What Would You Do if the World was Ending?

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Gosh. I really didn't think I'd be writing about this right now. Mainly because I thought we had more time. More time to live. More years to experience. Many more decades to make mistakes. Turns out, we only have 7 years. 2556.75 days before we cross the point of no return, and the damage we have done to our planet is irreversible. Just over 61,000 hours to accept the responsibility past generations have negligently left on our laps. 7 years. And given the current state of the world, I really wish I could believe we could forestall the inevitable. But I don't. We could barely get on the same page about a pandemic; a moment in human history when we knew what was expected of us. What hope do we have on getting on the same page about climate change, and what it takes to solve it? Especially when, perhaps, the most effective solution demands a complete disruption of our capitalistic society and its' drive for short-term profits over long-term sustainability. What hope do we have when climate change impacts nations disproportionately; and the primary culprits are reluctant if at all willing, to assume responsibility? 

I do not trust my government, and the governments of the world, to legislate in ways that preserve our future. I do not trust future governments not to overturn those laws, policies and initiatives as soon as it becomes inconvenient to business, or politically inexpedient. I simply do not trust my government to do what needs to be done. To rein in large multinational corporations and effectively punish them for their environmental crimes. To motivate consumers to adopt environmentally friendly practices. To use the power of government – its ability to collect and coordinate vast resources – to mitigate climate change. This is an 'all-hands-on-deck' situation. Right now, barely a pinky can be found. 

So if the world is ending in 7 years, what would you do? What would I do? Should I take my time, effort, and capital and work to save it? Or should I embrace the coming disaster? And fully succumb to the capitalistic urge to maximise short-term pleasure, over the inevitable long-term pain? Perhaps both?

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