As the climate clock ticks louder each day and the world stands on the precipice, we are facing another devastating blow. That means Donald Trump is the next president. His incoming administration casts a long shadow over every step we have fought hard to tackle climate change.
This is a rallying cry for blue states, all progressive municipalities, and all sectors of society who believe in science, responsibility, and the sanctity of our planet. We must come together, stand together and allow our hard-won progress to be undone.
Don't mince words. The climate crisis is real and accelerating. The stakes are no more. Global greenhouse gas emissions are already at record highs and rising to alarming levels 57 billion tons of carbon dioxide In 2023.
Earth just went through that experience. Second warmest September on recordAnd scientists say it's almost certain that 2024 will break the previous temperature record. We are already feeling the effects of unprecedented wildfires, hurricanes, heatwaves and other extreme weather events taking a toll on communities around the world.
These events are warnings, not abnormalities. If this trend continues, global temperatures could rise by a catastrophic 3 degrees Celsius by the end of this century, causing unprecedented suffering.
Especially now, doing nothing is not an option. Every one of us, blue states, cities, private companies, and nonprofits, must step up to the plate as climate resilience pioneers. CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK, OREGON, WASHINGTON — Our progress will not be derailed by inaction or refusal by the federal government.
Now is the time for states to double down on clean energy policies, further invest in renewable infrastructure, and forge stronger partnerships with NGOs and the private sector. We know solutions such as solar power, wind power, battery storage and carbon sequestration.
The International Energy Agency predicts that the world will be able to generate electricity from sunlight alone. quadruple by 2030. This growth in clean energy is not just possible, it is inevitable if we keep working.
The consequences of inaction are devastating. Over 1 billion people Drought, sea level rise and heat waves could lead to migration by 2050.
Water shortages are already looming, with demand for freshwater outpacing supply. 40 percent By the end of the decade. one quarter One of the world's crops is grown in highly stressed regions where water is insufficient or unstable to sustain food production.
result? Food insecurity on an unprecedented scale is exacerbated by social inequalities, with people in resource-poor communities bearing the brunt.
Meanwhile, the Earth's carbon storage capacity is collapsing. Forests, once powerful carbon sinks, are being destroyed by wildfires and extreme heat, and deforestation is eating away at what's left.
Since 2001, forest fires have increased carbon dioxide emissions from forest burning. 60 percentmillions of acres of valuable forest are lost every year. Coral reefs, which support a quarter of all marine life, are bleaching and dying en masse, victims of the relentlessly warming ocean. And all this devastation feeds back into the cycle of destruction, amplifying the very crisis that started it.
We are not only losing species; The foundational pillars of our biosphere. Biodiversity, which maintains the functioning and resilience of our ecosystems, is in freefall. Human extinction has already pushed the Earth into what scientists call the “danger zone.”
If the Amazon reaches a tipping point and converts from a rainforest to a savannah, we will lose one of the planet's greatest stores of biodiversity and carbon. These are not just statistics, they are existential threats to the future of humanity.
This is also a crisis of justice. Climate change is not only wreaking havoc on ecosystems, it is also deepening social divisions, particularly affecting resource-poor and marginalized communities.
Produced by the richest 10 percent of the population almost half But it is the poorest 50 percent who suffer the most, facing displacement, economic devastation and threats to their health and livelihoods. Disease, drought, pollution and extreme weather conditions increase inequality, creating a vicious cycle in which the most vulnerable suffer the most.
The fight to fight climate change is also a fight to redefine our economic model. The current world system, focused on endless growth and wealth creation for a privileged few, is unsustainable. Capitalism as it stands today is based on infinite resources and infinite expansion, two concepts that are impossible on a finite planet.
We need a circular economy that recognizes the value of ecosystems, prioritizes sustainability over profit, and understands that we only have one planet. Investing in clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and reducing waste are not just environmental imperatives. They are moral obligations.
So what does it take to chart this new path? It requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Countries must pass robust climate change laws that mandate emissions reductions, support renewable energy development, and hold polluters accountable. Cities and counties must implement climate-resilient infrastructure, reduce urban sprawl, and embrace green buildings.
The private sector must pivot from profit-driven environmental destruction to impact-driven sustainability and pour resources into low-carbon technologies and green jobs. And NGOs must advocate fiercely, pressuring governments and industry at all levels to uphold climate action.
Every sector, organization, and individual has a role to play in this fight. The climate crisis is a common challenge that transcends borders and party lines. Our work, the work of blue states and climate change advocates, cannot be undermined by political change.
It is a mission from the earth itself, a call to protect our future and the future of generations to come.
Charles Fletcher is interim dean of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's College of Marine, Earth, and Earth Science and Technology.
