Our Time: Finding Hope in a Climate Crisis
Synopsis – After reflecting on the immediacy of the climate crisis, with a metaphor – the tsunami wave, I will take you to the outer reaches of the universe and to the farthest depths of geological time. And from those first moments, when our planet was born out of stardust, we will begin our journey home. As we race forward in time, four billion years, we will watch as life emerges in the oceans and then occupies the land, and we will discover that our planet has a built-in safety mechanism that protects it from catastrophic climate change. And then, walking beneath the sea cliffs of western Scotland and northern Denmark, we will find out what happens when that safety mechanism failed, and what will happen if we cause it to fail again. And, as our journey comes to an end, we will witness the rise of humans, and how humanity separated itself from nature, setting the stage for the agricultural and industrial revolutions, and for the climate crisis to rise like a tsunami wave cresting the horizon. And as the wave bears down upon us, I will tell you of my own awakening to the true horror of the Keeling curve – the curve that shows the rise of carbon dioxide in the air that we breathe. I will share the moments I have shared with the children who are calling on the adult world to see that the climate crisis is real, and to act to protect their common home. I will tell you why we need to be afraid of the heatwaves, wildfires, floods and droughts, melting ice and rising seas. And I will tell you why the end of winter terrifies me. And then, I will reveal why we can and must feel hope in the depths of our hearts. I will share with you what has been done, what can be done, and what must be done. With a second metaphor – the oak tree – I will share real hope, and I will help you find a part to play as we take on the climate crisis, which is the greatest challenge of our time.
Our time: Finding Hope in a Climate Crisis can be purchased from Akademibokandeln (Sweden), Bloomsbury (UK), Paperback Shop (Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Singapore, and the United States) and Amazon (United States, Rest of the World).
Click here to see a visual presentation of Our Time: Finding Hope in a Climate Crisis on Vimeo.