I am grateful to Keley Peterson, group leader of ProVisors Palo Alto 1, for permitting me to inform our group about the latest state of the climate crisis with tips for what our members can do to address the crisis.
[Transcript]
Do you think we are already at 1.5C heating?
Scientists projected we would hit 1.5C average heating by 2030.
This July, Aug and Sept have been the hottest in the last 100,000 years. And Oct is already shaping up to be one of the hottest ever, too. Scientists predict that this year will be our first year of 1.5C heating and are already hypothesizing we may be at a staggering 1.8C heating by the end of the decade.
What can I do? People have been asking this. Everyone should be thinking to do two things now: Mitigate and Adapt.
Mitigation is what you could and should be doing now to slow down the crisis, both individually and systemically.
Adaptation is what you will be compelled to do as mother nature imposes the crisis on you.
Mitigation is proactive. Adaptation is reactive but can be proactive if you start building resiliency now.
Who will mitigate and who will adapt?
All of us will have to adapt.
Mitigation is another matter. Not all will, but the more of us who do, the better things will be in the long term.
Mitigation on an individual basis is simple.
Number 1: Don’t burn fossil fuels. Replace all your fossil fuel appliances and vehicles with electric ones. Want to do more? Don’t eat beef and pork—the two food industries with the most carbon emissions. Just those two things and you’ve done great!
See – I told you—easy peasy.
Look, there are plenty of people who prefer denial. But I bet just as many want the truth, painful as it is. We deserve a shot at rising to the occasion.
Next month I would like to review some of the tax benefits available to you in the inflation reduction act to electrify your home and transportation. In fact, if there’s a CPA you know who already has a handle on that, then please let me know.
And, Remember, most of us live in California, with the fifth largest economy and with a platform the world turns to for leadership. We have the resources, the knowledge and more political will than most places. We must demonstrate that decarbonization can be done, and then the rest of the world will follow us.
Thanks.
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