PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 26, 2021
I can’t remember feeling so gloomy about the future. We have known for at least 40 years that greenhouse-gas emissions are warming the planet. But politically we can’t take the steps that are needed. The Republican Party is organized around anti-elitist ideas that make a comfortable home for climate deniers. And the Democrats have a complicated coalition that includes both climate activists and conservatives who don’t want to do anything more than they have to. It’s traumatic for young people, who report being massively pessimistic about their future. Some degree of optimism is necessary for our survival. Change doesn’t have to be bad. In my grandparents’ life span, we went from horses and buggies to landing on the moon. We ought to be able to find a way to live with electric vehicles and wind mills. ~ Greg Kesich