think Progress that turns your climate frown upside down. Under the headline “2017 showed the global clean energy revolution is unstoppable no matter what Trump does”—a flawlessly descriptive headline, by the way—Romm enumerates the following feel-good facts:
There’s more where that comes from, but you get the picture. Things are changing. Fast. For the better.
Somebody, somewhere, is surely accusing Romm of excessive optimism. You won’t hear it from me. The man is not an unqualified observer of energy trends and I don’t have the heart this holiday season. Maybe—just maybe—the miserable species known as Homo sapiens will skid to a stop at the edge of the climate cliff. We’ve got a better chance than we probably deserve.
The Bulletin elevates expert voices above the noise. But as an independent, nonprofit media organization, our operations depend on the support of readers like you. Help us continue to deliver quality journalism that holds leaders accountable. Your support of our work at any level is important. In return, we promise our coverage will be understandable, influential, vigilant, solution-oriented, and fair-minded. Together we can make a difference.